Brady Murray-Exeter

Brady Murray has made more 3-pointers than any player in Berks County this season. Exeter’s 6’2 senior guard gives all the credit to his father. “I couldn’t do it without him. He’s the whole reason why I’m a good shooter so shout out to my dad,” said Murray. During the summer, Brady practices his jump shot with his dad every day. Brady will take at least three hundred 3-pointers. The offseason work is paying off. Murray hit five triples and scored a game-high 19 points in a 58-50 win over Spring Grove on Friday night. The (14-11) Eagles advanced to the District 3-5A semifinals on Tuesday at York Suburban. Exeter jumped all over the (11-13) Rockets who were coming off a 45-38 upset of top-seeded Manheim Central. The Eagles led 11-0 after a steal and layup by Jayden Ware with three minutes left in the opening quarter. Cooper Smith, Spring Grove’s leading scorer at 12 ppg., picked up his second foul and headed to the bench just 34 seconds into the second period. Exeter built a 25-9 cushion with four and a-half minutes remaining in the first half. It was 28-13 at the break, but Murray and his teammates understood that they couldn’t relax against the #16 seed. “We knew that they played a really hard schedule like us. We knew that they were battle-tested. It wasn’t like a walk in the park,” emphasized Murray. The Rockets are part of Division 1 in the York-Adams League which includes all Class 6A schools. They caught fire in the third quarter. Six of their ten treys came during that eight minute span. Smith and Kayleb Allen each connected three times from beyond the arc in the third period. Murray responded with a pair of long range shots to keep Spring Grove at a distance. The eighth-seeded Eagles were on top 43-33 entering the fourth quarter. Murray splashed another trey from the top of the key with six and a-half minutes to go. The Rockets were down 48-37 before going on an 8-to-2 run. Owen Renda, who provided seven points off the bench, sank a 3-pointer to cut their deficit to 50-45 with three minutes to play. Aidan Dauble, who poured in 22 points in the first round of the tournament, had back-to-back buckets to increase Exeter’s edge to 54-45 with 55 seconds left. After Dom Pierre knocked down a triple, Carter Redding went 2-for-2 from the foul line to make it 56-48 with 37 seconds remaining. Ware sealed the victory with a breakaway layup with 21 seconds on the clock. Murray thought having home-court advantage was important. “It was great. Fans really were into it, our bench was into it. It’s always fun playing here. I love the rims,” he replied. Dauble (13) and Redding (11) combined for 24 points. Ware chipped in with nine. The Eagles were just 4-of-9 from the charity stripe, but they made eight 3-pointers. Murray has connected 73 times from long range this season. Allen, a 6’2 junior guard, finished with a team-high 14 points. He hit four triples. Pierre added a dozen points. The 6’4 senior had eight points in the fourth quarter. Smith, a 6’3 junior, scored all eleven of his points in the second half. Spring Grove was 2-of-6 from the free throw line. The Rockets outscored Exeter 37-to-30 after halftime. They’ve clinched a spot in the state playoffs for the third time in program history. Spring Grove didn’t qualify for the District 3 tournament a season ago. The Eagles earned their first District 3 championship in 2023. They’re headed back to the Final Four in Class 5A. “I want this season to last as long as possible. I love these guys. I love this team. They’re really fun to be around,” said Murray.