PIAA Tournament preview: Exeter vs. Fox Chapel
What: PIAA Tournament first round
Classification: 5A
Who: Exeter (23-6) vs. Fox Chapel (15-11)
When: Friday, 6:00
Where: Exeter
Series record: First meeting.
About the Eagles: Stormed to first District 3 championship, winning four playoff games by an average of 17.0 points, including a 67-53 win over top-seeded Manheim Central in the championship. . . Anthony Caccese, a 6-6 University of Delaware football recruit, has averaged 18 points and 11 rebounds and shot 70.2 percent from the field during seven postseason games. . . Have won 13 of last 14 games and gone 17-2 since Jan. 21. . . Have reached PIAA Tournament in back-to-back years for the first time since 1983 and 1984. . . Enjoying first 20-win since season 1984. . . A victory will give them highest win total since 1973-74 team went 30-3, establishing a program record. . . Matt Ashcroft was named Coach of the Year in the Berks Conference by his peers. . . Point guard Zyion Paschall and Caccese were named to the All-Berks team. . . Juniors Reece Garvin and Kevin Saenz were named all-division. . . 5-9 overall in PIAA Tournament appearances after 61-52 first-round loss last year at Chester. . . Last win came in 1974, 45-32 over Cocalico in state semifinal. . . Lost Class 2A championship game to Midland 58-52.
About the Foxes: Beat McKeesport in the seventh-place game after entering District 7 Tournament as the No. 11 seed. . . Lost to No. 3 North Hills and No. 7 Mars in earlier rounds. . . Have lost five times in last seven games. . . Finished third in WPIA 5A Section 2, behind Penn Hills and Shaler. . . Senior Kam Greil leads team in scoring (12.8) and assists (4.6). . . Junior Jefferson Moorefield-Brown averages 11.8 points and leads team in rebounds (4.9). . . Sophomore Asher White lead team with 49 3-pointers. . . Roster does not include a player taller than 6-3. . . Reached PIAA semifinals last season, playing in Class 6A. . . Eliminated by Archbishop Wood, 56-54. . . Leading scorer from that team, Eli Yofan, now playing at Miami of Ohio. . . Won PIAA Class 3A championship in 1977, beating Steel-High 81-71.
Did you know? Fox Chapel, located in northern Pittsburgh suburbs, will be traveling 255 miles to play the game. The trip will take close to four hours. Only first-round games will be played on a school’s home court. All subsequent rounds will be played at neutral sites.
Winner gets: (7-3) North Hills (20-6) or (3-4) Mechanicsburg (18-8) Tuesday, March 14.
