Exeter headed to Giant Center after holding off Hershey in district semifinal
(This story will be updated later tonight with additional details and postgame reaction.)
Teddy Snyder’s three-point play with 1:12 left gave Exeter the working margin it needed to hold off Hershey for a 50-46 victory in a District 3 Class 5A semifinal Monday at Reiffton.
Snyder’s only points of the game gave the third-seeded Eagles (22-5) a 48-41 lead, and they maintained a four-point lead the rest of the way.
“By far, the biggest shot of our season,” said Exeter coach Matt Ashcroft.
Exeter played the final 1:41 without All-Berks guard Zyion Paschall, who fouled out after scoring 16 points. Alex Kelsey fouled out with 39 seconds to go.
All-Berk center Anthony Caccese, who finished with 16 points and 11 rebounds, played the final two minutes with four fouls.
The Eagles will play top-seeded Manheim Central Thursday at 4:15, their first championship game since 1980. They will be looking for their first title.
Seventh-seeded Hershey (18-6) led by as many as eight points in the third quarter. Paschall gave Exeter the lead for good at 32-30 with 1:04 left in the third quarter. He pushed the lead to four with a one-handed buzzer-beater at the end of the third quarter to make it 34-30.
Exeter trailed by as many as eight points in the first half after Jake Moyer hit a 3-pointer 3:06 remaining in the half.
The Eagles finally started getting the ball inside to Caccese in the second quarter and he responded with eight points, hitting all four of his shots. He went scoreless in the dirst quarter.
Exeter ended the half on a 6-0 run, pulling within 22-20 when Kelsey grabbed a rebound and fed it back to Caccese.
Despite playing without No. 2 scorer Reece Garvin, out with a sprained ankle, they won their first two district games by a combined 47 points.
They have reached the district semifinals for the first time since 1984 and are one win away from their first championship-game appearance since 1983. They have never won a title.
They have already clinched a PIAA Tournament berth and a first-round home game March 10 in the state tournament; the top three finishers in Class 5A each open at home.
Exeter has won 12 of its last 13 games.
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Final | |
| Hershey | 10 | 12 | 10 | 14 | 46 |
| Exeter | 8 | 12 | 14 | 16 | 50 |
| Trojans (18-7) | FG | FT | 3’s | A | R | Points |
| M. Sweeney | 6-9 | 4-9 | 0-2 | 1 | 4 | 16 |
| Dedonatis | 2-12 | 2-2 | 1-4 | 0 | 3 | 7 |
| Moyer | 1-4 | 0-0 | 1-2 | 1 | 2 | 3 |
| Alander | 3-7 | 4-4 | 3-4 | 0 | 3 | 13 |
| Slamans | 0-0 | 0-0 | 0-0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| C. Sweeney | 1-3 | 1-2 | 0-2 | 2 | 6 | 3 |
| Danner | 2-5 | 0-0 | 0-0 | 1 | 3 | 4 |
| Richards | 0-2 | 0-0 | 0-0 | 0 | 2 | 0 |
| Callahan | 0-0 | 0-0 | 0-0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Totals | 15-42 | 11-17 | 5-14 | 5 | 24-25 | 46 |
| Eagles (21-6) | FG | FT | 3’s | A | R | Points |
| Paschall | 6-14 | 3-6 | 1-3 | 2 | 3 | 16 |
| Kelsey | 1-1 | 4-7 | 0-0 | 1 | 4 | 6 |
| Saenz | 1-7 | 1-2 | 1-5 | 4 | 6 | 4 |
| Snyder | 1-4 | 1-1 | 0-3 | 0 | 2 | 3 |
| Caccese | 8-9 | 0-1 | 0-0 | 1 | 11 | 16 |
| Dauble | 2-5 | 0-0 | 0-3 | 0 | 1 | 4 |
| Ware | 0-0 | 1-2 | 0-0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Turman | 0-0 | 0-0 | 0-0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Totals | 19-40 | 10-19 | 2-14 | 8 | 27-31 | 50 |
Turnovers: Hershey 16, Exeter 14.
