Red Knights’ improbable run through state tourney continues with unexpected blowout
2024 Berks basketball coverage presented by
Utilities Employees Credit Union
By Mike Drago — MikeDragoSports.com Managing Editor
POTTSVILLE — Malik Osumanu doesn’t like to play zone defense. The 6-5 Reading High senior would rather use his long frame to attack his opponents in a man-to-man.
When the signal came from the bench Saturday afternoon at Martz Hall for the Red Knights to switch to a 2-3 zone, Osumanu was not happy. His team trailed Coatesville by 13 points in a PIAA Class 6A quarterfinal.
No matter, Osumanu complied with his head coach’s instructions. That’s what the Red Knights do: They play together and back each other up.
“If he says go zone,” Osumanu said of first-year coach Francis Camara, “then we trust him. He knows what he’s talking about.”
Camara switched defenses to slow Coatesville’s momentum, never realizing what a game-long dividend it would pay when it immediately changed the game and sent the Red Knights to a 62-44 victory and an improbable spot in the state semifinals.
The Red Knights (22-10) will face District 3 rival Central York, a 71-60 winner Saturday over Upper St. Clair.
The Red Knights opened their season at Central York and got run off the floor, losing 90-73. That won’t matter when they meet again Tuesday night. It didn’t matter Saturday against a Coatesville team Reading has lost to by 18 points two months ago.
This is a much different Red Knights team than the one out there two months ago, and Saturday’s rematch was completely different – as soon as Camara made his move.
The Red Raiders (22-9) were in complete control over the first 10 minutes, building an 18-5 lead. The Red Knights were getting beaten to the ball and on the boards. It was not pretty.
All of that changed when the Red Knights slowed their rivals down and made them work for shots on offense. The Red Raiders looked like they ran smack into a wall. They missed jumpers on their next two possessions, turned it over on their third, and all their momentum was lost.
“They were falling for what we wanted them to do,” Osumanu said.
The game turned for good when Yadiel Cruz fought inside for a bucket, was fouled, then was shoved when tempers flared. Coatesville big Lawrence Brown was hit with a technical, his third foul of he game, with 2:40 left in the half. He wasn’t a factor the rest of the game.
Cruz, who went on to finish with a game-high 25 points, cooly hit four straight free throws and the Red Knights were back in the game. They finished the half on a 12-0 run and went into halftime down just a point — despite making only four field goals in the opening half.
“That definitely helped the momentum,” Camara said of the technical foul and the chain reaction it began.
The second half was a mismatch. Cruz stole the ball on Coatesville’s opening possession and went in for a layup and Reading’s first lead at 19-18. Next time down freshman Jeremiah Camara drained a 3-pointer and the rout was on.
Reading outscored Coatesville 22-8 in the third quarter and 42-10 over one incredible 15-minute span over the second, third and fourth quarters.
Those early shots the Red Raiders were draining began to bounce off the front of the rim, they lost their confidence, then started giving up transition baskets. Reading ended up winning the battle on the boards decidely.
“When we get out in transition, we’re a tough team to beat,” said Francis Camara.
Coatesville shot 3-for-17 in the third quarter and 5-for-29 over the middle two quarters. Overall, it was good on just 5-of-26 3-pointers.
“We just hit a tough patch and we couldn’t get it going,” said Coatesville coach John Allen. “We just couldn’t put it together. . . there’s no explanation.”
Coatesville made a whopping 32 free throws in the first meeting; this time it made just three (with nine misses). The Red Knights, meanwhile, feasted at the line, making 19-of-27. Cruz was good on 11-of-14.
The biggest difference from the first meeting was Nick Chapman: He didn’t play at Coatesville because of a broken orbital bone. The All-Berks guard was again a key component Reading’s mix Saturday, with nine points, seven rebounds, and four assists.
His biggest contribution, as usual, came on the defensive end. Even with Reading in zone he was aggressive, hawking ballhandlers and crashing passing lanes.
He made several big plays, none bigger than his steal of an inbounds pass under his own basket and the resulting layup that pushed Reading’s lead to 30-22 midway through the third quarter.
“His energy boosted our energy,” Osumanu said, “and we were able to go from there.”
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Final | |
| Coatesville | 12 | 6 | 8 | 18 | 44 |
| Reading High | 5 | 12 | 22 | 23 | 62 |
| Red Raiders (21-8) | FG | FT | 3’s | A | R | Points |
| Harris | 4-12 | 3-4 | 2-8 | 2 | 3 | 13 |
| Kennedy | 2-11 | 0-0 | 0-2 | 1 | 6 | 4 |
| Peoples | 3-14 | 0-0 | 1-7 | 0 | 4 | 7 |
| Brown | 2-3 | 0-2 | 0-0 | 1 | 6 | 4 |
| A Fowlkes | 5-15 | 0-0 | 1-5 | 1 | 4 | 9 |
| W Fowlkes | 0-1 | 0-2 | 0-0 | 0 | 3 | 0 |
| Miles | 1-3 | 0-2 | 1-2 | 0 | 0 | 3 |
| Shockley | 2-3 | 0-2 | 0-0 | 0 | 2 | 4 |
| Hall | 0-2 | 0-0 | 0-2 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Van Orden | 0-0 | 0-0 | 0-0 | 0 | 2 | 0 |
| Jackson | 0-0 | 0-0 | 0-0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Totals | 19-64 | 3-12 | 5-26 | 5 | 30/34 | 44 |
| Red Knights (22-10) | FG | FT | 3’s | A | R | Points |
| Cruz | 7-15 | 11-14 | 0-2 | 0 | 11 | 25 |
| Camara | 3-6 | 0-1 | 1-3 | 1 | 0 | 7 |
| Chapman | 3-9 | 3-4 | 0-0 | 4 | 7 | 9 |
| Rosario | 2-4 | 0-2 | 0-0 | 6 | 4 | 4 |
| Osumanu | 1-3 | 2-2 | 0-1 | 0 | 8 | 4 |
| Burgess | 2-5 | 1-2 | 0-1 | 1 | 5 | 5 |
| Sosa | 2-2 | 2-2 | 0-0 | 2 | 2 | 6 |
| Beatty | 1-1 | 0-0 | 0-0 | 0 | 2 | 2 |
| Sheriff | 0-0 | 0-0 | 0-0 | 0 | 1 | 2 |
| Ramos | 0-1 | 0-0 | 0-0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| Jackson | 0-0 | 0-0 | 0-0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Jacob | 0-0 | 0-0 | 0-0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Totals | 21-46 | 19-27 | 1-7 | 14 | 41/42 | 62 |
Turnovers: Coatesville 11, Reading 15. Team rebounds: Coatesville 4, Reading 1.
