Anthony Caccese-Exeter

Anthony Caccese and Allen Iverson don’t see eye to eye, and it’s not just because Iverson is 6’ while Exeter’s junior center is 6’6. Caccese and Iverson apparently have very different views on practice. Yes, we’re talking about practice. Caccese told me that the Eagles had an outstanding practice on Sunday and that momentum carried into Monday’s Berks County quarterfinal at third-seeded Wilson. Exeter held off the Bulldogs 55-51 in a tense matchup of Division 1 foes. The (11-11) Eagles entered the playoffs as the #6 seed after losing four straight and seven of their last eight games. Caccese said everything was clicking at yesterday’s practice and it showed against the (14-8) Bulldogs. He piled up a career-high 19 points and 12 rebounds. The Eagles soared to a 21-12 advantage early in the second quarter. They were in front 30-25 at halftime thanks in large part to Caccese’s 13 points. Wilson climbed within one point in the third quarter. Colin Payne, the third-leading scorer in the county at 19ppg., nailed a top of the key trey with thirty seconds remaining in the period. Exeter was on top 43-35 entering the fourth quarter. The Bulldogs didn’t go away quietly. The front court duo of 6’3 junior Ofure Odiale and 6’4 senior Foday Sillah combined for 11 points in the final period. They trailed 50-46 when Caccese converted a wide open layup with 1:10 to go. The Eagles beat Wilson’s pressure which resulted in a layup for Teddy Snyder with 24 seconds left. The 6’1 junior had eleven points. It was 55-48 until freshman guard Madyx Gruber banked in a triple from the right corner with 12 seconds to play. The Bulldogs wouldn’t get any closer. Exeter was 10-13 from the free throw line, while Wilson went 8-12. Payne ended up with a game-high 21 points. The 6’3 senior knocked down three of Exeter’s five 3-pointers. Payne was a record-setting quarterback on the Eagles’ District 3 championship football team. The 265-pound Caccese is a second team all-county offensive tackle. I asked Caccese about their chemistry and he answered, “I know him like he’s my brother.” Caccese mentioned how playing in so many big football games is benefiting him on the court. We discussed the emerging rivalry between Exeter and Wilson. They split their two matchups in the regular season. Caccese emphasized how the Eagles kept their composure and controlled the pace this time around. They also limited standout point guard Cam Jones to two points. Jones came in averaging 13 points and poured in 18 the last time these teams squared off. Cleveland Harding had a team-high 14 points and Odiale chipped in with eleven. Gruber and Aidan Melograna provided eight points apiece off the Bulldogs’ bench. All eight of Melograna’s points were in the first quarter when Wilson fell behind 15-12. The Bulldogs were without head coach Matt Coldren. He received two technical fouls in their previous contest at Reading. This was the first game that Coldren has missed in 27 years as an assistant and head coach at Wilson. The Bulldogs will be the #9 seed in the District 3-6A tournament which begins next week. Meanwhile, the Eagles are headed to downtown Reading on Wednesday. They’ll face Berks Catholic at 6pm in the county semifinals. Caccese is really looking forward to playing at Santander Arena.