Basketball Recap: Central Dauphin Takes Loss Despite Strong Efforts from Khalil Roberts and Jelani Easter

Central Dauphin suffered their closest defeat since January 22, 2024 on Saturday. They fell just short of the Reading Red KNights by a score of 44-41. The loss was a bit of a surprise, as the Rams came into the matchup with a sizable advantage in MaxPreps' Pennsylvania basketball rankings (they are ranked 14th, while the Red KNights are ranked 279th).

Central Dauphin's loss came despite strong showings from Jelani Easter and Khalil Roberts. Easter dropped a double-double on 14 points and ten rebounds, while Roberts posted nine points in addition to seven boards and three steals. The dominant performance gave Easter a new career-high in boards. Shakur Starling was another key player, going 5 of 8 on his way to 12 points and five rebounds.

Even though they lost, Central Dauphin smashed the offensive glass and finished the game with 11 offensive rebounds. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now pulled down at least eight offensive boards in six consecutive contests.

Central Dauphin's loss dropped their record down to 13-3. As for Reading, the victory made it two in a row for them and bumps their season record up to 6-10.

Central Dauphin will face off against Unionville at 12:30 p.m. on Monday. Central Dauphin is strutting in with some offensive muscle as they've averaged 59 points per game this season. Reading has already played their next game (against Muhlenberg), but no score has been uploaded at the time of writing.