Reading Defeats Roman Catholic 63-56 in OT for PIAA Class 6A State Championship: Kehler on Hoops
Written by: Dell Jackson on March 28, 2023
Reading Defeats Roman Catholic 63-56 in OT for PIAA Class 6A State Championship
In a fitting end to the PIAA state championship tournament, Reading defeated defending Class 6A state champion Roman Catholic 63 to 56 in overtime on Saturday night at the Giant Center in Hershey before a crowd of 5000+, most of whom were cheering for Reading. It was a taut, high intensity contest, with neither team ever having a double digit lead in the game. In the end, Reading’s pressure defense and great aerobic conditioning were the deciding factors.
In the beginning of the game, it was as if both teams had been shot out of cannons. The two squads began the game playing at as fast a pace as possible. Roman likes to play an up-tempo game, but they met their match in this regard in Reading. Reading’s remarkable team quickness soon became evident, and, in retrospect, Roman would likely have been better served by trying to play at a slower tempo from the beginning of the contest. Reading hit the offensive board hard from the outset of the contest, and, in the first half, Reading had as many offensive rebounds as Roman had defensive rebounds: eight each. However, the most significant aspect of the first half was the effectiveness of Reading’s pressure defense. Roman had 11 turnovers in the first half, a very unusually high number of miscues for the Philadelphia Catholic League champion. Beyond the turnovers, Reading’s defensive pressure had another major impact on Roman: when receiving a pass from a teammate, Roman players were rarely in position to shoot the ball, partially because of being surrounded by defenders and partially because of the clogging of passing lanes.
Still, this was a close game all of the way. Late in the first quarter, Reading took a 14 to 13 lead on a turnaround jumper by 6’ 2” senior Amier Burdine. Roman Catholic would not recapture the lead until there was 5:41 left in the fourth quarter, when a three point play on a drive by 6’ 1” senior Xzayvier Brown made it 47 to 46, Roman. Brown’s three point play capped a 10 to 3 Roman run that spanned the end of the third quarter and the beginning of the fourth frame. From that point, neither team led by more than four points for the balance of regulation. With most of the scoring down the stretch coming from free throws, both teams had chances to win in regulation. With 28 seconds left in the fourth quarter, 5’ 9” Reading junior Nick Chapman—who had a huge impact late in the game—made two free throws to put his squad up 53 to 51. Roman tied the game at 53 on a free throw apiece by 5’ 11” junior Bobby Cottrell and by Brown, and the fourth quarter ended with the game tied at 53.
Until the final second of the game, all of the points scored in overtime came from free throws. In the waning minutes of the contest, it was clear that at least several of the Roman players were exhausted. The most important thing to understand about pressure defense in high school basketball is that its effect is cumulative. The longer that a team is pressed, the greater the effectiveness of the pressure. At the end of this game, Reading simply wore down Roman. With a second left in the contest, Reading scored on a breakaway dunk by 6’ 5” senior Aris Rodriguez, who had a great overall game.
Reading edged Roman on the boards, 29 to 27. Reading had 12 turnovers, and Roman had an uncharacteristic 17 miscues. Reading made 16 of 24 free throws, while Roman was 19 of 25 from the charity stripe. Reading made seven of 16 3-point attempts, and Roman was just three of 12 from beyond the arc. There were eight ties and seven lead changes.
Reading scoring: Aris Rodriguez 16, Myles Grey 14, Nick Chapman 9, Ruben Rodriguez 8, Yadiel Cruz 6, Malik Osumanu 4, Jedaya Ortega 4, and Amier Burdine 2.
Roman Catholic scoring: Xzayvier Brown 23, Shareef Jackson 17, Will Felder 7, Anthony Finkley 6, and Bobby Cottrell 3.
Other notable stats: For Reading, Ruben Rodriguez had nine rebounds, seven assists, and four steals; Chapman had three rebounds, three assists, and two steals; and Grey had three rebounds, three assists, and a steal. For Roman, Jackson had 11 rebounds and Cottrell had six rebounds, two assists, and two steals.
Reading 12 11 20 10 10-63
Roman Catholic 10 9 20 14 3-56
PIAA District 3 Class 6A champion Reading concludes a historic season with a 32-1 record. Their only loss came to a team from Washington, DC. While four of their five starters in this title contest are seniors, as long a Rick Perez coaches Reading, they’ll have a really good team.
Roman Catholic achieved their primary objective this season, winning the championship of the Philadelphia Catholic League. They conclude the season 27-4. The loss to Reading snapped a nine game winning streak. Two players who started for Roman throughout the regular season were ineligible for the PIAA playoffs due to PIAA transfer rules. Roman is a perennial power in Pennsylvania, and, in Chris McNesby, they have a great coach. Three of the players who started for Roman in the title game—Shareef Jackson, Bobby Cottrell, and Will Felder—are underclassmen.
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