Berks Catholic turns back Exeter rally, holds onto second place

This time Exeter’s comeback bid was thwarted.

Three nights after rallying from a 21-point deficit to beat Wilson, the Eagles dug out of an early 11-point hole and took the lead in the third quarter before Jack Miller and Berks Catholic turned them back.

Miller scored 10 of his career-high 15 points in the third quarter as the Saints regained the lead and held on for a 56-51 win in a Berks Conference Division 1 game Thursday at Reiffton.

The win gives the Saints (3-1, 7-1) sole possession of second place, a game back of Reading High, which beat Gov. Mifflin Thursday.

The Eagles (2-2, 7-4) got another huge performance from senior Colin Payne, who scored 13 of his game-high 28 points in the fourth quarter. It was the fourth time the senior forward has scored 28 or more points over Exeter’s last six games. He made three 3-pointers and went 5-for-5 from the foul line.

Josiah Jordan led the Saints with 20 points. He was 6-for-6 from the foul line, including 4-for-4 in the final quarter. He had been shooting under 53 percent from the line.

Other than Jordan, the Saints struggled at the foul line. Their other players were just 5-for-10 in the fourth quarter and 8-for-13 overall.

Joey Schlaffer had 10 points for Exeter.

The Saints were coming off their first loss of the season, 67-51 against Reading High at the Geigle. The Eagles’ only other league loss came to Reading, 66-40.