Aidan Dauble-Exeter

Paul Roberts — Wed, 19 Feb 2025 16:16:36 +0000

Exeter coach Jeff VanGorder was extremely disappointed that Aidan Dauble wasn’t named to the All-County team on Sunday. The 6’2 junior guard used that snub to fuel him on Tuesday night against Middletown. “It motivated me a lot because that was one of my goals this season. To not get it really made me strive to do good tonight and push through it,” remarked Dauble. He scored a game-high 22 points as the eighth-seeded Eagles outlasted the ninth-seeded Blue Raiders 60-53 in overtime in the first round of the District 3-5A playoffs. Dauble nailed a 3-pointer with two minutes left in the extra period to put Exeter on top 54-51. “Carter [Redding] came off a screen and I’m trailing him. I had a little bit of space and I was feeling good all game so I just let it fly,” explained Dauble. After Aleel Batts missed a tough scoop shot in the lane, Braylon Reinert sank a pair of free throws with 1:10 remaining. Avery Askins misfired on a triple from the right corner on the next possession. Redding then converted four consecutive foul shots to extend the Eagles’ margin to 60-51 with 24 seconds to go. Exeter outscored Middletown 11-to-4 in overtime. Reinert finished with 17 points including nine after the third quarter. The 6’4 sophomore tied it at 49-49 in the final seconds of regulation. VanGorder used a baseline out of bounds play called “4 down” for the first time this season, and it worked to perfection. The Eagles had four players along the baseline, while the Blue Raiders were in a zone defense. One defender ran to the right corner to cover sharpshooter Brady Murray, but they left Reinert wide open underneath the basket for an easy layup. Landon Keyser went 1-for-2 from the free throw line with 14 seconds to play which made it 49-47. The 5’11 senior, who averages 8 ppg., had 17 points. Batts led Middletown with 19 points. The crafty 6’ senior went 3-for-6 from the stripe. “He got to the free throw line a lot. He was able to get downhill and use a slow step to get to the basket. He’s a good player,” said Dauble. Batts is providing nearly 22 points a night this year. Kylin Noon, a 6’2 freshman forward, chipped in with seven points off the bench. The (13-10) Blue Raiders won the Colonial Division of the Mid-Penn Conference. They trailed 17-6 late in the opening quarter at Reiffton. Middletown went on a 14-to-3 run to even things up at 20-20 with 3:15 left in the first half. Exeter was down 25-24 at the break after getting outscored 15-to-7 in the second period. Murray splashed a 3-pointer from the right wing with two minutes remaining in the third quarter. His 68th trey of the season put the (13-11) Eagles in front 37-30. Batts scored five points to cut the deficit to 39-38 with 5:18 to go. A layup by Askins gave the Blue Raiders a 41-39 lead with 3:45 to play. That was his first bucket of the contest. He made another layup one minute later for a 43-41 edge. Jayden Ware answered on the other end with a drive for Exeter. The 6’1 junior had eight points, as well as the difficult task of guarding Batts. Keyser scored along the baseline with 1:40 left and Middletown regained the lead at 45-44. Dauble was then whistled for an offensive foul which wiped his bucket off the board. Keyser connected twice from the foul line with 39 seconds remaining to give the Blue Raiders a 48-45 advantage. A layup by Murray cut the deficit to one point with 21 seconds to go. The 6’2 senior guard ended up with seven points. The Eagles were 13-of-20 from the charity stripe, while Middletown went 10-of-19. The Blue Raiders made just one 3-pointer. They fell into the consolation bracket after dropping their fifth straight game. The Eagles advanced to the District 3-5A quarterfinals and clinched a berth in the state tournament. Exeter hosts #16 seed Spring Grove on Friday at 7pm. The Rockets upset top-seeded Manheim Central 45-38. “It’s crazy. It’s gonna feel amazing with the home crowd for a second round game in District’s. We’re ready to win,” stated Dauble. He’s averaging 16.6 points and nine rebounds while shooting 51% from the field. Dauble is one of four football players that start on the basketball team. The Eagles reached the District 3-5A championship game this fall. They’re motivated to make another run on the court.

Aidan Dauble-Exeter

Paul Roberts — Tue, 21 Mar 2023 14:21:00 +0000

Not many coaches can say that every player they put on the court can score. Matt Ashcroft can make that statement. Balanced scoring has carried Exeter all season long. In the PIAA-5A semifinals at Altoona, it was Aidan Dauble’s turn to step up. The 6’2 freshman provided nine points off the bench in a 51-47 victory over Cathedral Prep from Erie. “I really have a lot of confidence coming in because Coach [Ashcroft] tells me if I’m open, shoot the ball,” Dauble said. He gave the (27-6) Eagles a spark in the second quarter with five points including a three-point play. Dauble averages under 4 ppg. The District 3 champs led 22-19 at halftime. The (24-4) Ramblers went scoreless for just over two minutes in the third period. Reece Garvin hit a triple from the top of the key to put Exeter in front 30-20 with 4:50 remaining in the quarter. The 6’3 junior finished with a team-high 14 points. The District 10 champions were limited to two points for the first four minutes and twenty seconds of the final period. After trailing 41-30, Cathedral Prep increased its pressure and responded with an 8-0 run. The turnovers mounted for the Eagles while all-county point guard Zyion Paschall was on the bench. He fouled out 24 seconds into the fourth quarter with eight points. With just over one minute to go, Alex Kelsey and Kevin Saenz dove for a loose ball at midcourt. Saenz came up with it and found Garvin who threw the ball up ahead to Dauble for an easy layup. That sequence gave Exeter a 45-40 edge. The Eagles beat the Ramblers’ press which resulted in a layup by Anthony Caccese with twenty seconds left. The bucket by the 6’7, 280-pound center made it 47-43. Saenz, who is nicknamed “Showtime Kev”, sank a pair of free throws with seven seconds to play. He made two more foul shots with one second remaining for the final margin. Exeter held on despite committing 18 turnovers. “We just needed to slow the ball down and start mentally calming down,” noted Dauble. The Eagles won the battle of bench points 16-0. Kelsey chipped in with seven. Amaree Pickens poured in a game-high 16 points before fouling out. The 6’3 junior guard went to the bench after getting his third foul with five minutes left in the second quarter. Senior guard Jake Sambuchino ended up with 13 points, eight in the second period. Semontae Lofton added ten points. Cathedral Prep went 9-16 from the free throw line, while the Eagles were 10-17. The Ramblers’ quest for a fourth state title came to a close. They won gold in Class 5A in 2021. Cathedral Prep slipped to (62-34) all-time in the PIAA playoffs. Exeter is making its tenth appearance in the state tournament. The Eagles are (9-9). They’re headed to Hershey on Friday. Exeter will face Imhotep Charter from Philadelphia at 8pm in the final. The Eagles haven’t advanced this far since 1974. “I don’t think it has set in. We just want to keep going, milestone after milestone,” Dauble stated.

Dauble – Berks Sports Report

Aidan Dauble-Exeter

Aidan Dauble-Exeter