Energy is up, and so is the win total at Exeter

When Kevin Saenz started playing with his new Exeter teammates in the spring he noticed something was missing.

“The energy was pretty low,” the sophomore guard recalled.

That’s not surprising. The Eagles has a rough go of it last season. They won a total of three games, and just once over the final five weeks of the season.

“That was super, super frustrating,” said senior Colin Payne. “I’ve never had a basketball season like that. We knew we were better than that.”

Saenz saw things pick up throughout the summer. After a year away from the program he started to get reacquainted with his teammates, and them with him. Team chemistry improved during summer league sessions.

“I realized: We’re gonna be special this year,” Saenz said.

Five days into the season things indeed have been special for the Eagles. They beat Manheim Township 59-46 Tuesday night in Reiffton to improve to 3-0, matching last year’s win total.

“Amazing,” said Payne, who led the way Tuesday with 15 points. “I would’ve never thought we’d get off to a 3-0 start, especially with this team we just played today. We’re playing really tough, really gritty basketball right now.”

With three-fifths of the starting lineup still involved with football a week before basketball season tipped the chances for a fast start weren’t promising. The football guys – Payne, Joey Schlaffer and Anthony Caccese — are still a little rough around the edges, still weeks away, Payne says, from being in basketball shape.

Their athleticism and competitivenes, says Eagles coach Matt Ashcroft, has been enough to carry them so far. Plus, they’ve gotten a boost from a couple of unheralded players, Saenz and Zyion Paschall.

Saenz didn’t see any varsity time at Wilson a year ago; Paschall, a junior point guard, worked his way into the Eagles’ lineup over the final weeks last season.

Both have been big plusses this season.

Saenz was the first guy off the bench Tuesday and supplied an instant burst of offense, scoring seven straight points in the second quarter as the Eagles began to pull away, building their first double-digit lead. His first bucket came on a 3-pointer when Paschall found him alone on the wing with a sharp pass.

Saenz made another nice play in the third quarter, picking the ball cleanly at the foul circle, then taking it the length of the floor for a layup, part of his 12-point night. He gives the Eagles length and a skilled offensive player.

“I was really impressed with him (over the summer),” Payne said. “When I heard he was coming over from Wilson, I thought: ‘Oh, great, he’s gonna help us a lot.’ He’s just so easy to play with. He moves the ball; he’s really unselfish.”

“I’m trying to bring a spark off the bench,” said Saenz, who was part of the Exeter program in seventh and eighth grade before spending one season at Wilson. “I’m making sure I do my thing, keep the energy up. The starting guys obviously need breaks; I’m gonna be in there for them.”

Paschall seems to be a perfect fit for the Eagles. They’ve got plenty of shooters and scorers with Payne, Schlaffer and junior guard Teddy Snyder, who buried four 3-pointers against the Blue Streaks (1-2). Paschall is a pass-first point man who whips the ball across the court to open shooters.

He hasn’t a scored a point yet this season but he’s made a big contribution. You don’t win games without guys like this.

“He knows his role,” Payne said. “He’s such an amazing defender. He shuts down every team’s point guard. He gets three steals every single game; I don’t know how he does it. He just plays so tough.”

Things get tougher for the Eagles in a hurry with a game Friday at Reading High. Regardless of what happens at the Geigle the Eagles are looking at a productive season. They’ve only had three practices with the full team so far and have been able to knock off two quality programs, Cedar Crest and Manheim Township.

“We’ve played better each and every night so far,” Ashcroft said. “Do we have every one of our sets in? No. We don’t have all of our defense in; we don’t have all of our offense in. We’ve had six hours of practice. It comes down to our competitiveness. These kids know: We’re just going to go out and make plays, and we’re gonna play harder than the next guy.”