Without leading scorer Ali Guerra-Rainford, the Rockets started hot, shooting 70% from the field in the first quarter, and carried on their form, settling for 47%.
It led to a deserved 63-57 victory, where Reading led from start to finish in one of the more action-packed games of the season, as Portero Luque heaped praise on his team for beating a side chasing for a spot in the post-season.
"They're working so hard; this win is for the girls and how hard they work," Portero Luque said.
"This year has been different; everyone has had a new role. But the performances, especially in 2025, have been promising. They are working so hard; they deserve this, but we need to keep going with the details and keep the wins coming."
Based on the stats, it was unquestionably Kristina Karpova's game of the season, as she almost single-handedly put the Rockets on top, making her first four attempts, three of which came from three-point land.
Karpova exploded for 18 first-quarter points, including four three-pointers on her way to a game-high 26, but had to leave the game early in the fourth as a nasty collision with Carolina Marques left her with extreme soreness in her right wrist and shoulder.
However, as the game wore on, the youngsters, notably 18-year-old Millie Day and 16-year-old Tania Dhillion made sure that lead was preserved.
Amba Thompson added 12 points on 4/7 shooting, and Saffie Jarju collected her first double-double of the campaign with 11 points and 13 rebounds, a much-needed stat line in a difficult season where she missed a chunk of it through injury.
"I couldn't be happier for Saffie," Potero Luque said.
"She came back through injury, and it's been hard for her, but she's fighting. The whole year, we're trying to get Saffie shooting again. You can see that she's not confident because of her knee.
"However, she shot like three or four shots and it was amazing. She made them, and she was huge for us. I'm just so happy for her and for the team.”
In Karpova's absence, the juniors – most of whom play for JMA Reading Rockets in the WEABL – along with the experienced Jarju and Alannah Malone, maintained that lead.
They didn't light up the scoreboard like Karpova did, but what was noticed was their pressure defence, fighting through screens, putting their hands in the face of the Worcester shooters.
That resulted in Reading securing their first win of 2025 after losing four of their five games by single figures.
"This is the win we've been fighting the whole year for," Portero Luque beamed.
"WEABL and WNBL, for example, are completely different. They are the main players with the academy. They have a lot of freedom, and here, they are different, and they must adjust their roles. They have a crucial role, and they showed it with this win. It's huge."
The Spanish tactician isn't thinking about league placement, though. Despite the win, the Rockets remain in the bottom two of the WNBL1 standings alongside Barking Abbey.
There is hope and a feeling of optimism within the Rockets. They travel along the M4 to Bristol next Saturday to face the Flyers, followed by a must-win game against Barking Abbey the weekend after.
Beating the drop is certainly doable and by no means impossible. Six games remain, and if they produce the magic they showed against Worcester, it could be an interesting final month of the season.
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Words by John Hobbs
