Exeter’s season ends with loss at Chester

Colin Payne and the Exeter Eagles quieted the crowd at the Clip Joint a little Tuesday night, at least for a while.

The underdog Eagles were within a point after three quarters before falling to the District 1 champion Chester Clippers 61-52 in a PIAA Class 5A Tournament opener.

The Clippers (19-3) hit 11 free throws in the final quarter to pull away, ending Exeter’s season at 13-15. Chester led 30-26 at the half and 42-41 after three quarters.

Anthony Caccese scored a team-high 16 points for Exeter, 10 in the second half. Payne had 13 first-half points and finished with 15.

Kevin Rucker Jr. scored a game-high 17 for Chester. Breilynd White had 16 and Kyree Womack 15.

The Clippers were good on 20-of-32 free throws; the Eagles went to the line just eight times.

Exeter beat Northeastern 58-53 to finish seventh in the District 3 Tournament. It opened the tournament with a 62-49 win at Milton Hershey before losing at West York and to Lower Dauphin. The Eagles entered the District 3 Tournament as the No. 10 seed after a late-season fade which saw them lose seven of their final eight games.

They played their final nine games without 6-6 junior Joey Schlaffer, their No. 2 scorer, who was injured Feb. 16 and lost for the season. Still, they pulled off an upset of Wilson in the Berks Conference quarterfinals and reached the state tournament for the first time since 1984.

The Eagles finished 3-14 last season.

Chester advances to meet Archbishop Ryan, a 75-48 winner over West York, in the second round Friday.