Red Knights ‘Cruz’ into Berks Conference final thanks to big night from Yadiel
Ever since he’s been pulled from the starting lineup at midseason and used off the bench Yadiel Cruz has been a different player for Reading High.
Maybe, as Red Knights coach Rick Perez suggested a few weeks back, it lit a fire under him. Or maybe the junior from the Dominican Republic has grown more accustomed to the physical nature of the game as it’s played in the United States.
The 6-3 Cruz provided a big second-half spark Wednesday, scoring 12 of his game-high 18 points as the top-seeded Red Knights pulled away from fifth-seeded Wilson for a 54-30 victory Wednesday in a Berks Conference semifinal at Santander Arena.
“When he’s playing like that, it’s really hard (for us) to lose,” said teammate Ruben Rodriguez, who saw Cruz grab nine rebounds and become the focal point of the offense in the second half, when Reading outscored Wilson 34-14.
“Yadiel played crazy good with his rebounding and putbacks,” Rodriguez said. “He’s been playing a big part for us.”
He’ll be a key piece Friday when the Berks I champion Red Knights (23-1) return to Santander Friday for the championship game against Exeter, a team with a strong inside game and some fierce rebounders.
The Red Knights will be seeking their second straight title and a record 25th when the game tips at 8.
The Bulldogs (17-7) were down just four at halftime but went cold from the field in the third quarter, scoring just two field goals.
The Red Knights took advantage, outscoring Wilson 13-2 over the final four minutes of the quarter to build a 16-point lead. Cruz was smack in the middle of that run, hitting three free throws and scoring seven points.
His teammates seemed to be looking for him underneath and he came through, hitting 7-of-11 shots overall and 4-of-6 from the foul line. His 18 points were just two shy of his season high, against Twin Valley at midseason. He’s averaging 8.6 points and has reached double figures in four of his last five games.
“He’s easy to find, because he’s always cutting, he’s always near the basket,” said Perez. “He’s just very difficult to defend because he’s not just hanging out on the perimeter. He sees the defender turn his head and – boom – he’s gone.”
The win was the third of the season for Reading over Wilson, which finished second in Berks I. The earlier wins came by 44-39 and 56-43.
“Wilson’s a really good team,” said Rodriguez, “so we made sure we came out with our ‘A’ game.”
This one got out of hand when the Red Knights started to convert turnovers – the Bulldogs made 18 –into transition baskets. They also figured out Wilson’s zone in the second half and were able to get more open looks inside.
“I’ve never seen Wilson go in a zone all game,” said Perez. “Their bread and butter is man-to-man. We just had to pick our spots, and I thought we did excellent out of the high post. We got a lot of good looks.”
“We took advantage of their big man coming to play defense,” said Rodriguez, who finished with 14 points and 10 rebounds. “I feel that opened the game up a lot.”
Aris Rodriguez scored nine points and Myles Grey had seven points, five rebounds and four assists for Reading.
Aidan Melograna led the Bulldogs with eight points and seven rebounds.
The Red Knights completed a three-game against Wilson and remained unbeaten against Berks competition after going 11-0 in league play and beating Schuylkill Valley and Wilson in the league playoffs.
They beat Exeter 65-60 earlier this season.
