The Reading High Red Knights made an early season statement by defeating the York High Bearcats, 62-52, in the championship game of the York Tip-Off Tournament. York is the defending District 3 AAAA champions who returned all their starters from last year and added two key transfers. But the Red Knights showed that they are a team to be taken seriously after they knocked off the 7th ranked team in the state according to the initial state rankings by the Harrisburg Patriot News. Khary Mauras was the leading scorer for Reading with 24 points off a variety of drives to the hoop plus one key 3-pointer in the critical stage of the fourth quarter. Mauras made the all-tournament team along with Tyree Gibson and Lonnie Walker who was named the tournament MVP. Damon Stern chipped in 15 points for Reading. Mauras got the game started right for Reading with steals off of Yorks first two possessions which he followed with two fast break layups for a 4-0 lead. York called an immediate time out but Reading kept the pressure on in jumping to a 14-11 lead at the end of the first quarter. The Red Knights continued to play well in the second quarter and took a 26-20 lead into halftime. Reading used a solid defensive game to make life difficult for the Bearcats, especially from the 3 point line. Reading contested most of Yorks 3-point shots causing them to shoot a miserable 1 for 18 from beyond the arc. In fact most of Yorks points came off of fast breaks or follow shots off of the 19 offensive rebounds the lengthy Bearcats accumulated. The Red Knights on the other hand shot 55% from the field. York did rally on the third quarter when their size advantage started to take a toll. Reading was clinging to a 40-39 lead going into the final quarter. But the Red Knights remained poised even though York took a brief lead in the early part of the quarter. Superb ball-handling combined with clutch free throw shooting and key defensive rebounds helped the Red Knights pull away from the stunned Bearcats. Mauras did much of his damage in the second half when he scored 18 of his 24 points. Its early in the season and Reading still has a lot to work on but this game should serve as a building block for the season, and it also is a notice to all of our opponents that Reading is a dangerous team. Readings next game is the home opener on Wednesday night against Coatesville.
Posted on: Sun, 07 Dec 2014 04:51:32 +0000
Trending Topics
Recently Viewed Topics
© 2015