Talford takes over in Conrad Weiser win; Reading tops Wilson
SHILLINGTON>> Want to know the value of Cartier Talford to Conrad Weiser’s basketball team? Have him sit for being late to practice.
That’s exactly what Scouts head Mike Brown did to Talford and two teammates for being late to Saturday’s practice in preparation for the Berks League boys’ basketball quarterfinals, which got underway Tuesday night after a one-day delay because of bad weather.
Talford sat the first four minutes Tuesday against Antietam, which took full advantage to race out to an early lead.
With the Scouts trailing by six and looking lost, Brown called on No. 13, and his impact was immediate. The game changed immediately.
Weiser rallied from that early deficit to paste Antietam, 60-38, in the first game of a playoff doubleheader at Governor Mifflin Intermediate School.
Top-seed Reading handled Wilson, 63-42, in the nightcap behind 27 points from Lonnie Walker Jr.
Talford — with the possible exception of playoff compatriot Walker — is the best player on the floor every time he hits it. But his impact was painted, starkly and suddenly, for an Antietam squad that had to feel good about itself for, oh, about four minutes.
Talford hit a bucket within seconds of entering the game, then scored eight of Weiser’s next 10 points as the energy level immediately picked up. The Scouts went on a 10-0 run to turn that early 11-5 deficit into a 15-11 lead.
“It wasn’t a huge deal,” Brown said of the discipline. “They were helping out another kid’s parents with (house) painting. You’re late, it’s a team rule. He has to pay like anybody else.
“(Talford) is the best player in the county. He can score at will. He can drive. He’s a great athlete. And he has a nose for the basketball.”
Talford finished with a game-high 19 points. His entrance energized the Scouts, but it didn’t save them. After stumbling, Antietam rallied to take a 21-16 lead off a pair of 3-pointers, one by Andy Wrobel and the other by Nate Beltran.
But Weiser had its playmaker back. Talford initiated another run late in the first half and this one stuck. His layup with 1:13 left in the first half gave Weiser a 24-23 lead. It was a lead the Scouts would not relinquish the rest of the way.
Talford got help after halftime (a 27-23 Weiser lead) from Josh Joseph. The 6-foot-3 senior big emerged in the paint to consistently force the ball to the hoop. Joseph had just one point at halftime but ended up with 15 by game’s end.
“He has improved so much from the beginning of the year,” Brown said of Joseph, “around the basket. He’s become that guy now. He can run that baseline spot, he can catch, he can jump. He just expends and he can finish at the rim.”
Weiser pushed the lead to a eight points after three thanks to a 10-3 run, then inflated the final margin down the stretch from the foul line.
Nate Beltran led Antietam with 15 points. He was the only player in double digits from that side.
In the second game, Walker scored the first six points on his first three shots, greasing the skids for a big night. The Bulldogs were tenacious but could not hang with Reading’s superior quickness and team speed.
Walker had 18 points by halftime, able to create space and his shot off the dribble, and seemed particularly locked in. The Red Knights got 11 points from Damon Stern in support, but Walker was able to take over the game at will. He had personal runs of at least six points three different times.
Wilson did not acquiesce, but the Bulldogs didn’t have any answers, either. Jake Templin led Wilson with 14 points — six of them coming on a pair of 3s on his first two shots of the evening — but it was uphill swim.
Reading expanded on a 28-21 halftime lead to take a 44-33 edge after three. The Knights spread the floor at times, looking for isolation, and were able to get to the foul line 12 times in the final quarter, hitting eight freebies.
