STREAK SNAPPED
Exeter senior Kevin Saenz scores a game-high 21 points to help the Eagles end a 29-game losing streak against Reading High
HIGH SCHOOL BOYS BASKETBALL
It had loomed heavy on their shoulders for close to a year.
Last season, the Exeter boys basketball team allowed Reading High to score 18 straight points in the fourth quarter and earn a 7-point victory in the 2023 BCIAA final.
And though they would go on to win the program’s first District 3 Class 5A title as well as advance to the PIAA 5A championship, getting revenge on the Red Knights remained a top priority for the Eagles from the moment they left Santander Arena last February.
“We came into the game with a chip on our shoulders from the county championship,” Exeter senior Kevin Saenz said. “To be honest, we had tears on February 17th, at 8:30 p.m. So coming into this game, we took those tears and let them have it.”
Exeter did exactly that as it defeated the Red Knights 79-55 in a Berks I-II crossover game Tuesday at the Geigle, a win that snaps a 29-game losing streak for the Eagles (2-0 Berks II, 5-4) against Reading High. Exeter had not defeated the Red Knights (1-1 Berks I, 5-4) since earning a 59-58 victory at Reiffton on December 21st, 2009.
“We gave them the best game that we could possibly play,” Saenz said. “Everybody was working on all cylinders today, we shot the ball well and we just played as a team today.”
Firing on all cylinders indeed, Saenz scored a game-high 21 points, including two 3-pointers, and also had nine rebounds and nine assists. He scored 14 points in the second half after the Eagles came out of the halftime locker room with a 36-31 lead.
His 10 points in the third quarter helped Exeter take a commanding 60-41 lead into the final eight minutes.
For Saenz, the pain of earning silver at the county and state level in 2023 was palpable, and seeing Reading High complete a championship sweep at all levels has been a major motivating factor.
“Social media can be a major thing. So once you see it on the socials it’s kind of like a reminder that that (postseason) happened,” Saenz said. “The pictures and all the videos of them celebrating last year got to us and we took it as a chip on our shoulders.”
A 3-pointer by sophomore Aidan Dauble with 4:10 remaining in the third quarter kickstarted a 14-5 run for the Eagles to close out the quarter and heavily shift the momentum in Exeter’s favor.
“We haven’t beat them in 20-some games and to do it here (at the Geigle) made it even better,” Dauble said. “In the middle to end of the third quarter we went on a run and the energy just slipped to our side. That’s when I knew we were in the front seat to win.”
The basket was Dauble’s sixth consecutive field goal as he went 5-for-5 in the second quarter for 14 points and finished the night with 17 and three 3-pointers. Junior Brady Murray ended the game with 15 points for the Eagles.
Murray made a team-high four 3-pointers, three of which came in the fourth quarter, as Exeter converted 13 shots from beyond the arc while the Red Knights made just five.
“I think the second quarter allowed everybody to just know that we’re here, we’re confident and we’re not backing down,” Eagles first-year coach Jeff VanGorder said.
“I wasn’t sure we’d win the game, but I knew we weren’t gonna back down. Aidan Dauble was a huge piece of that and he’s super talented. I’m glad he was able to have the game that he did tonight.”
“The first quarter I didn’t have any points so in my mind I was like, ‘You gotta be confident,’” Dauble said. “So Kevin (Saenz), who assisted me on most of my shots, found me and I was able to knock them down.”
In addition to a strong shooting performance that saw the Eagles go 22-for-39 from the floor through three quarters, a tantalizing defensive effort kept Reading High’s offense in check throughout.
Exeter opened up with a 10-2 run before the Red Knights were able to recover and go on a 20-12 run the rest of the first quarter.
Turnovers proved problematic for Reading High as the Red Knights had eight turnovers in the first quarter while the Eagles had five. Reading High went 1-for-9 from the floor during the first five minutes of the second quarter, allowing Exeter and Dauble to take advantage.
Dauble completed a 4-point play to put the Eagles up 10 at 34-24 with 2:39 to go in the first half after being fouled by Reading High senior Daquan Burgess on a deep 3-pointer.
“We didn’t do a good job of identifying where their shooters were,” Red Knights first-year coach Francis Camara said. “We lost them and you can’t give shooters wide open shots.
“We’re gonna get ready to go back to work. We got Wilson on Thursday. It doesn’t get any easier (going forward).”
Senior Yadiel Cruz scored a team-high 18 points for Reading High. Cruz, who also had a team-high seven rebounds, was held to eight points in the first half and just two in the paint. He entered the game leading his team in scoring with 20.4 points per game.
Fellow senior Nick Chapman, who missed Tuesday’s game due to an eye injury, is second in scoring for the Red
Knights with 10.9 points per game.
Reading High scored the last seven points of the first half to cut the deficit to five and got as close as seven points off the lead at 39-32 early in the third quarter. According to Saenz, not having to deal with the numerous scoring threats that Reading High boasted last season allowed the Eagles to run a successful zone coverage.
“We stayed in zone (coverage) our whole game and it worked for us,” Saenz said. “I think they had one shooter on the floor at all times. So not having to move in on multiple shooters on the floor helped us a lot because now we have to focus on one man.”
Moving forward, the Red Knights return to action at home on Thursday and will take on Wilson, while Exeter returns home to face Twin Valley.
“I’m very proud of the guys; we played so well,” VanGorder said “They executed what we talked about. They didn’t back down from the pressure. Reading is very, very, very good at changing defenses and constantly bringing pressure. And we got some guys that are playing their first varsity experience, and they came to Reading and they did an awesome job executing the game plan and being confident.
“I told the guys to celebrate this tonight like crazy, they should be proud of what they did, but then it’s on to Twin Valley. It’s still relatively early in the year, but I do think this gives us even more confidence moving forward.”