Red Knights show they haven’t missed a beat as new season opens
It’s been nearly nine months since Reading High wrote a storybook ending to a tumultuous basketball season and won a PIAA championship. Watching the Red Knights play Friday at Bollman Center that seemed like just yesterday.
They showed the same hustle, the same togetherness, that they did in knocking off Archbishop Wood’s all-star team in the PIAA Class 6A final at Giant Center, only this time they did it to another Philly powerhouse, Imhotep Charter.
The Red Knights were giving up a couple inches at nearly every spot on the floor and facing at least three Division I prospects — guys with offers from Kentucky, Miami, Maryland, UConn — but they didn’t seem to notice.
“We don’t care how tall the people are, we don’t care about none of that,” said Reading’s Joey Chapman after he delivered some key points down the stretch to help his team pull out a 60-57 victory in the HoopGroup Showcase. “We just all go out there and be ‘dawgs.’ “
Chapman scored 16 points and set up Daniel Alcantara for a bunch of his game-high 27. The two combined for 17 of their team’s 20 fourth-quarter points and helped hold off a late charge, which saw the Panthers storm back from 11 down with six minutes left to twice make it a one-possession game in the final minute.
They put Chapman, a 42-percent foul shooter a year ago, on the line for a one-and-one with 55 seconds left and Reading up two. Chapman nailed both.
“This was a big opportunity for him to do that,” said Reading coach Rick Perez.
When the Panthers, needing a three-ball to tie it, furiously put up three shots in the final 10 seconds Chapman made sure they didn’t get a fourth. After a timeout with 1.6 seconds left the inbounds pass went to guard Ahmad Nowell, a sophomore who has offers from Auburn, Kansas and Memphis.
Nowell, who had a team-high 20 points, never got a shot off as Chapman slapped the ball away, setting off a championship-style celebration at midcourt.
“It’s my last ride,” said Chapman, a senior and three-year starter. “I’m playing every game like it’s my last. I feel like I haven’t proved anything. I know what I can do on the court. This is my last year so I’m giving everything I’ve got to the game.”
No one was quite sure what Alcantara could deliver on opening night. He was sidelined for three months this summer and fall after breaking a bone in his lower back. You would’ve never known if you hadn’t heard the story. He glided through the lane and scored on a left-handed layup, then dropped a 3-pointer as the Knights raced to an 11-2 lead in the opening minutes.
He never did slow down. He hit another big three a couple minutes into the fourth quarter, pushing Reading’s lead to 50-39. He missed the front end of a double-bonus with 27 seconds left, leaving the door open a crack for the Panthers, but otherwise played a standout game.
“He’s the best player on the floor,” Perez said without hesitation.
Alcantara hit 11-of-13 shots, grabbed a handful of rebounds and got up and down the floor as though he’d been doing it all summer. He was an easy choice for Reading’s MVP award.
“I just wanted to come out with all the confidence I can,” he said. “My teammates (supported) me, so I felt good coming out. I know my brothers got my back.”
“Daniel’s got a level of confidence (right now) I’ve never seen him have before,” said Perez. “He’s just playing free.”
There were some rough spots — you’re always going to have those, especially in early December. They turned it over 10 times in the first half and gave away their early lead; they went into the half trailing 28-24.
Reading threw a fullcourt zone trap at the Panthers in the third quarter, and it turned the game around. Imhotep turned it over five times over one three-minute stretch and scored one basket over the final 3:50 of the third quarter.
The Red Knights shared the ball as though it was a bucket of buttery popcorn; everybody had a handful and a smile. Ruben Rodriguez came up with a steal at halfcourt and flipped it ahead to Alcantara for a dunk. Rodriguez fed Chapman in transition, then Chapman worked a drive-and-dish with Xavier Davis. There were assists on each of Reading’s first five buckets of the half.
That was the difference. All-star level players playing without all-star attitudes. That hasn’t changed since the end of last season.
“We’ve been playing (together) since we were little kids,” Chapman said, “so that never changes. We only lost two guys (from last year), so we’ve got the same chemistry. We’ve been working hard, all summer long, all (throughout preseason) practice (and) that shows in a game.”
