Resilient Exeter Eagles back in Elite Eight for first time in nearly 50 seasons
NEFFSVILLE – They were playing shorthanded, after sixth man Alex Kelsey drew a one-game suspension following his ejection in a PIAA Tournament opener last week.
They saw their two most important players, All-Berks picks Zyion Paschall and Anthony Caccese, each draw a pair of early fouls. That duo remained on the edge of foul trouble throughout, Paschall picking up his fourth and Caccese his third within seconds of each other late in the third quarter.
They saw a comfy eight-point lead erased just before halftime.
And they couldn’t figure a way keep Mechanicsburg’s Josh Smith from getting to the basket.
And yet the Exeter once again won convincingly Tuesday night at Manheim Township, handing the Wildcats one of their worst beatings of the season, 66-49 in Class 5A second-rounder. It was their fifth double-digit win in six games since districts began.
The District 3 champion Eagles (25-6), as they have several times throughout the playoffs, were teetering on the edge Tuesday. Yet they pulled it together. Matt Ashcroft pushed the right buttons. Reece Garvin hit the big shots. Caccese again cleaned up on the boards.
And now, for the first time in almost a half century, the Eagles find themselves in a state semifinal, a couple wins away from returning to Giant Center, where they won their first district title earlier this month.
“It shows our resilience,” said Caccese of the Eagles’ ability to weather some early storms against a dangerous Wildcats (18-10) team. “We’ve been through a lot. We aren’t gonna (be scared) in a close game.”
The win was the sixth straight for Exeter, its 15th the last 16 games and 19th in 21. The only teams to beat them in the last two months are Executive Education Academy and Reading High, each a district champ, each still alive in the PIAA Tournament.
The Eagles move on to meet Peters Township, a 58-56 winner Tuesday over Lampeter-Strasburg, Friday at a site and time to be determined. The last time Exeter got this far was 1974, when it made it all the way to the state championship game.
This team is giving indications it could do likewise. They absorbed a crushing loss to Reading High in the Berks title game – they gave away a 10-point lead in the final four minutes – but only came back more determined and mentally stronger.
They went through the first three rounds of districts without Garvin, who sprained his ankle against Reading. They never missed a beat.
Tuesday, Ashcroft’s already thin bench was missing Kelsey, who’s been a terror throughout the playoffs. They didn’t miss him a bit.
They again overcame every obstacle in their way, big and small.
“We weren’t as good at that in the beginning of the season,” Caccese said. “It’s something we had to work on, finishing out games. I think this (win) shows (that). This was a really close game and that was one of the best finishes we had all year. It’s great to see that we’re putting it all together here at the end of the year.”
Caccese’s putback in the final second of the first half – part of a 15-point, 12-rebound effort – put Exeter up 29-28.
Smith, a wiry sophomore, scored on Mechanicsburg’s first possession of the second half, then not again for another 11 minutes, by which time Exeter had a 15-point lead and had put the game away.
Smith burned the Eagles repeatedly in the first half by getting free on ball screens; they adjusted their defense, took that away and limited the Wildcats to just two third-quarter baskets. Smith finished with 19 points but just five after intermission.
“We noticed he was really good at using that ball screen and getting right to the rim,” Caccese said. “He’s a great player; he’s got a great shot, (he’s a) great finisher. We knew we needed to shut him down and I think we did a lot better job in the second half.”
Garvin returned in time for the District 3 championship after missing nearly two weeks, but his shot has been off the past few games. It’s clear to see he got that straightened out: He was good on 5-of-8 shots from beyond the arc and finished with a career-high 21 points.
“That’s just what he does,” Caccese said of the junior all-division pick. “He’s a spot-up shooter, and when he’s on he’s on. He wasn’t missing tonight.”
Garvin capped the sequence that essentially finished off the Wildcats in the final seconds of the third quarter. Teddy Snyder was fouled knocking down a 3-pointer and went to the line. When he missed his free throw Garvin swooped in, grabbed the miss – one of his nine rebounds — and put it back in for a 47-34 lead heading into the fourth quarter.
“From that point,” Caccese said, “I knew we could finish it off.”
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Final | |
| Mechanicsburg | 9 | 19 | 6 | 15 | 49 |
| Exeter | 12 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 66 |
| Wildcats (18-10) | FG | FT | 3’s | A | R | Points |
| Yanoski | 3-12 | 2-2 | 0-4 | 0 | 4 | 8 |
| Smith | 8-15 | 2-3 | 1-4 | 3 | 9 | 19 |
| Nolan | 0-3 | 0-0 | 0-2 | 2 | 5 | 0 |
| Bardo | 5-12 | 0-0 | 4-4 | 0 | 1 | 14 |
| Brubaker | 4-8 | 0-0 | 0-0 | 0 | 3 | 8 |
| Pinsker | 0-0 | 0-0 | 0-0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| McCorkel | 0-1 | 0-0 | 0-1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Dollman | 0-1 | 0-0 | 0-1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Totals | 20-52 | 4-5 | 5-16 | 5 | 24-28 | 49 |
| Eagles (25-6) | FG | FT | 3’s | A | R | Points |
| Paschall | 4-8 | 0-0 | 2-3 | 5 | 1 | 10 |
| Saenz | 4-8 | 3-5 | 0-3 | 3 | 3 | 11 |
| Snyder | 3-7 | 0-1 | 1-4 | 2 | 2 | 7 |
| Garvin | 8-13 | 0-0 | 5-8 | 2 | 9 | 21 |
| Caccese | 7-8 | 1-7 | 0-0 | 0 | 12 | 15 |
| Dauble | 0-0 | 2-2 | 0-0 | 1 | 2 | 2 |
| Sheerin | 0-1 | 0-0 | 0-0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Turman | 0-0 | 0-0 | 0-0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| Ware | 0-0 | 0-0 | 0-0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Bauer | 0-0 | 0-0 | 0-0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| Totals | 26-45 | 6-15 | 8-18 | 13 | 31-31 | 66 |
Turnovers: Mechanicsburg 13, Exeter 12.
