By Terry Thomas
When the final buzzer
sounded the Clippers were on the winning side of the scoreboard 54-46 against
the visiting J.P. McCaskey Red Tornadoes. The game was the sixth and final game
of the 7th Annual Fred Pickett Classic with games starting at 12 noon. The gym
was bright showcasing the newly designed and installed floor to the Fred
Pickett Jr Gymnasium. When the Clippers took the floor to warmup around 8:45
pm, the almost sold out crowd welcomed the players with a loud reception. With
the work on the floor just finishing up on Thursday evening, it marked the
first time the players were able to play on their own court. The renovations
took longer than expected and the team was forced to practice at the NDO - No
Days Off (thanks to Clippers legend Zain Shaw) and STEM Academy facilities.
The Clippers started
slowly and the foreignness to their surroundings were on display as the Red
Tornadoes jumped out to a 21-12 first quarter advantage. Senior Akeem Taylor Jr
led the way for the Clippers scoring 5 of his 11 points in the opening stanza.
With both teams ramping up the defense in the second quarter, the pace of the
game was quick but neither team would produce much offense. With 3 of the 5
starters on the bench with two personal fouls, senior J'shon "Cool
Aid" Lawler came off the bench and led the way in the 2nd quarter scoring
all 6 of his points as the Clippers stayed within striking distance. They now
trailed 31-21 at the intermission.
The Clippers started the
3rd quarter with a little more energy and familiarization with the home court
outscoring the Red Tornadoes 14-9 to close the gap to 39-25 at the end of the
quarter. Taylor once again led the charge with his final 6 points. After
missing his first free throw in the first quarter he finished by connecting on
his next seven.
The Clippers kept the
momentum rolling into the final quarter and after junior Karell Watkins
connected on an old-fashioned three point play, Chester took their first lead
of the contest 40-39 at the 5:47 mark. After another Watkins free throw push
the lead to 41-39, McCaskey answered with trey to recapture the lead 41-42 at
4:12. The Clippers used their defensive pressure to force numerous turnovers
enroute to a 7-0 run over the next two minutes capped with a steal and basket
by senior Rahmee Gilbert to open the game to 49-42 at the 2:01 mark. The last
two minutes was parade to the foul line for the Clippers where Watkins, Gilbert
and junior Fareed Burton Jr would knock down shots to secure the win. Watkins
was the catalysis for the Clippers in the final 8 minutes producing 13 of his
team high 17 points. After training by 10 at the half, Chester outscored their
opponents 33-15 in the second to send the home crowd home happy.
Chester will continue
its home stand on Tuesday, December 10th when the Newark Yellow Jackets visit
the Clip joint for a JV and Varsity outing. The JV game will tipoff at 6:00
with the Varsity to follow.
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