A large crowd enjoyed a hard fought game that went wire to wire versus Class A rival Worcester Academy on Wednesday afternoon at Phillips Exeter. Jabari Trotter '08 connected on his eighth three pointer of the game with less than a second remaining giving Exeter the one point victory and its tenth win in eleven attempts since Christmas. Worcester Academy's size advantage played a key role in establishing their four point lead at intermission. Exeter struggled to maintain any offensive consistency, failing to convert on three consecutive trips to open the half before Jon Pike '08 answered with a slashing dunk against Worcester's half court zone. Worcester twice built leads of eight points in the second half, while three PEA players experienced foul trouble. Exeter was able to keep the game within reach as Trotter and guard Nate Schwarze '08 continued to find Pike, Chris Applegate '08 and Jon Squires '08 on the interior, keeping Worcester's perimeter defense honest enough to open up perimeter shooting opportunities for Exeter's guards. Trotter, Jamie Karraker '08 and Alex King '08 converted eleven three point shots providing the offensive spark that kept Exeter in the game.
Trailing by 4 points with 26 seconds remaining, Pike converted on a two point field goal. Following the final timeout, Exeter quickly fouled Worcester with less than 10 seconds remaining, sending WA to the foul line for two shots. Worcester failed to convert on both free throws providing PEA with one final opportunity. With Trotter closely guarded in the backcourt, Nate Schwarze received the outlet pass, attacked the center of the floor and smartly pitched the ball back to Trotter who elevated off one bounce, two feet behind the three point line over a Worcester defender and connected on the three point shot.
Trotter poured in a game high 27 points while Jon Pike added 15 points. John Squires finished with 13 and a number of key offensive rebounds. Raoul Oloa '08 had four steals and a blocked shot providing needed energy at key moments of the game. Nate Schwarze continued to provide the defensive glue and leadership that kept Exeter close during stretches of inconsistent offense. Both teams deserve a tremendous amount of credit for the effort that was displayed in a game featuring several college bound players.
Submitted by Coach Tilton