Matt Flowers-Muhlenberg

Exeter put up 69 points in a 17-point win over Gov. Mifflin on Tuesday. The Eagles upset Berks Catholic last week at Lloyd Wolf Gymnasium. Muhlenberg head coach Matt Flowers knew he was facing a hot team on Thursday night in Reiffton. The Muhls’ pressure defense forced 19 turnovers in a 59-50 victory. “Everything was triggered by our uptempo pace on the defensive end. We weren’t fouling. We were playing team defense which is what we preach,” explained Flowers. The Eagles committed 13 turnovers in the first half and trailed 27-17 at the break. Eli Hemmings provided a spark in the third quarter with nine points. The 6’3 sophomore finished with 13 points and was a key figure on defense. “He’s one of our go-to guys and he’s been trending in the right direction. His shot wasn’t going down in the beginning of the season, but he put in more work and more work and now it’s going down,” said Flowers. Exeter was within 37-32 in the third period, but Muhlenberg closed the quarter on a 9-to-2 run. A three-point play by Shermar Killen made it 51-38 with 4:07 left. The All-County guard scored a game-high 22 points including eight in the fourth quarter. “He utilizes his body very well. He’s a rebounding machine. He can get downhill. He can knock down the 3. He’s a really good all-around player…and he took pride in the weight room,” stated Flowers. A layup by 6’4 sophomore Braylon Reinert brought the Eagles within 53-48 with 1:45 remaining. That basket capped a 10-to-2 run by Exeter and got the crowd back into the game. Jayden Ware’s layup made it 55-50 with 53 seconds to go. After Jayden Kantner went 1-for-2 from the free throw line, Ware’s pull-up jumper rattled out. Killen sank a pair of foul shots with 27 seconds to play to increase the Muhls’ advantage to 58-50. The (7-8, 4-2) Eagles committed their final turnover on the ensuing possession. Aidan Dauble came alive in the second half. The 6’2 junior jammed eleven of his eighteen points into the third quarter. Dauble was 9-for-15 from the free throw stripe. He worked tirelessly on the glass to get second chance opportunities. Exeter ended up 16-of-25 from the line, while Muhlenberg was 10-of-13. Brady Murray, a 6’2 senior guard, added 14 points and Reinert provided eight for the Eagles. Michael Miller contributed ten points to the (11-4, 4-3) Muhls. “He’s been Mr. Consistent all season. He does things that need to get done,” noted Flowers. Muhlenberg committed 13 of its 18 turnovers in the second half, but went 7-of-9 from the foul line in the fourth quarter to hold on. Jadin Perez came off the bench and hit two of the Muhls’ three triples in the first half. Murray drilled three of Exeter’s four 3-pointers. He has 46 treys this year. Carter Redding, who was averaging 10 ppg., batted foul trouble and was limited to one point. The Eagles remain atop the Division 2 standings. Muhlenberg is in a tight race in Division 1 with Wilson, Berks Catholic, and Gov. Mifflin. The Bulldogs are in first place with a (6-1) league record. “It’s wide open,” emphasized Flowers.