Malik Osumanu throws a block party as Red Knights swat away Muhls
2024 Berks basketball coverage presented by
Utilities Employees Credit Union
By Sam Cavalieri — MikeDragoSports.com correspondent
Malik Osumanu’s stats are not going to wow anyone but the guys in Reading High’s huddle know how important the 6-5 senior is to their team. He’s a rim protector and a glue guy who keeps his teammates focused and together during tough stretches.
“He’s an unsung hero,” Red Knights coach Francis Camara said Wednesday after watching Osumanu score a career-high 18 points and grab 10 rebounds in a 69-47 victory over Muhlenberg in a Berks Conference semifinal at Santander Arena.
“He doesn’t get talked about enough,” Camara said. “Malik Osumanu is the man. He does all the right things. He’s the best kid to coach. He’s a great leader and a great kid in the classroom and community. And he was on the court doing the right things today and we are going to continue to ride that momentum and follow his leadership.”
The second-seeded Red Knights (17-7) advance to face fourth-seeded Wilson in the championship game Friday at 8 back at Santander. The Red Knights have won the last two Berks title games and a record 25 overall.
“The stat I heard was he had six (blocks),” Camara said. “It looked like he had double digit blocks to me. Osumanu is all over the place. He covers up for his teammates all the time.”
Reading used a 17-2 run late in the first half to take control of what had been a back-and-forth game. It needed only two minutes, 10 seconds of game time to turn a 20-18 deficit into a 35-22 lead. Osumanu book-ended the run with a pair of three-point plays.
The key sequence of the game saw the Red Knights score seven points on one possession. Freshman Jeremiah Camara, who scored a game- and career-high 20 points, made four consecutive foul shots after he was fouled and a technical was subsequently called.
When the Knights got the ball back following the technical free throws Osumanu capped the run with a three-point play and his team led 35-23 at the half.
“We were right there and our composure fell apart,” Muhlenberg coach Matt Flowers said. “We have been talking to them about composure and in these type of games you have to stay composed.”
The Muhls (14-9) never responded after that quick turnaround. Shermar Killen had a team-high 15 points and 10 rebounds but his team went just 8-for-34 from the field in the second half and struggled throughout the game at the rim.
Osumanu’s teammates fed him early and often with Nick Chapman and Weshly Rosario each finding him multiple times in the first quarter for easy buckets.
Muhlenberg went on a 9-0 run from the end of the first quarter through the first three minutes of the second quarter to take an 18-16 lead on Drew Leclair’s transition basket. Osumanu was there again to stop the bleeding with a bucket.
“They were going to sag off of him and help off of him,” Francis Camara said. “He understood that. We just tried to put Malik in position to be successful. It was beautiful. His teammates did a good job looking for him. He slashed and did a great job finishing with power.”
The Reading offense was extremely efficient inside the arc, shooting 23-for-36 on 2-pointers with its defense leading to the transition game and fastbreak points.
The Muhls were often forced to foul to prevent baskets and the Red Knights shot 20-for-26 at the free throw line.
“We play so much better out in transition,” Francis Camara said. “The floor is more spaced for us. We’ve got guys who can get downhill and create scoring opportunities for themselves and their teammates. We stepped up our defense and set up our transition and capitalized at the basket.”
Osumanu is playing his best ball right now for a Reading team that has won seven straight and 9-of-10.
Cruz, also a playoff-tested senior, scored 15 points and had seven rebounds.
Reading has won the last two Berks championships and seniors Chapman, Cruz, and Osumanu have been there before.
“(Experience) really does (help keep composure) being here last year and learning a lot from those guys and just trying to teach them what I’ve learned,” Osumanu said.
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Final | |
| Muhlenberg | 9 | 14 | 11 | 13 | 47 |
| Reading High | 16 | 19 | 14 | 20 | 69 |
| Red Knights (17-7) | FG | FT | 3s | A | R | Points |
| Cruz | 6-12 | 3-4 | 0-2 | 1 | 7 | 15 |
| Camara | 5-11 | 9-11 | 1-5 | 0 | 4 | 20 |
| Chapman | 2-2 | 2-4 | 0-0 | 4 | 3 | 6 |
| Rosario | 1-4 | 0-0 | 0-1 | 3 | 0 | 2 |
| Osumanu | 8-11 | 2-3 | 0-2 | 1 | 10 | 18 |
| Burgess | 0-4 | 2-2 | 0-2 | 1 | 4 | 2 |
| Sosa | 2-2 | 2-2 | 0-0 | 1 | 3 | 6 |
| Beatty | 0-2 | 0-0 | 0-0 | 0 | 2 | 0 |
| Sheriff | 0-0 | 0-0 | 0-0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| Totals | 24-48 | 20-26 | 1-12 | 11 | 34 | 69 |
| Muhls (14-9) | FG | FT | 3s | A | R | Points |
| Kantner | 2-12 | 4-6 | 1-5 | 1 | 3 | 9 |
| Archie | 2-9 | 4-6 | 1-2 | 0 | 6 | 9 |
| Killen | 5-11 | 4-7 | 1-4 | 1 | 10 | 15 |
| A. Collado | 1-14 | 0-0 | 0-6 | 2 | 6 | 2 |
| J. Collado | 2-3 | 0-0 | 0-0 | 0 | 3 | 4 |
| Armstrong | 1-6 | 0-0 | 0-2 | 0 | 1 | 2 |
| LeClair | 2-2 | 0-0 | 0-0 | 1 | 2 | 4 |
| Marte | 0-1 | 0-0 | 0-1 | 0 | 2 | 0 |
| Sanchez | 0-0 | 0-0 | 0-0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Hemmings | 0-0 | 0-0 | 0-0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Hutchinson | 0-1 | 0-0 | 0-0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| Martinez | 1-2 | 0-0 | 0-1 | 0 | 1 | 2 |
| Totals | 16-61 | 12-19 | 3-21 | 5 | 35 | 47 |
Turnovers: Reading High 23, Muhlenberg 16. Team rebounds: Reading High 2, Muhlenberg 2.
