Exeter holds off Muhlenberg for key Berks I-II crossover win
(This story will be updated later tonight with additional details and postgame reaction.)
Zyion Paschall converted a pair of clutch one-and-ones down the stretch and Exeter made 10 free throws in the final quarter to hold off visiting Muhlenberg 57-50 Monday in a key Berks Conference crossover game.
The win was vital for the Eagles (4-2 Berks, 8-4), who kept pace with Berks II leader Berks Catholic, which lost to the Muhls (3-3 Berks I, 8-6) last week.
Paschall scored a game- and career-high 17 points and played a key role controlling the ball and helping limit Muhlenberg’s explosive backcourt of Xzayvion Robertson and Daniel Mosquera to a combined 11 points.
The Eagles got 13 points and seven rebounds from Reece Garvin and key contributions off the bench from freshman Owen Dauble, who had nine rebounds, and senior Kevin Sherin, who played some critical minutes in the third quarter after Exeter center Anthony Caccese picked up his fourth foul.
The Eagles played the final four minutes of the third quarter without Caccese and starter Kevin Saenz, who also picked up his fourth foul. Caccese, who had a game-high 11 rebounds, eventually fouled out with 1:58 left.
The Muhls, who trailed by nine points in the first half, came back to take a 43-42 lead with 6:43 remaining on a 3-pointer from Alex Collado. They were within 52-50 after Luis Valentin hit both ends of a one-and-one with 1:58 left but didn’t score again.
Teddy Snyder, who scored 12 points for Exeter, clinched it with a transition basket that pushed the lead to six points with 17 seconds left.
The Eagles hit 10-of-13 free throws in the fourth quarter and 13-of-17 for the game.
Exeter dominated the boards, 46-24, and held Muhlenberg to one second shot in the first half and to five for the game.
Josh Alcantara led Muhlenberg with 15 points, hitting 5-of-9 shots from 3-point range. He hit three 3’s in the first quarter as the Muhls moved out to leads of 11-6 and 13-8.
Exeter remains one game behind Berks Catholic (6-1 Berks II, 13-1), which defeated Gov. Mifflin 58-27 Monday. They meet again Feb. 2 at Lloyd Wolf Gymnasium.
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Final | |
| Muhlenberg | 13 | 11 | 13 | 13 | 50 |
| Exeter | 11 | 20 | 10 | 16 | 57 |
| Muhls(8-6) | FG | FT | 3’s | A | R | Points |
| Robertson | 2-12 | 3-4 | 1-4 | 1 | 3 | 8 |
| Mosquera | 0-11 | 3-5 | 0-5 | 1 | 1 | 3 |
| Valentin | 2-5 | 3-4 | 2-3 | 1 | 2 | 9 |
| Adonis | 4-8 | 0-2 | 0-0 | 0 | 7 | 8 |
| Alcantara | 5-9 | 0-0 | 5-9 | 0 | 3 | 15 |
| Branch | 0-5 | 0-0 | 0-2 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| Collado | 3-5 | 0-0 | 1-2 | 0 | 2 | 7 |
| Archie | 0-1 | 0-2 | 0-0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Towles | 0-0 | 0-0 | 0-0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Miller | 0-1 | 0-0 | 0-0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Zabala | 0-1 | 0-0 | 0-1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Totals | 16-58 | 9-17 | 9-26 | 3 | 19-24 | 50 |
| Eagles (8-4 ) | FG | FT | 3’s | A | R | Points |
| Paschall | 5-9 | 6-9 | 1-2 | 4 | 6 | 17 |
| Saenz | 3-8 | 3-4 | 0-3 | 2 | 2 | 9 |
| Snyder | 6-14 | 0-0 | 0-4 | 0 | 3 | 12 |
| Garvin | 4-5 | 2-2 | 3-4 | 1 | 7 | 13 |
| Caccese | 1-6 | 0-0 | 0-0 | 2 | 11 | 2 |
| Dauble | 1-1 | 0-0 | 0-0 | 0 | 9 | 2 |
| Sheerin | 0-1 | 2-2 | 0-0 | 0 | 3 | 2 |
| Totals | 20-44 | 13-17 | 4-13 | 9 | 41 | 57 |
Turnovers: Muhlenberg 8, Exeter 18.
