Panthers can’t contain explosive Red Knights, Yadiel Cruz in Berks quarterfinal
2024 Berks basketball coverage presented by
Utilities Employees Credit Union
By Sean McBryan — MikeDragoSports.com correspondent
The blueprint to beating Reading High is simple: Take care of the ball, slow the game down, and play sound defense.
Easier said than done.
Schuylkill Valley did a solid job of executing that game plan in the early stages of its Berks Conference quarterfinal against the second-seeded Red Knights Monday before Yadiel Cruz and the Red Knights tore that blueprint to pieces en route to a 78-40 victory at the Geigle.
Cruz scored 29 points to lead the Red Knights (16-7) to their sixth straight victory and send them against No. 6 Muhlenberg Wednesday at 8:30 in a semifinal at Santander Arena. The Muhls defeated No. 3 Fleetwood 60-46 Monday.
The defending Berks champion Red Knights played at Schuylkill Valley’s pace at the outset and led only 16-10 heading to the second quarter. The game remained close before a late run put Reading up 15 at the break and foreshadowed what was to come.
“When we went back into the locker room we sat down and talked about what we had to do better,” Cruz, a native of the Dominican Republic, said through an interpreter. “We put a plan together and said, ‘Let’s go.’ ”
Cruz, the Berks scoring leader at 22.8 per game, had 15 points in the third quarter as the Red Knights outscored the Panthers 32-12.
Kowen Gerner, who led the seventh-seeded Panthers with 11 points, hit a bucket and Cooper Hohenadel drilled a 3 to start the third quarter, cutting Reading’s lead to 35-25.
It was all Red Knights thereafter.
“We picked up our defensive intensity,” Reading High coach Francis Camara said. “Once we do that, our offense starts to flow better. We get into a better rhythm.”
Cruz hit a 3-pointer, Jeremiah Camara had a steal and made two free throws after an intentional foul, Weshly Rosario made a layup after forcing another turnover, and Cruz had a steal-and-score, forcing Schuylkill Valley head coach Taylor Grim to use a timeout, his team suddenly down 19 with 6:34 left in the third quarter.
“Our guys started to wear down a little bit late in the third quarter,” Schuylkill Valley coach Taylor Grim said. “Reading went on that run that just separated the game to a point where we couldn’t keep up anymore.”
Nico Sosa had a personal 5-0 run when play resumed and Cruz scored again to push the lead to 25 before Jacob Zimmerman’s free throw ended the carnage for Schuylkill Valley with 2:17 left in the quarter.
Daquan Burgess, Cruz, and Malik Osumanu each drilled 3’s shortly after to push the lead to 30, leading each coach to start dipping deep into his bench.
Cruz has become the Red Knights’ go-to guy this season. He was a role player last season on the Red Knights’ district and state championship squad but something changed when he hit the game-winning free throws in the District 3 Class 6A championship win over Cumberland Valley.
“I just got more confident in myself,” Cruz said. “I’ve been working hard, shooting a lot. I’m just trying to fix all of the mistakes and errors I have to keep getting better.”
The Red Knights accomplished their first goal in winning Berks I; the next step is defending the Berks crown before turning their sights to District 3 play. They’re currently No. 6 in the power ratings and would host a first-round game against the No. 11 seed Feb. 20.
“Our guys don’t show any fear,” Camara said. “It’s about composure and being able to stay together through adverse moments. The maturity of our returning players help our young guys. They all work so hard and want to do well.”
Schuylkill Valley now awaits the District 3 Class 4A tournament; the Panthers (15-6) are the No. 8 seed out of 10 qualifiers. If they hold that spot they will host a first round game against the No. 9 seed Feb. 20.
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Final | |
| Schuylkill Valley | 10 | 10 | 12 | 8 | 40 |
| Reading High | 16 | 19 | 32 | 11 | 78 |
| Panthers (15-5) | FG | FT | 3’s | A | R | Points |
| Giuffre | 2-8 | 0-0 | 0-1 | 0 | 1 | 4 |
| Zimmerman | 1-6 | 1-2 | 0-1 | 0 | 3 | 3 |
| Spotts | 2-6 | 0-0 | 0-1 | 0 | 3 | 4 |
| Gerner | 4-9 | 2-2 | 1-3 | 1 | 4 | 11 |
| Cammauf | 1-2 | 2-2 | 0-0 | 0 | 4 | 4 |
| Hohenadel | 3-6 | 2-2 | 2-4 | 0 | 7 | 10 |
| Kemmerer | 1-5 | 0-0 | 0-2 | 0 | 1 | 2 |
| Miley | 0-1 | 0-0 | 0-1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| McGonigle | 0-0 | 0-0 | 0-0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Torres | 0-1 | 0-0 | 0-0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Dissinger | 1-1 | 0-0 | 0-0 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| Grim | 0-0 | 0-0 | 0-0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Staus | 0-1 | 0-0 | 0-1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Reeser | 0-0 | 0-0 | 0-0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Totals | 15-46 | 7-8 | 3-14 | 1 | 23/28 | 40 |
| Red Knights (15-7) | FG | FT | 3’s | A | R | Points |
| Cruz | 12-19 | 2-3 | 3-7 | 0 | 7 | 29 |
| Camara | 5-9 | 2-2 | 1-4 | 1 | 2 | 13 |
| Chapman | 2-8 | 0-0 | 0-2 | 7 | 5 | 4 |
| Rosario | 3-6 | 2-2 | 1-3 | 3 | 5 | 9 |
| Osumanu | 5-7 | 2-2 | 1-1 | 1 | 3 | 13 |
| Burgess | 1-4 | 0-0 | 1-4 | 0 | 2 | 3 |
| Sosa | 2-5 | 0-0 | 1-3 | 3 | 2 | 5 |
| Beatty | 0-3 | 0-0 | 0-0 | 0 | 6 | 0 |
| Jackson | 0-0 | 0-0 | 0-0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| Ramos | 0-0 | 0-0 | 0-0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Sheriff | 1-1 | 0-0 | 0-0 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| Jacob | 0-0 | 0-0 | 0-0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Totals | 31-62 | 8-9 | 8-24 | 15 | 33/34 | 78 |
Turnovers: Schuylkill Valley 27, Reading High 17. Team rebounds: Schuylkill Valley 5, Reading High 1.
