Matt Ashcroft-Exeter

Wins usually don’t come easy if you’re still playing high school basketball in March. Exeter found that out against Fox Chapel in the opening round of the PIAA-5A tournament. The Eagles held on for a thrilling 62-57 victory. “They consistently battle through adversity…I’m just happy for this community and for these kids. They work so hard. They deserve this,” said head coach Matt Ashcroft. Exeter hadn’t won a state playoff game since 1974. The Foxes reached the Class 6A semifinals a season ago, losing to perennial power Archbishop Wood 56-54. Zach Skrinjar has been coaching at Fox Chapel for 14 years. He had a brand new starting five this season. They qualified for the state tournament as the #7 seed from District 7. The Eagles, coming off their first District 3 championship, were never able to pull away. Jefferson Moorefield-Brown went to the bench after picking up his second foul midway through the first quarter. The junior guard averages 12 points, 5 rebounds, and 2 steals. After trailing 7-2 early, Exeter was on top 16-14 after eight minutes. Freshman Aidan Dauble hit a triple from the left corner late in the second period to give the Eagles a 32-24 edge. Fox Chapel, which made a four hour and fifteen minute trip from Pittsburgh to Reiffton, was down 33-26 at the break. Alex Kelsey splashed a 3-pointer from the right wing with three and a-half minutes remaining in the third quarter. Exeter was in front 43-34 at that point and 46-39 entering the final period. The (24-6) Eagles used a 7-0 run to jump up 54-45. The (15-12) Foxes responded by scoring ten of the next twelve points. A layup by Kam Greil pulled them within 56-55 with one minute to go. The 5’10 senior point guard finished with a game-high 22 points including eight in the fourth quarter. Greil averages a team-high 13 points and nearly 5 assists. Kelsey, a lefty guard, drove down the right side of the lane for a key bucket with 25 seconds left. Asher White missed a game-tying trey from the right wing and Reece Garvin pulled down the rebound. White, a 6’3 sophomore, connected 51 times from long distance this season. Garvin sank both foul shots for a 60-55 lead with 12 seconds remaining. Greil raced down the court for a layup. Zyion Paschall was then fouled with seven seconds left. The all-county guard made the first free throw, but missed the second attempt. Fox Chapel couldn’t secure the loose ball, however, and Exeter was given possession while up 61-57. Greil received a technical foul for yelling at an official. As tempers flared, Greil and Kelsey were both ejected. Ashcroft expects that Kelsey won’t be able to play in Tuesday’s second round matchup with Mechanicsburg. “It’s huge. He’s your consummate two-way player. He guards the best or the second best option every night. He plays so hard and, oh by the way, he might be the most unselfish guy on the team,” remarked Ashcroft. Kelsey was one of five Eagles in double figures with 13 points off the bench. 6’7 center Anthony Caccese and Garvin had 12 points apiece. Paschall and Kevin Saenz each provided 11. Ashcroft loves how his squad shares the ball. He replied, “In this day and age, it’s so hard to come by that guys truly don’t care who gets the credit…It’s very difficult to scout a team like that.” Exeter went 10-16 from the charity stripe, while the Foxes were 9-11. Moorefield-Brown ended up with 13 points and 6’3 sophomore Caden Kaiser added ten. Fox Chapel dropped seven games this year by five points or less. Penn State freshman tight end Joey Schlaffer returned to cheer on the Eagles. Schlaffer was honorable mention all-division in basketball as a junior. He strongly considered playing again this season before enrolling early at PSU. “He bleeds Exeter blue. Joey is just an awesome kid, always positive [and] such a hard worker,” noted Ashcroft.