Deerfield and Exeter waged a titanic defensive struggle on the Big Green’s home court in front of a frenzied crowd. With tremendous ball pressure, Exeter kept Deerfield’s offense off-balance in the first half, limiting the home team to 10 points. Fortunately, Deerfield also played stifling defense, limiting the visitors to 20 points. With the powerful play of Bennett Pitcher in the paint, Deerfield mounted a comeback in the second half. Big shots, including a step-back, corner three-pointer from Will Towne, and multiple defensive stops steadily eroded Exeter’s lead. With less than 10 seconds left, the referees awarded Deerfield two free throws with a chance to tie the game. Unfortunately, Deerfield could only convert one out of two from the charity stripe. After Exeter made one out of two free throws on the opposite end, Marios Bourtzonis narrowly missed a half-court shot that would have won the game in dramatic fashion.