Reading overtakes Gov. Mifflin on court, in rankings
Red Knights run off 2nd win over Mustangs in two weeks to claim Section 1 title
One of these days, the hope is, the formula will catch up with the eyeballs.
Reading swamped Governor Mifflin for the second time in two weeks last Thursday night, this time on the road, by a 79-55 score to win the BCIAA Section 1 title outright.
It is Reading’s third straight section title and its 33rd straight win in league play.
Despite doing the same thing back on Jan. 19 at Geigle Complex, 73-47, the Red Knights had once again fallen behind the Mustangs the following week in the race for the top spot in the District 3 6A power rankings. Reading regained the top spot, but needed this one to solidify matters.
Thursday night’s result at Gov- ernor Mifflin Intermediate should finally slam that door shut. Reading, at 19-2 overall and 9-0 in Section 1, is the top dog in the land.
“We try to find internal motivation,” Reading head coach Rick Perez said. “The unity, the passion, the love for one another. But every once in while, there’s some extra little motivations. When you see those numbers, it’s fun to play those games with one another.
“We live to make statements to ourselves. However District 3 interprets it is up to them. We’re worrying about getting better the next day.”
After a halting start at both ends that picked up steam as the first quarter drew to a close, the Knights leveled the Mustangs (16- 4, 7-2) with a 34-point outburst in the second quarter that featured eight 3-pointers, turning a 12-10 deficit into a commanding 44-29 lead at the break. Mifflin had averaged surrendering 52 points per game coming in. The Knights splashed 10 triples for the game.
“It’s the rhythm of basketball and it starts with defense,” Perez said. “We did a little too much fouling (early), and when we stop fouling, the f low of the game changes. Whenwe don’t foul people, there is a flow that our team gains, whether that is in the half-court or the full-court.”
Lonnie Walker deposited 25 points to lead all scorers. Walker picked up his third foul late in the first half but it never affected his game – the Miami-bound star, who had 15 points in the first half, scored 10 more in the third before spending the fourth quarter creatively dishing out dimes to his teammates, whipping the ball around to all corners of the floor, without picking up another foul.
“We know what we have to do, we understand what we have to achieve,” Walker said. “We’ve got to continue to be about the team. It’s that simple. We rely on each other, we trust each other. We have our mo- ments where we’re sluggish and those moments where we’re really hot. We’ve got to stay consistent on our game. We’ve got to keep pushing forward. We have a lot more to show.”
A choppy and physical first period eventually led to the host Mustangs spending the final two minutes and change of the half in the double bonus, but it did little to stem the tide against them.
“They (Reading) seem to be getting better now,” Mifflin head coach Dan Haughney said. “I think that’s experience, I think that’s Lonnie’s experience, because they’ve been there before and obviously, they’re going to be a tough out.
“We’ve got to come up with something defensively. We’ll keep plugging away. ... As crazy as this sounds, I don’t think we played bad defense. I think they made six contested shots (during the second- quarter outburst). What can you do?
“We still have a top four spot in the district, and obviously we want to stay there because you get a bye in the first round. That’s been harped on to our kids big time. They’re disappointed, but this team is very resilient.”
Tyrone Nesby added 13 points, including three triples, for the winners. Isiah Cook had 12. Casey Klahr led Mifflin with 12 points, with Bubba Peters chipping in 10.