By Terry Thomas
The
Chester Clippers opened the 2017-18 season with the introduction
of their new Head Coach, Keith Taylor Sr and showcasing the brand
new gym floor in honor of legendary Coach Fred Pickett Jr. The Clippers
welcomed the Lower Merion Aces under the leadership of Coach Greg Downer, a
well respected competitor of Coach Pickett, as their opponent in the 5th Annual
Fred Pickett Jr Classic. The Clippers (0-1) fourth quarter charge fell short
and the Aces (2-0) held on for the 57- 52 win.
The
Clippers trailed by four, 9-13, at the end of the 1st quarter with junior
forward Rahmaad DeJarnette leading the way with 4 of his 8 points. The Clippers
inability to put the ball in the basket allowed the Aces to stretch their lead
to 11 points at the half, 16-27. Chester put on a better defensive posture in
the 3rd quarter but their ineffective foul shooting, 4 of 11, enabled Lower
Merion to increase their lead to 15 points for a 24-39 advantage. As the
Clippers upped the defensive pressure forcing Aces turnovers, junior point
guard Michael Smith led the charge offensively with 10 of his team high 16
points and speedy sophomore guard Rahmee Gilbert joined him in the backcourt
and added his 6 points. Brian Randolph III hit on 4 of 6 free throws to finish
with 9 points. DeJarnette added 4 fourth quarter points before fouling out of
the contest. The Clippers were able to cut the margin to 7 points, 43-50, with 1:45
remaining. A couple unsuccessful trips to the foul line allowed valuable time
to run off the clock and the Aces left the Clip Joint as the victors.
Although
Coach Taylor may not have been successful in the "Win Column", his
team continued to fight until the closing seconds. With 11 of the 13 players on
the roster seeing action in the game, practices will become a lot more
competitive now that they have one game under their belt and a better
understanding of what "Varsity" basketball is all about.
Chester
put eight players in the scoring column: Smith (16), Randolph (9), DeJarnette
(8), Gilbert (6), sophomore Zahmir Carroll and junior Timothy Johnston (4),
senior Kylair Blackston (3) and sophomore Malik Langley (2). Junior Rahnel
Sparks led the way with a career high 6 rebounds.
Chester
will return to action on Monday, December 11th with they travel to Lancaster to
take on the J.P. McCaskey Red Tornadoes.
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