After playing with unbridled passion this season, the Reading High boys basketball team found a way to play with even more fury in the District 3 Class 6A semifinals.
Seeing injured teammate Daniel Alcantara in street clothes with a cast protecting his broken hand inspired the Red Knights in their victory over Cedar Cliff earlier this week.
They feel like they can keep carrying that emotion, starting with the district championship game against seventh-seeded Warwick (20-5) Saturday night at 7:45 at Hershey’s Giant Center.
“I want to put in as much effort on the court as possible because Dan can’t play,” junior Myles Grey said. “It’s always going to be a motivator, at least for me. We have a very close relationship with Dan.”
The 6-4 Alcantara, the second-leading scorer for top-seeded Reading (24-3), is out indefinitely after being injured in the quarterfinals against Wilson. He said he also sustained a chipped bone in his back when he fell to the ground after a dunk.
“He knows we’re going to finish this job for him,” junior Amier Burdine said.
Without Alcantara, a senior who was averaging 16.4 points a game, the Red Knights have no one in their rotation taller than 6-2. He watched his teammates play superior defense against Cedar Cliff in a 46-39 victory.
“We used that as a fuel, but we didn’t make it a game of desperation to make it only for him,” senior Xavier Davis said. “We told each other, ‘Let’s stick to our habits. Let’s do everything we know how to do as hard as we can, harder than before, for him.’
“Even though he’s not on the court, we’re trying to be the best that we can be.”
Reading is the first team since Carlisle (1984-88) to reach the District 3 final in the highest classification for five consecutive seasons. The Red Knights beat Wilson 66-58 last year; lost to the Bulldogs 58-56 in 2020; fell to Harrisburg 64-60 in 2019; and defeated the Cougars 46-43 in 2018.
They’re seeking their 23rd championship and fourth under coach Rick Perez.
“It feels amazing,” Davis said. “It’s something I never thought I’d be doing. It’s something I dreamed of as a seventh-grader watching Lonnie (Walker IV) play. There are a lot of things we’ve done that I’m super proud of, but I’m humbled. We have so much more to go.”
Warwick reached its first District 3 final since 1984 with an impressive 74-57 semifinal win over third-seeded Central Dauphin. The Warriors beat Lebanon 58-49 in the first round and then knocked off No. 2 Cumberland Valley 58-51 in overtime in the quarterfinals.
Like Reading, Warwick is a guard-oriented team that features 5-11 senior Tate Landis, who’s averaging 17.8 points a game and who’s headed to York College.
The other starters are 6-0 senior Avery Sapp, 6-1 sophomore Carter Horst, 6-1 sophomore Trevor Evans and 5-10 senior Ryan Fink. They’re each scoring between 7.8 and 9.0 points a game.
“I see a team that plays with a lot of emotion and very hard,” Perez said. “They can all shoot it. They can all handle it. There’s an abundance of chemistry. I see a high level of emotion.
“I can see why they’re winning games. They do what they do well. They have a lot of guys who play within themselves.”
Warwick has won six of its last seven, its only loss coming against Hempfield in the Lancaster-Lebanon League semifinals. Reading has won 13 of its last 14, its only blemish coming against Muhlenberg in the regular season.
The Red Knights are playing at a high level and with inspiration.
“We don’t look for external motivators,” Perez said. “We play for something much bigger, our love and our brotherhood. They’re truly the foundation for us and what we’re playing for. That emotion from Daniel’s situation will never end. It’s something we’ll carry for the rest of our lives. I don’t see any drop-off.”
Red Knights’ District 3 title games
2021: Reading 66, Wilson 58
2020: Wilson 58, Reading 56
2019: Harrisburg 64- Reading 60
2018: Reading 46, Harrisburg 43
2016: Reading 65, Central York 54
2010: Reading 54, Hempfield 46
2008: Reading 63, Central Dauphin East 51
2004: Reading 54, Red Lion 24
2002: McCaskey 55, Reading 41
1991: Harrisburg 77, Reading 69
1990: Steel-High 64, Reading 55
1983: Reading 56, Conestoga Valley 48
1981: Reading 38, Cumberland Valley 34
1979: Reading 41, Lebanon 32
1978: Harrisburg 59, Reading 52
1977: Reading 65, Steel-High 63 (3OT)
1976: Reading 30, Harrisburg 27
1975: Steel-High 64, Reading 60
1973: Reading 60, Hershey 43
1972: Reading 56, Central Dauphin 36
1971: William Penn (York) 62, Reading 51
1970: William Penn (Harrisburg) 75, Reading 42
1966: Reading 37, Conestoga Valley 35
1961: Reading 57, Gettysburg 39
1957: Reading 45, Hanover 34
1956: Reading 55, Carlisle 30
1955: Reading 75, Manheim Township 35
1952: Reading 58, Hanover 39
1939: Reading 61, Hanover 21
1934: Reading 50, Lititz 27
1929: Reading declared champion
Source: Berkshire mont