Wilson visits District 7 runner-up New Castle on Saturday at 1pm. The (17-10) Bulldogs are in the state bracket for the fifth time in the past eight years. They defeated Cedar Crest 48-36 to finish seventh in the District 3-6A field. Shippensburg football commit Correll Akings is averaging a team-high 11.5 points per game. The 5’9 guard is the only returning starter for Wilson. He reached 1,000 career points in a 50-45 loss at Red Lion in the District 3 quarterfinals. The (23-2) Hurricanes fell 52-51 to Upper St. Clair in the WPIAL Championship. Their only other loss was by two points against Pine-Richland on January 30th. “They’re probably the most well-rounded team that we have faced this season. They can play fast and be effective. They can also be effective in the half-court. When you have three guys that can score from all three levels, it makes them extremely hard to defend. We’re looking forward to the challenge,” replied Bulldogs’ coach Matt Coldren. He added that freshman Marino Graham is the best point guard that he’s seen this year. Graham is also the starting quarterback at New Castle. He threw for 1,425 yards and 18 touchdowns during the fall. Graham ran for another 856 yards and 11 TD.

Exeter is making its fifth consecutive trip to the PIAA tournament. The (18-10) Eagles earned the ninth and final berth from District 3. They won elimination games versus ELCO, Greencastle-Antrim, and Red Land. Aidan Dauble, a 1,000-point scorer and Shippensburg football commit, leads Exeter at 14.6 ppg. The 6’3, 215-pound senior is also an excellent rebounder. The Eagles have a balanced attack with Dylan Donate, Jayden Ware, and Braylon Reinert each providing 10-to-12 points a night. They head west to battle District 7-5A champion Chartiers Valley on Friday at 6pm. The (23-2) Colts ran over Thomas Jefferson 63-37 in the WPIAL Final. Luca Federico, a lean 6’5 sophomore, exploded for 31 points and eight boards. Moon and Fox Chapel are the only teams to beat Chartiers Valley this season. “Chartiers Valley is a very good, well-coached team. They have five guys in the lineup who can all shoot it and play hard defensively. We also have veteran players who have not only played in, but won games in the state tournament. I know they’re excited about the opportunity to compete against another good program on the western side of Pennsylvania,” noted Exeter coach Jeff VanGorder.

Wyomissing has advanced to the state playoffs for the first time since 2011. The (16-10) Spartans cruised by Oley Valley 67-44 in an elimination contest last week. Wyomissing ended up in fifth place in the District 3-4A tournament. Point guard Dom Arguelles is putting up 17.8 ppg. this year. The All-County selection loves to attack the basket. Sophomore Brady Eisenhower gives the Spartans a threat from beyond the arc. He’s connected 36 times from long range. Daniel Moyer, a 6’ senior forward, is averaging 13.3 points. Wyomissing travels to Radnor on Friday to take on Archbishop Carroll from the mighty Philadelphia Catholic League. They will get underway at 7pm. Don’t be fooled by the Patriots’ record of (14-10). They’ve faced an extremely challenging schedule. “They’re a very good team from one of the top leagues in the state. We look forward to playing them,” stated Spartans’ second-year coach Konlan Krick. Archbishop Carroll knocked off PCL champion Father Judge, Neumann-Goretti, and Bonner-Prendergast in January. Father Judge won the PIAA-6A title a season ago. Neumann-Goretti has claimed ten state crowns in its history. The Patriots had three players named to the second team in the PCL this year in Nasir Ralls, Ian Williams, and sophomore Yasir Turner.

Schuylkill Valley is making its third appearance in the state bracket. Despite losing its top three scorers to graduation, the (16-10) Panthers reached the District 3-4A semifinals for the first time in 22 years. They took third place with a 60-52 victory over Big Spring. Schuylkill Valley has a balanced squad with no one averaging more than 11 points per game. Josiah Urbaez and Alex Aletras have been sparks off the bench. Logan Cammauf, an All-State linebacker, provides some muscle and 10 ppg. The Panthers hit the road on Friday to square off with Scranton Prep at 7pm. The (20-5) Cavaliers took down Dallas 68-52 in the District 2-4A Championship. Sophomore guard Chicky Skoff poured in 28 points and hit three triples. Scranton Prep brought home its eighth District title since 2017. The Cavaliers allowed just 14 points in the second half. “Prep has multiple guards who can shoot consistently from the perimeter and score putting the ball on the floor. Their defensive ball pressure causes turnovers and they’re really strong scoring in transition,” explained Schuylkill Valley coach Taylor Grim. The Cavaliers dropped a nailbiter to Berks Catholic 51-47 in the second round of last year’s PIAA-4A tournament.

Speaking of Berks Catholic, the Saints meet a familiar foe at Lloyd Wolf Gymnasium on Friday at 6pm. They battle Carver High School of Engineering & Science from Philadelphia. Berks Catholic beat the Engineers 53-49 in its season opener at the CoBL Winter Showcase at Exeter. The Saints trailed by five points at halftime. Kingston McKoy took over with 28 points and four 3-pointers. Fareed Brown had a team-high 17 points for Carver E&S. The 5’9 senior averages nearly 14 points and 4 assists. Matt McField (13 ppg.) and Billy Henighan (12 ppg.) are also capable scorers for the Engineers. Carver E&S forfeited its Public League quarterfinal against Constitution due to an altercation. The (20-6) Engineers were up twelve points with one minute remaining when one of their players was pushed. His teammates left the bench and fans came on the court. Carver E&S was ruled eligible for the PIAA tournament and was given the fifth and final seed in District 12-4A. Meanwhile, Berks Catholic outlasted Reading and then Bishop McDevitt in the BCIAA and District 3-4A Finals. Both of those instant classics went to overtime. “I think it builds so much confidence in these guys. We never think we’re out of it,” remarked longtime coach Snip Esterly. He’s (52-30) all-time in the PIAA playoffs. Esterly has 865 career victories over 37 years. The Saints lost to Devon Prep 55-39 in the state championship game a season ago. Berks Catholic is making its 12th appearance in the PIAA tournament.

Wilson was in front 11-5 early, but Exeter ended the opening quarter on a 7-0 run. Jackson Kozik, a transfer from Berks Catholic, came off the bench and drilled a 3-pointer from the right wing to give the Eagles a 12-11 edge after eight minutes. The quarterfinal matchup remained tight the rest of the way. It was even 21-21 at halftime.

Sophomore point guard Nechar Mercado made a short jumper and then found Mike Glover for a layup to give the fourth-seeded Bulldogs a 25-21 advantage early in the third period. Glover and Braylon Reinert, two standout football players, battled all night in the low post. They’re both 6’3, 225-pound juniors. Peter Kelfala hit a triple in front of Wilson’s bench to make it 34-34 after the third quarter. The 6’3 senior forward ended up with a team-high 16 points. Kelfala was responsible for two of the Bulldogs’ three treys.

Exeter was scoreless for the first two minutes and 41 seconds of the fourth quarter, but Wilson couldn’t get any separation. Jayden Ware converted a difficult spinning shot to tie it 37-37 with four minutes remaining. A layup by Dauble put the Eagles on top 39-37 with two minutes to go. After an illegal screen was called against the Bulldogs, Kozik grabbed an offensive rebound and put it home for a 41-37 lead. Mercado then split a pair of free throws. He missed his second attempt, however, Kelfala pulled down the rebound and was fouled with 1:01 on the clock. He also went 1-for-2 at the stripe. Exeter committed a turnover with a 41-39 lead and twenty seconds left. Kelfala drove from the top of the key to the basket and scored with nine seconds to play. That set the stage for Dauble’s heroics. The 6’3, 215-pound senior used a crossover to get into the lane and finished through some contact. Dauble reached 1,000 career points on January 20th against Daniel Boone. He’s committed to Shippensburg for football. The officials put one second back on the clock. Correll Akings missed a heave from half-court which led to a celebration by the Eagles. They were knocked out in the quarterfinals by Gov. Mifflin a season ago.

Reinert chipped in with eleven points, including eight in the first half. “He did a great job defensively. He protected the rim for us and then obviously he finished. I don’t even know if he missed a shot. He’s our X-factor. When he plays like that, we’re hard to beat,” remarked VanGorder. Wilson was limited to two field goals in the fourth quarter. Akings, an All-County selection last year, managed just four points. The 5’9 guard is the lone returning starter for the Bulldogs. Akings has 963 career points and recently committed to Shippensburg for football. He was guarded by Ware, a 6’1 senior and All-State defensive back. “Usually when playoff time comes around, Jayden Ware shows up. Jayden is such a competitor and he accepts the challenge of playing a great player like Correll,” said VanGorder.

Glover provided ten points and Mercado chipped in with eight. Wilson struggled at the foul line, going 4-of-9. Exeter was 5-for-8 at the stripe. Dylan Donate had six points and Kozik added five. They’re part of an Eagles’ roster that has nine seniors. “I’m so happy for them. I’m glad that they get to go play at the arena…Those guys are so close, really a huge part of the Exeter community,” emphasized VanGorder. They gained valuable experience last year by reaching the District 3-5A championship before falling to Hershey at the Giant Center.

Berks Catholic, Muhlenberg, and Reading are also moving on to Santander Arena on Wednesday. The top-seeded Saints got 29 points from Kingston McKoy in a 58-42 win over Schuylkill Valley in the quarterfinals. The (14-9) Panthers were within two points midway through the third quarter. The second-seeded Muhls needed a 3-pointer from Nelson “Coco” Malave at the buzzer to get past Wyomissing 60-57 in Laureldale. The third-seeded Red Knights blew out Antietam 69-43 at the Geigle Complex. Jostin DeCastro and Weshly Rosario finished with 14 points apiece.

A semifinal quadruple is set for Wednesday. The Gov. Mifflin girls face Exeter at 4pm. That will be followed by the Exeter boys versus Berks Catholic. The Wilson girls square off with Reading at 7pm. The nightcap is scheduled for 8:30pm and features rivals Reading and Muhlenberg. The (17-6) Red Knights and (16-6) Muhls split two games during the regular season.

Dauble is one of nine seniors on Exeter’s roster. “We’re really close. We’ve been hanging out a lot over the weekends. The seniors and everybody are always getting team bonding in. I feel like that helps our chemistry on the court,” he noted. Dauble has been a model of consistency for head coach Jeff VanGorder. As a junior, he averaged 17 points and nine rebounds while shooting 45% from the field. Dauble is providing 15 ppg. and nearly ten boards while shooting 44% this year. He has always been known as a shooter. Dauble knocked down 42 treys a season ago when he was voted to the All-Division team. VanGorder emphasized what a great job he does on the glass. In the last three years, Dauble has pulled down 522 rebounds. He mentioned that his mom, who was a standout player at Lafayette, tells him before every game to get fifteen rebounds.

Dauble remarked that playing football has helped him with the physical aspects of basketball like rebounding. The 215-pound LB/TE helped the Eagles win ten games and reach the District 3-5A semifinals this past fall. He piled up a team-high 94 tackles to go along with 7.5 TFL, two sacks, and an interception. Those numbers earned him first team honors at linebacker in Section 2 of the Lancaster-Lebanon League. Dauble also caught fifteen passes for 298 yards and five touchdowns. Dauble hasn’t decided yet where he wants to attend college, but he knows which sport he would prefer to play. “I’m definitely leaning towards football right now,” he acknowledged.

Dauble was a freshman on the 2022-23 Exeter basketball team that made history. The Eagles beat Manheim Central 67-53 for the program’s first District 3 championship. They advanced all the way to the PIAA-5A Final before falling to Justin Edwards and Imhotep Charter 78-40. Exeter lost to Reading that season in the BCIAA Championship. The Eagles haven’t captured a BCIAA title since 1974. “We don’t really talk about it, but we know in the back of our minds it’s a goal to get back there and try to win it. Hopefully this year is the year,” said Dauble.