Reading High holds off Berks Catholic in battle of Berks division leaders
(This story will be updated later tonight with details and postgame reaction.)
Myles Grey and Ruben Rodriguez led a blitz late in the first half that saw Reading High score 10 straight points and take control on the way to a 63-59 win Tuesday over Berks Catholic at the Geigle.
The Berks II-leading Saints (7-2, 15-2) were within 23-22 with 3 1/2 minutes to go in the first half when Josh McKoy picked up his third foul and went to the bench. The Berks I-leading Red Knights (8-0, 18-1) responded with a 16-2 closing rushing, including the final 10 points to lead 39-25 at halftime.
McKoy returned with a vengeance in the third quarter and scored seven quick points, cutting Reading’s lead to 41-35.
Reading led 62-51 with 3:34 left but missed four straight free throws in the final minute to allow Berks Catholic to pull within four after McKoy’s free throw with 7.3 seconds left. He missed the second; following a BC rebound Jack Miller’s rushed 3-pointer was off and the Red Knights held on.
McKoy finished with a game-high 20 points.
Ruben Rodriguez scored 14 points; Grey 13 and Aris Rodriguez each had 13 for Reading.
McKoy helped the Saints stay close through the first 12 minutes, scoring 12 points. He picked up a pair of fouls within a 30-second span and didn’t play for the rest of the half.
Ruben Rodriguez started slowly, missing his first four shots, before coming on strong. He finished the first half with 10 points.
The Saints got out quickly and led 5-0 and 11-6 after five minutes. The Red Knights scored the final six points of the first quarter and took a 12-11 lead into the second quarter.
The Red Knights are unbeaten against Pennsylvania competition and ranked No. 1 in the District 3 Class 6A power rankings.
The Saints are ranked No. 1 in Class 4A. Their only other loss came at Muhlenberg earlier this month.
The Red Knights and Saints met in last year’s Berks Conference championship game, Reading winning 51-35 at Santander Arena.
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Final | |
| Berks Catholic | 11 | 13 | 19 | 16 | 59 |
| Reading High | 12 | 27 | 12 | 12 | 63 |
| Saints (17-2 ) | FG | FT | 3’s | A | R | Points |
| Geddio | 0-0 | 0-0 | 0-0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| Jordan | 5-14 | 3-8 | 0-0 | 5 | 6 | 13 |
| Koch | 3-12 | 0-0 | 3-9 | 1 | 6 | 9 |
| Miller | 3-10 | 0-0 | 2-9 | 1 | 1 | 8 |
| J. McKoy | 9-10 | 1-2 | 1-2 | 0 | 6 | 20 |
| K. McKoy | 4-9 | 0-0 | 1-2 | 2 | 8 | 9 |
| Nein | 0-0 | 0-0 | 0-0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Lawlor | 0-3 | 0-0 | 0-0 | 0 | 2 | 0 |
| Totals | 24-58 | 4-10 | 7-22 | 9 | 30-32 | 59 |
| Red Knights (18-1 ) | FG | FT | 3’s | A | R | Points |
| Burdine | 3-6 | 2-4 | 0-0 | 0 | 5 | 8 |
| R. Rodriguez | 7-16 | 0-0 | 0-2 | 2 | 5 | 14 |
| Grey | 5-14 | 3-6 | 0-4 | 2 | 3 | 13 |
| A. Rodriguez | 5-11 | 1-2 | 2-6 | 0 | 5 | 13 |
| Osumanu | 2-5 | 0-0 | 0-0 | 1 | 5 | 4 |
| Cruz | 4-5 | 0-1 | 1-1 | 0 | 13 | 9 |
| Chapman | 0-0 | 0-0 | 0-0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Rosario | 1-1 | 0-0 | 0-0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Totals | 27-58 | 6-13 | 3-13 | 6 | 36-39 | 63 |
Turnovers: Berks Catjholic 12, Reading High 12.