Anthony Caccese-Exeter

When Exeter faced Berks Catholic two weeks ago, Anthony Caccese erupted for a career-high 27 points in a 49-45 win. The Eagles met the Saints again in the Berks Conference semifinals on Wednesday at Santander Arena. As Yogi Berra once said, “It’s like deja vu all over again.” Caccese finished with 27 points and eight rebounds in a 59-45 victory. The 6’7, 280-pound senior got off to a great start with eight points in the opening quarter. Caccese was surprised at Berks Catholic’s defense. “I heard they had something special planned for me. I was expecting a little more aggressive help, aggressive double-teams, but it wasn’t really coming as much,” he remarked. The Delaware football commit stayed in the game after picking up his second foul with 6:24 remaining in the second quarter. Head coach Matt Ashcroft never even considered taking his star center off the floor. He trusted Caccese and it paid off. The big man had a putback before the buzzer to put second-seeded Exeter on top 30-24 at halftime. Snip Esterly turned to 6’2 junior forward Javen Diaz in the third quarter, but Caccese couldn’t be stopped. He repeatedly got deep post position for jump hooks and layups. Caccese provided nine points in the final period. The (19-5) Eagles were up 43-34 entering the fourth quarter and the (20-4) Saints never threatened them. Exeter only attempted five 3-pointers. The Eagles preferred to let Caccese go to work in the paint. Zyion Paschall and Kevin Saenz chipped in with ten points apiece. Paschall also helped to limit Ryan Koch to four points. Koch, a Pitt-Johnstown commit, is averaging nearly 14 ppg. with 50 treys. The 6’3 senior has 932 career points. Reece Garvin added seven points and eleven boards. He’s a big part of Exeter’s success defensively. They held third-seeded Berks Catholic 18 points below its season average. “Defense is where we start every game. That’s kind of a staple of Exeter basketball now,” noted Caccese. JayJay Jordan and Josh McKoy each scored 14 points for the Saints. McKoy, a 6’2 junior, nailed four 3-pointers. Jordan increased his career total to 1,144 points. Berks Catholic knocked off the Eagles 41-40 in the county semifinals a season ago. Exeter is marching on this year. “It feels amazing. I’m gonna be all smiles the rest of the night,” replied Caccese. The Eagles have won nine in a row. They advanced to the Berks County championship game for the first time since 1974. Exeter will battle the (23-1) Red Knights on Friday at Santander Arena. Reading blew out fifth-seeded Wilson 54-30 on Wednesday. Yadiel Cruz had 18 points and nine rebounds in 20 minutes off the bench. The 6’2 junior was 7-11 from the field. Ruben Rodriguez piled up 14 points, ten boards, and four steals. Ten of his points came in the second half when the defending county champions pulled away. The (17-7) Bulldogs were within 20-16 at the break. They average 54 points, but managed just 14 over the last 16 minutes. The Red Knights cruised despite going 2-12 from beyond the arc. They were 8-12 from the free throw line. Aidan Melograna had a team-high eight points for Wilson. Reading has won seven straight in the rivalry. The Red Knights are looking for their 25th county title. Caccese and the Eagles stand in their way.