Chad Stanback didn't know when he'd be popping into the fray -- or for how long -- but the Carlisle senior certainly was ready when the call came.
Really, really ready.
Racking up 19 points on a perfect 7-for-7 effort from the floor -- he did miss one of his four free throws -- Stanback's effort off the bench was one of many reasons why the Thundering Herd turned back Reading 66-58.
Another was Josh Clippinger's 16 points.
Another was the 10 points, six rebounds and four assists that J.D. Hughes stuffed into his crowded stat line.
How about the eight points Jordan Neff pocketed? Or the nine second-half points Chad Smitz rang up? Or the 13 rebounds grabbed by the burly Jerome Evans? Or, finally, the tree-length zone looks Carlisle's D presented?
All played a significant role -- at different stages -- as Andre Anderson's Thundering Herd (15-11) handled smaller Reading in the District 3-AAAA fifth-place game Thursday night at Milton Hershey's Spartan Center.
And by winning Thursday night, the Herd is lined up for an opening-round matchup with defending champion Chester or Lower Merion in suburban Philly when the Class AAAA state tournament convenes next Saturday.
"It's 1 or 2 in the state," Anderson said.
"I don't care who it is," Anderson added. "Our kids have come a long way. There's a lot of doubters who didn't think we could make it this far. Now we're here. We're confident. We're happy. We're ready to play ball."
The Herd did play without 6-3 junior Jordan Dockens, who didn't dress for undisclosed reasons. When asked if Dockens would be available next weekend, Carlisle athletic director George Null said: "We'll see."
Lead guard Timmy Atkinson (concussion) also missed the game, while sub Bamasa Bailor was bothered by a leg injury and saw limited action.
Baba Waples tossed in 19 points for Reading (15-14), which will meet Martin Luther King or Roman Catholic -- most likely in Philly.
Leading by three points (14-11) after one, Stanback soon doubled Carlilse's advantage by burying a long trey from the left corner early in the second. Two more buckets, both at the rim, arrived moments later.
"I've been saying it all year, but we have guys who are ready when their numbers are called," Anderson said. "Chad, I can't say enough about the kid.
"He's probably our best defender and his offense is dictated by his defense. He plays so hard. He's a long kid. He just stepped up for us tonight and he made some big shots. He really went out there and took the lead for our club.
"His points came in bunches."
While the Herd's lead quickly ballooned to 12 (23-11) -- and eventually to 16 (31-15) -- Anderson's bunch didn't stop there.
With the 6-6 Evans dominating the boards and Carlisle's length in its 3-2 and 2-3 zones bothering Reading's smaller shooters, the Herd had Rick Perez's Red Knights baffled and backpedaling when the halftime break arrived.
"Rome was terrific," Anderson said. "The last two games he looked at me and said, 'I'm ready to roll Coach.' He was in a little funk there for a while, but the last two games he's played like a man."
Although Smitz unloaded early in the third quarter, Reading's quicks and pressure enabled the Knights to get to within six (45-39) with 1:47 remaining in the third quarter on a pair of Waples freebies.
Smitz's finish and Stanback's tip at the horn stemmed Reading's momentum and enthusiasm as Carlisle's lead stood at 10.
Anderson's Herd then scored 14 of the next 20 points -- Stanback, Clippinger, Neff and Evans each found the scorebook during that stretch -- as Carlisle's advantage ballooned to a game-high 18 (63-45).
Perez's Knights, despite forcing 14 second-half turnovers and 23 overall, were done. They continued to scrap and force the issue, but ...
Carlisle had enough to lock up its fifth win in six games.
"To win three out of four going into states gives us a ton of momentum," Anderson said. "I told these guys at the beginning of the game, 'You know we're in, don't play like we're in. Go out and play like we need to win this one because it's gonna give us a lot of momentum going into states.' "
So they did.
All of them.
MICHAEL BULLOCK: mbullock@pennlive.com
BULLOCK ON TWITTER: @thebullp_n