Matt Ashcroft-Exeter

Exeter head coach Matt Ashcroft was expecting a tough game on Thursday in the District 3-5A quarterfinals. Milton Hershey has four District 3 championships on its resume. The Spartans won the Mid-Penn Keystone Division title this year. They came into Reiffton averaging nearly 64 points per game. The Eagles held them to 35 points through three quarters and soared to a 80-58 victory. Ashcroft was very proud of his team. “They played hard, they played smart, they played aggressively, [and] they played in attack mode, said the former Central Catholic and Albright standout. #3 seed Exeter trailed 9-5 early as point guard Larry Onabanwo scored seven points in less than two minutes. Onabanwo had 19 points and eight assists in Milton Hershey’s first round rout of Red Land. The 5’8 senior finished with 16 points against the (21-6) Eagles, but he was limited to three in the second half. Exeter was on top 24-19 after a fast-paced opening period. The Eagles were scoreless for the first three minutes of the second quarter. They switched gears midway through that period and led 41-29 at halftime. The Spartans were shutout for three minutes and 25 seconds of the third quarter. A 3-pointer by Kevin Saenz made it 55-32. The 6’3 junior provided seven points in a 22-6 quarter for the Eagles. Saenz ended up with 17 points in a balanced attack. Teddy Snyder tied his career-high with 19 points. The 6’1 senior drilled five of Exeter’s nine treys. Snyder has 37 points in two District 3 playoff games this postseason. 6’7, 280-pound center Anthony Caccese added 16 points. “He loves competing. He loves playing with his brothers on the team. He’s an outstanding defender, and boy has he stepped up around the basket. He’s been a monster for us down the stretch,” stated Ashcroft. Caccese, a Delaware football commit, was added to the roster for the Big 33 Classic on Thursday. All-County guard Zyion Paschall also reached double digits with 12 points. “It’s drastic the amount of improvement that we’ve seen from Zyion. It’s incredible how good he gets on a week-to-week basis,” noted Ashcroft. The Eagles have won 11 of their last 12 contests. Their 80 points is a season-high. #6 seed Milton Hershey got a game-high 24 points from Malachi Thomas. The 6’3 senior scored ten points in the fourth quarter. The (18-7) Spartans travel to #2 Lampeter-Strasburg on Monday for a consolation game. Exeter will host #7 Hershey in the semifinals. “It’s exciting. It’s a great environment here. The student section obviously brought a lot of energy. We’ll be ready for Hershey come Monday night,” remarked Ashcroft.