JayJay Jordan-Berks Catholic

Life in Division 1 of the Berks Conference isn’t easy. After a 16-point loss to Reading at the Geigle Complex on Monday, the Saints had to travel to Reiffton to face a vastly improved Exeter squad. The Eagles were (3-14) last year, but came into this matchup at (7-3, 2-1). Berks Catholic led 18-11 after the first quarter. The Saints opened the margin to 11 in the second quarter. Exeter, however, would not go away quietly. A 13-0 run over the second and third quarters gave the Eagles a 27-25 advantage. Teddy Snyder knocked down a triple to put Exeter on top early in the third period. Berks Catholic made a run of its own and the Saints were in front 42-35 entering the final quarter. Longtime coach Snip Esterly has always stressed defense. His team held the Eagles scoreless for nearly four minutes to open the fourth quarter. Colin Payne made things very interesting late. Exeter’s 6’3 senior guard scored 13 points in the final four minutes. A 3-point play by 6’6 junior Joey Schlaffer got the Eagles within 50-48 with two minutes remaining. Berks Catholic countered with the next six points before Payne banked in a 3-ball in the final seconds. The Saints held on for a 56-51 victory. They improved to (7-1, 3-1). It’s career win #753 for Esterly who’s in his 33rd season as a head coach. Jack Miller finished with a career-high 15 points, ten coming in the third quarter. JayJay Jordan had a team-high 20 points including ten in the first period. The 5’10 junior was very happy with his free throw shooting. He went 6-for-6 from the line and made four free throws in the fourth quarter. I asked Jordan if he was thinking about getting revenge for a 33-21 loss to Exeter during the football season. Jordan is an all-county RB and DB. Payne, Schlaffer, and 6’6 junior Anthony Caccese helped the Eagles reach the state semifinals on the gridiron. Jordan talked about trying to guard Payne who poured in 28 points tonight. Schlaffer, who’s committed to play TE at Penn State, added ten points. He’s averaging eight rebounds this season. Jordan loves the competition in Division 1. We discussed bouncing back from the loss to Reading and whether he prefers hoops or football. Berks Catholic ended up 14-19 from the FT line. Exeter was 10-16. The Saints prevailed despite making just two 3-pointers. Esterly believes those shots will start falling soon. Ryan Koch chipped in with nine points and Aidan Sands had seven.