Exeter survives Governor Mifflin, 55-52
REIFFTON >> Exeter had completely lost its way in the second quarter against rival Governor Mifflin on Friday night.
After a competitive and fairly sharp first quarter, the host Eagles could manage only two points during a sluggish second stanza and went into the locker room at halftime trailing the Mustangs by seven points in their Berks League Section 1 clash.
The Eagles came out of the break and followed up their worst quarter of basketball this season with quite possibly their best by scoring 26 points during an explosive third quarter, then hanging on to defeat Governor Mifflin, 55-52.
“It was by far our best quarter of basketball all year,” veteran Exeter coach Kevin Boettlin said. “The kids responded. Very proud of the way the kids came out.”
Exeter (11-7, 4-3 Section 1) trailed 22-15 at halftime and had misplaced its offense during the second quarter, a mess of a frame buried in sloppy play, ice-cold shooting and the requisite rash of turnovers that always seems to accompany these things.
“We had gotten away from offensive sets,” Boettlin said. “We’re trying to get (big man forward) Riley (Dobraniecki) back into the mix of things here. I still wasn’t happy with it and the players were trying to feed him as well and we kind of went off-kilter a bit. We forced a lot of shots in the second quarter that we normally don’t take and it was bad all the way around.”
It turned around when Alex Javier took the reins after the break, under advisement from his head coach.
Javier, who had posted a rather timid three points in the first half, unleashed four 3-pointers during the third quarter, including an emphatic buzzer-beater at the end it, providing fuel for a 20-4 Exeter run that seized control of the contest. The Eagles would need all of it.
Javier finished with a team-high 16 points.
“Coach just told me to be aggressive at the half,” Javier said. “I know I would need to go into tack mode. I just looked for my shot … he told me at halftime that I had the green light. It’s just a mentality. If I play that way for all four quarters, I think I’ll be golden. Just have to figure that out.”
While the result doesn’t move the needle in the Section 1 race — with just under two weeks to go in the regular season, defending 6A state champion Reading seems to have that on lockdown — the crystalizing District 3 playoff picture is another matter altogether. The Eagles, in 5A, picked up some valuable power points Friday night in knocking off Mifflin, a 6A club. Exeter sat in the 12th spot in 5A coming into the contest.
That fact was not lost on Boettlin.
“It’s huge,” he said. “You know, we talk about those things. Not only for us, but possibly a bigger game for them. So we knew what to expect. The power rankings, the way they are, we can’t falter. If we want to get to D-3 play, we needed to win tonight.”
Mifflin (8-9, 3-4) came into the evening in 13th place in the 6A power rankings.
Despite losing its grip on the game during Exeter’s third-quarter run, Mifflin battled back. The Mustangs trailed 41-30 headed into the fourth but slowly and patiently chipped away at Exeter’s lead until they got within three points, 53-50, on a Ben Walmer 3-pointer with 22 seconds left.
Exeter’s Davyahn Singleton was fouled at the other end and hit one of two for a 54-50 edge. A Casey Klahr floater in the paint bounced high and through the net for Mifflin with :06 left to slice it to 54-52. The Mustangs quickly fouled Anthony Wise, who drained one of two from the line.
Walmer — Mifflin’s leading scorer Friday night, with 17 points — lined up a desperation 25-footer from beyond the arc for the tie and overtime with Jason Matz defending.
The shot caught iron to the left, just off line, and the Eagles survived.
Exeter 55, Governor Miifflin 52
Governor Mifflin – 13 9 9 22 — 52
Exeter – 13 2 26 14 – 55
Exeter
Murray 5 2-2 13, Metz 2 1-4 5, Wise 4 1-2 9, Javier 5 2-5 16, Holmes 0 0-2 0, Singleton 3 2-5 8, Dobraniecki 0 0-0 0, Haines 0 4-4 4. Totals 19 12-24 55.
3-point field goals: 5 (Javier 4, Murray)
Governor Mifflin
Harman 2 0-0 4, Black 5 0-0 12, Walmer 5 6-6 17, Brown 3 1-3 7, Alvarez 1 1-1 3, Klahr 1 1-2 3, Copeland 2 2-4 6. Totals: 19 11-16 52.
3-point field goals: 3 (Walmer 2, Black)
