Ian Fleming-Gov. Mifflin

When Exeter and Gov. Mifflin met in the regular season, the Eagles cruised to a 69-52 victory on January 14. Ian Fleming, a 6’ junior, was injured and didn’t play. “That gave me a little more momentum, a little more energy since I didn’t get to compete the first time,” said Fleming. The Mustangs’ guard erupted for a career-high 20 points in a 68-52 win over Exeter in the BCIAA quarterfinals on Monday. “It feels amazing. The coaches, teammates put trust in me to score,” replied Fleming. Gov. Mifflin trailed 10-8 after the opening quarter. Fleming, who was averaging 7 ppg., provided eight points in a pivotal second period. The third-seeded Mustangs ended the half on a 9-0 run which gave them a 33-24 advantage. A layup by Fleming was followed by a steal and bucket by Stephen Mayo in the final seconds. “That gave us a lot of confidence. We felt like that was a big momentum shifter,” noted Fleming. The sixth-seeded Eagles never recovered. They made just one shot in the third quarter and fell behind 46-32 entering the last period. Exeter connected only one time from beyond the arc through the first 24 minutes. Brady Murray (64), Aidan Dauble (36), and Carter Redding (22) combined for 122 triples during the regular season. “We definitely had to close out on every shot, especially their main shooters. Coaches preach closing out, closing out, closing out,” explained Fleming. Gov. Mifflin also valued the basketball with only five turnovers, while the Eagles turned it over 15 times. Matt Koehler finished with 18 points including a dozen in the fourth quarter. The 6’3 senior made two of his team’s three 3-pointers. Andrew Galantuomo and Jahmair Johnson added 11 and 10 points respectively. The (16-7) Mustangs were 17-for-21 from the foul line. Murray led Exeter with 15 points. The 6’2 senior was limited to five points until the final period. Murray knocked down three of their four shots from long range. Braylon Reinert, a physical 6’4 sophomore, scored 11 of his 13 points in the first half. Dauble, who entered the night averaging nearly 17 ppg., was held to eight. Redding picked up two fouls in the first four and a-half minutes. The senior point guard chipped in with nine points. The (12-11) Eagles went 16-of-19 from the free throw stripe. They will now wait for the District 3-5A tournament to begin on Tuesday, February 18. Gov. Mifflin advanced to the Berks County semifinals against defending champion Wilson. The rivals will square off on Wednesday at 5:30pm. Fleming is looking forward to playing at Santander Arena in Reading. “It’s very cool…it’s gonna be a good experience,” he said.