Exeter Eagles flashing future potential as they make PIAA championship run
Exeter is 32 minutes away from its first state championship game appearance in nearly 50 years.
The Eagles, who play a PIAA semifinal Monday against Cathedral Prep, have done some special things this season, winning their first division title since 1984, their first District 3 championship and reaching the PIAA semifinals for the first time since 1974.
From the look of things the Eagles (26-6) will be doing some special things next season, too. With the return of all-division picks Reece Garvin and Kevin Saenz and sixth man Alex Kelsey they look like the early line favorite to win a Berks title and have a strong chance to defend their Class 5A district title.
Garvin, Saenz and Kelsey will be joined next season by Aiden Dauble and Jayden Ware, a pair of freshmen who have made huge contributions during this season’s playoff run.
Both were on the court in the final minutes of overtime Friday, Ware contributing a huge basket and Dauble making several key plays in a pulsating 75-72 victory over Peters Township.
Dauble, a key contributor off the bench all season, had five points and four rebounds. Ware spent most of the season on the JV squad but provided one of the biggest plays of the season when he put back a miss with 1:50 left in overtime after the Eagles had fallen behind by four points.
“That’s just a huge play,” said Exeter senior Anthony Caccese. “Not all freshmen are out here making plays like that in overtime. That’s just crazy.”
The Eagles were in desperation mode after All-Berks points guard Zyion Paschall and Kelsey fouled out in regulation and Caccese followed in overtime. Their freshmen bailed them out, coming up with key plays as the Eagles were forced to go to a fullcourt trap in the final minutes in their comeback bid.
Ware always seemed to be in the right place at the right time; the 6-foot guard even came down with the rebound after the Indians’ final miss with a couple seconds to go.
“It just shows that we’ve got a lot of up-and-coming players in this program,” Garvin said. “I’m proud of them for being able to step up in a big moment like that. Most freshmen would be out there shaking; they were calm and collected.”
Dauble and Ware were each on the floor in the final minutes of a tight win over Hershey in the district tournament, when Paschall fouled out and Garvin was unable to play due to injury.
First things first: The Eagles have to get past the District 10 champion Ramblers before they can think about returning to Giant Center for another championship game, or about next season. They’ll tip against Cathedral Prep at 5:30 at Altoona High School.
Cathedral Prep has lost just once to a Pennsylvania opponent this season. That came in league play against Erie McDowell, 43-37 in mid-February. Its other losses came in a January out-of-state tournament against Chicago’s De La Salle High School and Buffalo’s Canisius High.
The Ramblers are led by 5-11 senior guard Jake Sambuchino, who averages a team-best 14.0 points and has 41 3-pointers. Junior guard Amaree Pickens averages 11.5 points and has 40 3’s. Senior guard Tavion Spencer is a three-year starter who played on the PIAA championship team as a sophomore.
All-Berks center Anthony Caccese has dominated smaller players throughout the postseason. He’ll finally face a taller opponent. The Ramblers feature 6-8 shot-blocker Zion Barksdale, a senior committed to play at Division III Allegheny. Barksdale doesn’t have much bulk or show much on offense but he has a long frame and is a defensive factor with his ability to come from off the ball to block shots.
The Ramblers have a rich basketball history. They won their third PIAA championship in 2021, beating Archbishop Ryan for the Class 5A title. They won titles in 1980 and 1993 and reached the title game in 1984, 1994 and 1996.