Exeter beats Berks Catholic, returns to title game for first time in 49 years
Exeter’s powerful inside game was once again too much for Berks Catholic as 6-6 center Anthony Caccese had his way in leading the Eagles to a 59-45 victory Wednesday in a Berks Conference semifinal at Santander Arena.
Caccese had a game-high 27 points and eight rebounds in leading the second-seeded Eagles (19-5) back to the championship game for the first time since 1974.
Reece Garvin, a 6-3 junior, had a game-high 11 rebounds, helping Exeter to a commanding 33-18 lead on the boards.
Zyion Paschall did an outstanding defensive job on Berks Catholic’s Ryan Koch, holding the Saints’ all-time 3-point leader to four points and no 3’s. Paschall also had 10 points and five assists.
Kevin Saenz also had 10 points for Exeter. Josiah Jordan and Josh McKoy each had 14 for the third-seeded Saints (20-4).
Exeter will play the winner of the Reading High vs. Wilson semifinal in Friday’s championship game.
The Eagles are playing their best ball of the season, with nine straight wins and 13 in their last 14 games.
Exeter used a 9-0 run to end the first quarter with a 16-10 lead. Caccese got strong position in the low post and his teammates found him, good enough for eight points.
The Saints got a 3-pointer from Jack Miller to spark a 12-4 run to open the second quarter. A 3-pointer by freshman Kingston McKoy pushed the BC lead to 22-20.
Exeter answered with another strong finishing run, getting 3-pointers from Alex Kelsey and Paschall to go into halftime leading 30-24. Caccese had 12 points at the break.
Exeter advanced to the semifinals for the second straight year after beating Oley Valley 68-35. Reece Garvin led the way with a career-high 20 points and 13 rebounds.
Berks Catholic advanced with a 65-48 win over Muhlenberg, avenging a regular season defeat to the Muhls. Ryan Koch and Kingston McKoy each scored 18 points for the Saints.
The teams split a pair of regular season games this season.
The Saints took the first meeting 73-63 at Reiffton in December as Josiah Jordan scored a career-high 32 points. He scored 10 points in the first quarter and had 15 by halftime, enough to boost the Saints to a 36-25 lead.
The Eagles turned the tables in the rematch, as Anthony Caccese finished with a career-high 27 points and 17 rebounds, a monster effort that carried the Eagles to a 49-45 victory and to the brink of their first division title in nearly 40 years.
Exeter clinched the Berks II title by closing out the regular season with a win over Twin Valley.
Both teams are headed to the District 3 Tournament, the Saints as the No. 1 seed in Class 4A, the Eagles as the No. 3 seed in 5A. Each will open at home, the Eagles Feb. 20, the Saints Feb. 23.
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Final | |
| Berks Catholic | 10 | 14 | 10 | 11 | 45 |
| Exeter | 16 | 14 | 13 | 16 | 59 |
| Saints (20-4) | FG | FT | 3’s | A | R | Points |
| Geddio | 1-1 | 0-0 | 0-0 | 0 | 1 | 2 |
| Jordan | 7-14 | 0-0 | 0-1 | 2 | 4 | 14 |
| Koch | 2-7 | 0-0 | 0-3 | 0 | 3 | 4 |
| Miller | 1-4 | 0-0 | 1-3 | 0 | 0 | 3 |
| J. McKoy | 4-13 | 2-4 | 4-9 | 0 | 3 | 14 |
| K. McKoy | 2-3 | 3-6 | 1-1 | 0 | 3 | 8 |
| Lawlor | 0-0 | 0-0 | 0-0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| Nein | 0-1 | 0-0 | 0-0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| Diaz | 0-0 | 0-0 | 0-0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Totals | 17-43 | 5-10 | 6-17 | 2 | 16-18 | 45 |
| Eagles (19-5) | FG | FT | 3’s | A | R | Points |
| Paschall | 3-9 | 3-4 | 1-1 | 5 | 3 | 10 |
| Saenz | 4-6 | 2-2 | 0-1 | 3 | 4 | 10 |
| Snyder | 0-0 | 0-0 | 0-0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Garvin | 1-3 | 4-6 | 1-2 | 3 | 11 | 7 |
| Caccese | 12-17 | 3-5 | 0-0 | 0 | 8 | 27 |
| Kelsey | 1-1 | 2-5 | 1-1 | 2 | 1 | 4 |
| Dauble | 0-0 | 0-0 | 0-0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Sheerin | 0-0 | 0-0 | 0-0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Bauer | 0-0 | 0-0 | 0-0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Turman | 0-0 | 0-0 | 0-0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| Nester | 0-0 | 0-0 | 0-0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Totals | 21-36 | 14-22 | 3-5 | 13 | 28-33 | 59 |
Turnovers: Berks Catholic 10, Exeter 12.