Ruben Rodriguez helps Puerto Rico win FIBA opener
Reading High’s Ruben Rodriguez had eight points and eight rebounds for Team Puerto Rico in an 85-64 win over Ecuador Monday on the opening day of the FIBA U18 Americas Championship tournament in Tijuana, Mexico.
Muhlenberg’s Edwin Suarez, competing for the Dominican Republic, scored six points and had four rebounds in a 116-48 loss to the United States.
The two Berks players will face each other Tuesday when Puerto Rico plays the Dominican at 4 p.m. EST at Zonkeys Auditorium.
Rodriguez scored off an offensive rebound to give his team an 18-8 lead with 2:50 left in the first period. Puerto Rico, which never trailed, led 20-12 after one quarter and 45-26 at halftime. Rodriguez had six points in the first half.
Rodriguez, the Berks Player of the Year, played 17 minutes in the opener. He shot 4-of-7 from the field and had two assists. His eight rebounds were second-most on the team.
Yaniel Rivera led Puerto Rico with 24 points in 24 minutes.
Suarez played 22 minutes, third-most on the Dominican team. He shot 3-of-10 from the field.
The United States scored the first seven points, led 28-7 late in the first quarter and 30-12 after one period. It was 59-20 at the half.
Fernando Osorio led the Dominican team with 11 points. Kel’el Ware, a 7-footer from Little Rock, Ark., scored 17 points to lead the United States.
The Dominican team shot just 26 percent and had 28 turnovers. The U.S. had a 59-39 rebounding advantage.
The teams complete Group B round-robin play Wednesday, when Puerto Rico plays the U.S.A and the Dominican Republic plays Ecuador. They are off Thursday.
The top four teams from group play advance to the quarterfinals on Friday, where they will face the top four teams from Group A. The championship game is June 12.
Rodriguez and Suarez are each two-time All-Berks picks who have played each against each for the past three seasons.
Suarez moved from Puerto Rico to the United States shortly before high school and played at Reading High for his first two seasons before transferring to Muhlenberg. He eligible to compete for the Dominican because his mother was born in the Dominican Republic.
Rodriguez, who was born in the United States, played at Muhlenberg as a freshman before transferring to Reading for his sophomore season. His father, Ruben Sr., was born in Puerto Rico, making him eligible for the team.
The Berks I champ Red Knights and Berks II champ Muhls met twice last season, with each team winning once. Suarez scored a game-high 21 points in a 63-61 Muhlenberg victory at Laureldale on Feb. 8. Eight days later the Red Knights took out the Muhls 70-54 in a Berks Conference semifinal. Rodriguez scored 14 points; Suarez scored nine points before fouling out.
The 6-6 Suarez was the league’s most dominant big man, leading the team in rebounds and blocked shots while averaging 19.0 points, second in the league.
Rodriguez averaged a league-leading 19.4 points and led the Red Knights to Berks League and District 3 Class 6A championships.
