Reading’s Ruben Rodriguez enjoys another record night against Daniel Boone

By Mike Drago Last updated Jan 19, 2023

Reading High's Ruben Rodriguez. (Susan L. Angstadt photo)

Ruben Rodriguez didn’t set any scoring records against Daniel Boone Tuesday, but he matched a pretty impressive one.

The Reading High senior scored 33 points in the first half and 35 overall in a 102-24 Berks Conference crossover win over visiting Daniel Boone. It was Rodriguez’s eighth 30-point game with the Red Knights, tying the program record set by Donyell Marshall in 1991.

A year ago Rodriguez set the Reading single-game scoring record with 50 points against the Blazers; he had 41 first-half points in that one.

This time he scored one second-half basket on the way to his game-high total. Aris Rodriguez scored 18 points and Myles Grey 16 for the Red Knights (6-0 Berks I, 15-1).

Brendan Gaines scored 16 points to lead the Blazers (0-5 Berks II, 3-11).

The 78-point margin of victory ties for the second-biggest in Red Knights history. They set the record in 2016-17 with a 92-point win over the Blazers, 110-18. Reading also beat Tamaqua by 78 points, in 1918-19.

Reading led 33-2 after one period Tuesday and 70-10 at halftime.

Last year Rodriguez broke the single-game record set over 100 years ago by Buck Friedman, who scored 48 points in a win over Tamaqua in the 1918-19 season. Friedman had 24 field goals and no free throws in that 91-13 win.

Ruben Rodriguez (Susan L. Angstadt photo)

Marshall had owned the modern-day record with 43 points in an 87-73 win over Williamsport in 1990-91.

Rodriguez, a two-time All-State pick, scored 22 points in the first quarter Tuesday and 11 in the second.

He has dropped 30 points or more in a game four times this season. He had 37 against Hazleton, 34 against Gov. Mifflin and 31 against Central York. He had 30-point games last season against Harrisburg, Boone and Berks Catholic.

Marshall scored 30 or more five times during his senior season, 1990-91.

Rodriguez has scored 35 or more points five times in his three seasons with Reading. Lonnie Walker IV did it three times in his four seasons. No one else has done it more than three times.

Rodriguez is averaging 22.9 points per game. Only two Reading players have averaged more per game for a full season: Marshall (24.8 in 1990-91) and Bill Jankans (23.7 in 1964-65).

Reading has a 50-1 record vs. Daniel Boone. The Blazers’ lone win in the series came in the 2012-2013, 60-59 at Birdsboro.