Wilson, powered by center Luke Levan, breezes past Exeter in playoff opener
2024 Berks basketball coverage presented by
Utilities Employees Credit Union
(This story will be updated later tonight with additional details and postgame reaction.)
By Mike Drago — MikeDragoSports.com Managing Editor
Wilson played old-school basketball Monday, feeding its big guy for high-percentage shots in its Berks Conference quarterfinal against Exeter at West Lawn.
The fourth-seeded Bulldogs constantly found 6-5 center Luke Levan in favorable spots down low and the junior center converted shot after shot, burning the fifth-seeded Eagles for 15 first-half points en route to a 74-51 victory.
Wilson (15-8) advances to meet top-seeded Berks Catholic, a 61-38 winner over Antietam, Wednesday at 7 in the third of four games at Santander Arena.
The Berks II runner-up Eagles (15-8) are one of the most productive 3-point shooting teams in Berks history, but those shots weren’t falling Monday and the Bulldogs took advantage. They scored 15 straight points in the second quarter to pull ahead 35-23.
Levan came in averaging 8.8 points but topped that in the first quarter alone. He also improved on his team-leading 63.6 shooting percentage by dropping seven straight shots to end the first half. He finished with a career-high 22 points, to go with eight rebounds.
His teammates constantly found him in good spots, with Cam Zullinger recording six assists and Tommy Hunsicker five.
“I can’t do anything if the guards don’t get me the ball,” said Levan.
Correll Akings scored 19 points and Madyx Gruber had 17 for Wilson. Alex Kelsey led Exeter with 12 points.
The Eagles, who were averaging nearly 10 3-pointers per game, never found the range from beyond the arc. They were 2-for-12 in the first half and 4-for-27 for the game.
The Bulldogs, who had dropped three of their previous four games, were at their best. They shot a sizzling 68 percent from the field in the first half and had just one first-half turnover, despite facing fullcourt pressure from the Eagles.
Exeter led 23-20 in the second minute of the second quarter before Wilson went on a 19-2 run, with Akings scoring seven of the points. Gruber’s transition bucket gave the Bulldogs their biggest lead, at 39-25 with two minutes left in the first half.
Wilson scored the first seven points of the second half to extend its lead to 19 points. It grew to 24 at one point of the fourth quarter.
Exeter won’t play again until the District 3 Tournament begins next week. The defending District 3 Class 5A champ is expected to enter as the No. 9 seed and on the road at Warwick; official pairings will be announced later in the week.
Wilson built a 19-point first-quarter lead in the first meeting, Jan. 27 at Reiffton, before Exeter came storming back with a 34-point fourth quarter. The Eagles made it a one-possession game in the final minute but Akings hit a couple of late free throws to preserve Wilson’s 64-63 win.
Wilson opened last year’s league tournament with a 55-54 win at Fleetwood before falling to eventual champ Reading High 54-30 in the semifinals.
Exeter made it to the championship game last year, beating Oley Valley and Berks Catholic before falling to Reading 70-63 in the championship game.
The Eagles entered the postseason with three straight wins and six in the last seven, their lone loss coming against Wilson.
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Final | |
| Exeter | 19 | 8 | 12 | 12 | 51 |
| Wilson | 18 | 21 | 19 | 16 | 74 |
| Eagles (15-8) | FG | FT | 3’s | A | R | Points |
| Kelsey | 4-9 | 3-3 | 1-2 | 3 | 5 | 12 |
| Saenz | 2-7 | 4-4 | 1-4 | 2 | 6 | 9 |
| Garvin | 1-8 | 2-2 | 1-7 | 21 | 2 | 5 |
| Murray | 2-6 | 0-0 | 1-4 | 0 | 0 | 5 |
| Dauble | 3-12 | 2-2 | 0-6 | 1 | 5 | 8 |
| Nester | 0-1 | 0-0 | 0-1 | 0 | 2 | 0 |
| Ware | 1-3 | 0-0 | 1-2 | 1 | 2 | 3 |
| Flanders | 0-1 | 0-0 | 0-1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Redding | 1-3 | 2-3 | 0-0 | 0 | 1 | 4 |
| Gwitira | 2-2 | 1-1 | 0-0 | 0 | 2 | 5 |
| Totals | 16-52 | 14-15 | 5-27 | 8 | 25/31 | 51 |
| Bulldogs (15-8) | FG | FT | 3’s | A | R | Points |
| Gruber | 5-9 | 5-6 | 2-2 | 1 | 2 | 17 |
| T. Hunsicker | 0-3 | 2-2 | 0-0 | 5 | 0 | 2 |
| McFadden | 1-3 | 0-0 | 1-1 | 0 | 4 | 3 |
| Akings | 6-9 | 5-6 | 2-2 | 2 | 7 | 19 |
| Levan | 10-17 | 2-2 | 0-0 | 1 | 8 | 22 |
| Etim | 1-1 | 0-0 | 0-0 | 1 | 0 | 2 |
| Zullinger | 1-1 | 0-1 | 0-0 | 6 | 4 | 2 |
| C. Hunsicker | 2-3 | 0-0 | 0-0 | 0 | 0 | 4 |
| Woods | 0-0 | 0-0 | 0-0 | 1 | 2 | 0 |
| Greene | 0-0 | 0-0 | 0-0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Twiford | 1-3 | 0-0 | 1-3 | 0 | 0 | 3 |
| Houck | 0-0 | 0-0 | 0-0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Totals | 27-49 | 14-17 | 6-8 | 17 | 29/30 | 74 |
Turnovers: Exeter 9, Wilson 6. Team rebounds: Exeter 6, Wilson 1.
