Central York 79 Reading 65: Boys 6A Semi-Final – wrap

Written by: Dell Jackson on March 19, 2024

Central York 79 Reading 65
PIAA 6A Boys Semi -Final
March 19, 2024

Central York handled all the pressure defense that Reading threw at them and used their inside game to control the boards and hence the game.

Both teams started out quickly. Reading got out to an early lead, but Central used the three-ball (Ryan Brown 1, Ben Natal 1, and Greg Guidinger 3) to keep the game close. The Red Knights countered with various drives, mainly by Nick Chapman (8 points in the period). Both teams were using man-to-man defense. 20-19 Central York after 1.

Central York used its defense to turnover the Knights and take control mid-way through the second quarter. After a Reading timeout, the Knights switched their D to a 3/4 trap and fell back into a 2-3 zone. The switched paid off as now it was Central turning the ball over, allowing Reading to get some easy buckets. Probably the biggest play of the game happened towards the end of the half. Reading had the ball down 3 at 34-31. Reading turned the ball over under 20 seconds left till halftime.  Central worked the ball for a last shot. Guidinger got fouled on a deep three ball with .8 seconds left in the half. He made all 3 fouls giving Central a 37-31 lead at the break.

Central York used its height advantage (Guidinger 6’6” and Ben Rill 6’8”) to dominate the boards in the third stanza (10-2 for the quarter) Central’s guards did a good job of breaking through double teams, finding open bigs at the rack(usually Rill). Central took control of the game using a 20-12 third period. 57-43 Central York after 3.

The 4th quarter was foul city as both teams went to the line over 30 times. Central was trying to control the clock, forcing the Knights to foul to stop the clock. On the other hand, Reading kept taking the ball to the bucket, getting fouled and stopping the clock. Eventually the clock would run out on Reading. Reading couldn’t put together any major runs. Central claimed a place in the PIAA championship game Saturday evening where they will face Parkland.

Very unofficial stats:
Rebounds: Central York 28 Reading 16
Turnovers: Central York 11, Reading 18
Blocks: Central York 4 Reading 1

Unofficial Scoring
Reading: Yadiel Cruz 22, Nick Chapman 16
Central York: Ben Rill 22, Greg Guidinger 21

~Dell Jackson

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