Exeter comes face to face with ‘the real deal,’ falls in PIAA championship
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HERSHEY – When it was over – after the stands at Giant Center had cleared, after the TV cameras had been put away, after Imhotep Charter had accepted its trophy – Matt Ashcroft was asked what his Exeter basketball team could have done differently to change the outcome in PIAA Class 5A championship game.
Ashcroft, always engaging, always ready with an explanation of a play or an offensive set or a game strategy, paused and thought about the question.
He didn’t say anything for the longest time, which was the best answer for what happened to the Eagles Friday in their 78-40 loss.
Really, there was nothing the District 3 champs could have done to blunt the power and speed that the nine-time state champions brought to the court.
The Panthers (30-3) were too big, too fast, too skilled and too sound to stop, by Exeter or maybe any other team in the state.
“They’re the real deal,” said Exeter junior Reece Garvin. “There’s a reason why they’re ranked what they’re ranked.”
Imhotep is ranked among the top high school basketball teams in the country and their star player, Justin Edwards, is considered the No. 1 college prospect.
The Eagles pride themselves on defense but found no way to stop Edwards or his talented teammates, who made their way easily to basket in building early leads of 12-2 and 31-9.
Ashcroft, always a proponent of man-to-man defense, even resorted to a zone midway through the second quarter but that did little to slow the Panthers down. Imhotep forced the issue with their own defense, an aggressive 1-2-2 fullcourt trap that had the Eagles scrambling from the get-go.
“We definitely shouldn’t have tried to run with them,” offered Exeter junior Kevin Saenz. “I feel we played their game, and nobody in the country’s out-running them.
“I think our egos got to us, and we thought we could run with them, but in reality we had to slow the game down and play at our pace.”
Truthfully, little would have worked. Had the Eagles caught Imhotep on an off night it might have been a game. But they didn’t.
“With their length on that full-court press, and Edwards is up, getting deflections . . . it’s tough,” said Garvin.
Imhotep led 16-6 after a quarter and 43-21 at the half.
“They’re an excellent basketball team,” Ashcroft said, “they don’t have any weaknesses. They’re Reading, but longer, and that’s the best compliment I can pay them.
“They pressure you, they get up on you, they bother you, they’re in tremendous shape. They’re awesome rebounders. And they are, along with Reading, the most disciplined team we played all year.
“They’re so well-coached and so disciplined and so patient. And they pass up good shots for great shots. There’s two teams in the state that play like that, them and Reading. That’s it.”
Edwards, playing in front of his future college coach, Kentucky’s John Calipari, lived up to the hype he has generated. He’s 6-7 with the wing span of a 7-footer, glides across the court smoothly and causes constant disruption at the point of Imhotep’s fullcourt zone trap.
He had several early steals and turned them into layups, and also blocked a couple shots. He finished with a game-high 19 points on 8-of-14 shooting to go with seven rebounds, three steals and two assists – in just 23 minutes.
“They’re just a good team all-around,” Garvin said, “(it’s) not just him.”
The Panthers shot nearly 60 percent from the field and turned it over just nine times in a fast-paced, fullcourt game.
Ahmad Nowell, one of the top-ranked juniors in the nation, had 12 points and four assists. Ashcroft said he “has no weaknesses.”
Rahmir Barno, who will play at Florida Gulf Coast next year, scored 12 points.
The Eagles, who trailed by 22 midway through the second quarter, settled down after that and started hitting some shots. Aidan Dauble, an undaunted freshman, came off the bench and knocked down a 3-pointer on his first shot.
Saenz and Alex Kelsey were finally able to crack Imhotep’s press in the final minutes of the first half, leading to some transition baskets. Kelsey took it in against Edwards and scored in one sequence.
The Eagles didn’t back down, even when the mercy rule took effect in the fourth quarter. They continued to press, continued to attack Imhotep’s press, looking for any cracks they could find.
“We didn’t come into this game thinking we were gonna get blown out,” Garvin said. “We came in like every other game, thinking we were gonna win. It’s disappointing. I feel bad for our seniors that we weren’t able to come out on top.”
Before Friday, Exeter’s worst loss this season was by 10 points. Their opponent this time was in a different class from all the other teams it played.
“(They’re) better than advertised,” Saenz said. “From the film, they didn’t look as good as they played tonight. They don’t look that fast on film. We definitely did not expect what they came at us with.”
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Final | |
| Exeter | 6 | 15 | 14 | 5 | 40 |
| Imhotep Charter | 16 | 27 | 22 | 13 | 78 |
| Eagles (27-7) | FG | FT | 3’s | A | R | Points |
| Paschall | 2-4 | 0-0 | 0-2 | 2 | 4 | 4 |
| Kelsey | 3-5 | 2-5 | 0-0 | 1 | 1 | 8 |
| Saenz | 3-9 | 4-4 | 0-2 | 3 | 1 | 10 |
| Snyder | 0-0 | 0-0 | 0-0 | 0 | 2 | 0 |
| Garvin | 1-7 | 0-1 | 0-5 | 2 | 3 | 2 |
| Caccese | 5-11 | 2-4 | 0-0 | 0 | 8 | 12 |
| Dauble | 1-3 | 0-0 | 1-3 | 0 | 0 | 3 |
| Ware | 0-1 | 0-0 | 0-1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Turman | 0-1 | 0-0 | 0-0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Sheerin | 0-0 | 1-2 | 0-0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Bauer | 0-0 | 0-0 | 0-0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Nester | 0-0 | 0-0 | 0-0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Totals | 15-41 | 9-16 | 1-13 | 8 | 19-24 | 40 |
| Panthers (29-3) | FG | FT | 3’s | A | R | Points |
| Nowell | 4-6 | 4-5 | 0-1 | 4 | 3 | 12 |
| Barno | 5-10 | 2-2 | 0-2 | 3 | 4 | 12 |
| Edwards | 8-14 | 1-2 | 2-5 | 7 | 2 | 19 |
| Taylor | 3-4 | 0-0 | 0-0 | 1 | 3 | 6 |
| Satterfield | 3-4 | 1-2 | 2-3 | 0 | 3 | 9 |
| Smith | 1-2 | 3-4 | 1-2 | 0 | 0 | 6 |
| Muhammad-Gray | 1-1 | 0-0 | 0-0 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| White | 1-1 | 0-0 | 0-0 | 0 | 1 | 2 |
| Saunders | 1-3 | 0-0 | 1-2 | 0 | 3 | 3 |
| Hunter | 0-1 | 0-0 | 0-1 | 0 | 2 | 0 |
| M. Muhammad | 1-1 | 0-0 | 1-1 | 0 | 0 | 3 |
| Henderson | 1-3 | 0-0 | 0-2 | 0 | 3 | 2 |
| Myatt | 0-1 | 0-0 | 0-1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Carter | 1-1 | 0-0 | 0-0 | 0 | 1 | 2 |
| Totals | 30-52 | 11-15 | 7-20 | 10 | 30-33 | 78 |
Turnovers: Exeter 19, Imhotep Charter 10.
