Lampeter-Strasburg’s season ends with district loss to Exeter Township
Written by: TJ Eck on February 19, 2024
Lampeter-Strasburg head coach Ed Berryman summed up Monday’s matchup against Exeter Township in simple terms.
“They were the better basketball team,” said Berryman postgame.
The No. 10 seed Eagles led by nine at halftime and pulled away from the No. 7 seed Pioneers in the second half for a 73-49 victory at Lampeter-Strasburg High School in the opening round of the PIAA District 3 Class AAAAA tournament Monday evening.
“Super proud,” said Exeter Township head coach Jeff VanGorder. “I think that was the best defensive performance that we have had all year.”
The teams played a back-and-forth first quarter before the Eagles used a quick spurt to take a 17-10 lead into the second quarter.
It was in the second frame that the game may have been decided.
Behind the play of senior guard Kevin Saenz, Exeter built a 30-18 lead. L-S responded with an 8-0 run and pulled within four, 30-26. That’s when sophomore guard/forward Aidan Dauble scored five straight points prior to the halftime buzzer to put the Eagles in front by nine at the break and put an end to the home team’s momentum.
“That was tough,” said Berryman. “We made a nice run…we ran a play to run the last shot and all the sudden we are shooting it with eight seconds left, which gives them another time for transition. Just some basic things like that we didn’t really do a good job with tonight.”
Exeter came out of the locker room and took control of the game with a 12-0 run in the third quarter and held a commanding 54-37 lead through three quarters of play.
Saenz led all scorers with 26 points. He scored seven two-point buckets, knocked down three three-pointers, and finished 3-of-5 from the free throw line.
“Him being aggressive early is key for us,” said VanGorder. “Him getting downhill early and finishing at the rim is huge for us. When he does that, it opens up everything else.”
Our @LLhoops Player of the Game comes from a non-league squad:
Kevin Saenz
He scored a game-high 26 points to lead Exeter past Lampeter-Strasburg Monday night in the first round of the @piaadistrict3 5A tournament @Kevin1Saenz @ExeterHSVBBall pic.twitter.com/m5PMuaZ2zk
— TJ Eck (@TJEck_TV) February 20, 2024
Dauble scored 14 points and hauled in seven rebounds while junior forward Brady Murray tallied 10 points and three assists. Senior guard/forward Reece Garvin finished just shy of a double-double for Exeter Township with eight points and nine rebounds.
The Eagles won the rebounding battle, 29-16.
“That was huge,” said VanGorder. “That was a priority for us…we need to continue to do that.”
Senior point guard Yasin Abdi paced the Pioneers with a team-high 21 points to go along with three assists. It was a strong finish to his career in a L-S uniform.
“I love Yasin,” said Berryman. “He did a great job for us. To be quite honest, after his sophomore year, I wasn’t sure he was gonna be in the program. That summer he worked his butt off and became a starter as a junior and did a really great job for us. I was proud of him.”
Junior guard Chase Smucker added 17 points in the loss while senior forward Justin Glick chipped in seven points and four rebounds for the Pioneers.
Leaders from Exeter Township at L-S:
Exeter
Kevin Saenz: 26 pts, 3 ast
Aidan Dauble: 14 pts, 7 rebs
Reece Garvin: 8 pts, 9 rebsLampeter-Strasburg
Yasin Abdi: 21 pts, 3 ast
Chase Smucker: 17 pts, 3 rebs
Justin Glick: 7 pts, 4 rebs@LSBoysBball @ExeterHSVBBall @LLhoops— TJ Eck (@TJEck_TV) February 20, 2024
L-S finishes the season with a 16-8 overall record. The Pioneers won the Lancaster-Lebanon League Section 3 title and qualified for both the league and district playoffs.
“We put a goal in place to win the section and at times we weren’t playing well early on. I said ‘Hey guys, it’s now or never. You gotta step up’,” said Berryman. “I was really proud of them (to) come back and win that section.”
Exeter Township advances to play at No. 2 seed Mechanicsburg in the quarterfinals of the PIAA District 3 Class AAAAA tournament Thursday night. Monday’s win also clinches a berth in the Class 5A state tournament for the Eagles.
Follow LLhoops on Twitter @LLhoops
