Exeter tops Northeastern to secure seventh place

Colin Payne scored 13 fourth-quarter points to help 10th-seeded Exeter rally past ninth-seeded Northeastern 58-55 Wednesday to claim seventh place in the District 3 Class 5A Tournament.

The Eagles (13-14) trailed 44-41 entering the fourth quarter.

Payne finished with a game-high 21 points to help the Eagles snap a two-game losing streak.

The Eagles will open the PIAA Tournament next week against the District 1 champ, either Radnor or Chester. The Bobcats will go into the state tournament as the eighth seed from District 3 and will open against the District 7 runner-up, either Laurel Highlands or New Castle.

Reece Garvin had 13 points and Teddy Snyder 11 for Exeter. Karron Mallory hit seven 3-pointers and scored a game-high 25 points for Northeastern.

The Eagles clinched their first state tournament berth since 1984 with a

Top-seeded Lampeter-Strasburg and No. 3 Shippensburg will play for the District 3 championship in 5A Thursday at 7:45 at Giant Center.

In other seeding games Wednesday, No. 12 Susquehannock defeated No. 11 Lower Dauphin 72-70 to finish fifth and No. 4 Hershey defeated No. 2 West York 74-51 to finish third. No. 6 Elizabethtown defeated No. 5 Palmyra 68-56 to earn the ninth and final state berth.