Reading 86 Upper Darby 37

The Reading Red Knights captured the championship of the Reading Holiday Tournament with a very impressive victory over the Royals of Upper Darby. Here are my thoughts on the win:

1. I loved the way the team came out and from the start they let Upper Darby know they had no chance and completely took their will away. The one thing I really like about this team is that they really play hard every game but when they are playing a quality opponent they seem to turn it up an extra notch.
2. Jordan Burdine won tournament MVP with another strong effort. It seemed last night that whenever he wanted he could score.
3. The one thing I really took notice to tonight is that when we go to our bench we really pick up the defensive intensity. If we want to get to the promised land we will need to continue to see improvement from our bench.
4. I think with the week off you will see the coaching staff stress the fundamentals with this team on the week off. Also, I think it might be a good stretch to get Demrick Cook's confidence back. I still think he will make a big contribution to this team as the year goes on.
5. It was great to just walk around the concourse and hear all the fans talk about this team. There was a real buzz in the air and if their was a buzz in the air tonight just imagine what it will be like next Saturday evening.
6. As we look towards the second half of the season the schedule does get tougher but its not a daunting schedule. But I think the week off will help us more than it will hurt us. I know we would like to keep playing while were clicking on all cylinders. But with our schedule the rest of this month we are playing 3 games a week in most weeks so a full week of practice time is something that a lot of teams wont get at this point in the season.