By Terry Thomas
Clippers (20-6) put on a
defensive clinic against the Parkland Trojans in route to their 55-41 victory. The win at Bethlehem Freedom H.S. puts
Chester in a 2nd round matchup against the District 3 Champion Harrisburg
Cougars. The game will be played on Wednesday, March 13th at a site and time to
be determined.
Chester started strong
in the first quarter limiting the Trojans to 6 points while four different
Clippers contributed to their 15 point total. Senior Rahmaad DeJarnette set the
tone with 3 steals off Trojans first four possessions and dropped in four
points. Michael Smith and Akeem Taylor were recipients of the stolen
merchandise in scoring 5 and 4 points respectively. Junior Zahmir Carroll's put
back finalized the first quarter production.
The game pace slowed in
the 2nd quarter and with only 11 possession, the Clippers unforced errors
(Traveling violations) helped limit their point production to a mere 6 points.
Parkland meanwhile was an outstanding 7 of 8 from the free throw line which
aided in their closing the deficit before intermission. When the buzzer sounded
Chester lead was not three points at 21-18.
The third quarter was
classic Clippers basketball. Press - Score - Press - Score. Chester scored on
11 of their 14 possessions. Back-to-back and-1's from senior Javan Graham
stretched the Clippers lead to 12 points and it was all over from there. Steals
by DeJarnette and Taylor led to easy transition buckets and Carroll strength on
the boards allowed for buckets in the paint. Adding in two three-pointers from
Smith and the Trojans attempt to sit back in a zone was proven to be fruitless.
The end result was a 25-5 quarter for the Clippers and a 46-23 lead into the
final 8 minutes.
The Clippers decided to
milk the clock during the final 8 minutes and thereby limit the number of
possessions for the Trojans and secure the win.
Michael Smith led the
Clippers with 17 points followed by Akeem Tayor's 16 points which establishes a
new Clipper high for him. Taylor displayed a complete game combining 4 steals,
6 rebounds and 3 blocked shots to his stat sheet. Rahmaad DeJarnette chimed in
with 8 points, 4 steals, 5 rebounds and 2 blocked shots. Zahmir Carroll (7),
Javan Graham (5) and Fareed Burton Jr's two free throws completed the team's
scoring.
The team stepped up big
time with their double-double machine, sophomore Karell Watkins, unavailable
due to a violation of team rules.
The Chester Clippers (20-6) continue
their quest for a State Championship with a second round contest against the
District-3 Champion Harrisburg Cougars (20-6). The game will be played on
Wednesday evening, March 13th, at the Geigle Complex, Reading High School, 801
N. 13th St, Reading, PA 19604. Tip-off is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. following the
William Allen (District 11 Champion) vs LaSalle (District 12 - 4th Seed) game
that tips off at 6:00 p.m.
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