Chester Wins in Overtime at Chichester

By Terry Thomas

Chester (9-7, 3-1) slips past the Chichester Eagles (11-3, 3-1) in overtime, 77-74. The team recorded 11 triples including two in the overtime frame to secure the win. Senior Terrence Cobb led a trio of Clippers in double figures with a game high 28 points and marked his fourth game this season with at least 6 treys. Junior Kyree Womack dropped in 20 points and senior Breilynd White packed in 18 points. The back-court trio also accounted for 10 of the team's 11 three pointers with Womack and White each dropping two.

The first quarter was a back-and-forth affair with Chester trailing 14-18 when the horn sounded. The Clippers increased their defensive effort in the second quarter limiting the Eagles to a single field goal. Chichester connected on 6 of 10 free throws for their output of 8 points. On the other hand, the trio combined for 17 points including three made treys giving the Clippers a 31-26 lead at the intermission.

The teams played an even third quarter and Chester took a 44-39 lead into the fourth quarter. Chester was able to maintain their 5-point cushion up to the 2:33 mark. On their next possession, Brieilynd White scored; Chester up 56-49 with 2:15 to play. On Chichester's next possession, Dominic Toy blocked a shot, White stole a pass and fed Cobb for a bucket; Chester up 58-49 about 1:50 to play.  

On Chester's next possession, Chichester's Mazen Sayed was called for a flagrant-2 type foul on Dominic Toy going to the basket slamming him to the ground. While trying to stand, Toy kicked Sayed and was called for a technical foul. During the action, fans came out of the stands and players left their benches. The coaches from both staffs got control of their players while the officials met at center court to sort things out. The Chichester Athletic Director made the decision to clear the gym of all spectators with the exception of the JV players and any school administrators. Both Sayed and Toy were disqualified from the game. There was 1:37 left on the clock. 

Chester would shoot the two free throws from the foul on Toy. While Chichester was awarded four technical foul shots, two on the Toy technical and two for the Chester players leaving the bench. No technical was awarded to the Chichester players. 

Dante Atkinson entered the game to shoot the Toy foul shots and made 1 of 2. Chester's lead was now 59-49. Chichester made 2 of the 4 technical foul shots: Chester - 59, Chichester - 51. The Clippers went scoreless in their next to possession which allowed for a 6-0 Eagles run. Cobb connected on two free throws with 26 seconds remaining for a 61-57 lead. Chichester answered with an old-fashioned three-point play. Dante Atkinson stepped to the line and drained two free throws and with 13.7 on the clock the score read 63-60. The Eagles knocked down a trey to force overtime. 

Chester scored first in the overtime, a free throw from Calvin Williams and a put-back by Brielynd White; Chester up 66-63. After a quick 6-0 run by the Eagles, Dante Atkinson hit a spot-up three to tie the game at 69 with 1:48 to play. Williams recorded a steal and scored; White picked the Eagles pocket leading to a trey from Womack putting Chester up 74-69 with just over a minute to play. Chester would score their final three points at the free throw line.

Dante Atkinson (6), Calvin Williams (3) and Jerry Young (2) completed the scoring for the Clippers. Cobb finished with a career high 9 rebounds to go along with his 28 points.  

The Clippers will return to action on Saturday, January 21 when they travel to York taking on the William Penn (York) Bearcats in a triple header - Freshman, JV and Varsity. The Freshman game will tip-off at 2:00 pm with the JV and Varsity to follow.

JV GAME SUMMARY 

Coach Tate got what he came for with a 43-39 win over the Chichester Eagles. The Eagles left a bitter taste after their celebration after defeating the Clippers last season. Coach says, "If you don't want them to celebrate, then you win the game". Chester trailed after the first quarter, 6-16, and at half-time, 23-17. The Clippers smothered the Eagles in the third limiting them to just 9 points and Ryan Reed's trey to close out the quarter game Chester their first lead 34-32. Chester held their opponents without a field goal in the fourth quarter.

Ra'Shaad Dorsey led with a team high 11 points. Andre Brown and Germain Glover each contributed 9 points. Tashon Gibson and Ryan Reed added 5 points a piece while Tae'Qwann Naylor and Nyrell Pray each dropped in 2 points.

Clippers Sail Pass the Buccaneers

By Terry Thomas

Chester used a 45-29 second half to sail pass the Interboro Buccaneers at the Clip Joint. With the win, the Clippers improved to 8-7 overall and 2-1 in the Del Val League. Senior Terrence Cobb led a trio of double-digit scorers with a game high 20 points. Junior Dante Atkinson recorded a career high 13 points and senior Breilynd White chimed in with 11 points.

Cobb started the contest with a trey. The Bucs ran off five consecutive points for their only lead in the contest. The Clippers answered with a 12-2 run to close the quarter. Cobb drained two more treys. White along with juniors Jerry Young and Calvin Williams each contributed a bucket and Chester led 15-7. 

The Clippers had a slow start in the second quarter enabling the Bucs to tie the score at 21 with just over 2 minutes to play. Atkinson scored 5 of his 8 second quarter points in the final two minutes as Chester finished the quarter with a 7-0 run. Chester led at intermission, 28-21.

Chester finally took advantage of their speed at the guard spots in the third quarter. The guards - White (4), Cobb (2), Atkinson (5) and Kyree Womack (3) - produced 14 of their 18 points to break the game open. The Clippers were up by 10 with 3:20 to play and 14 at the 2:45 mark. Once again, Young and Williams produced buckets in the paint. Chester led after 3, 46-33. 

The guards continued producing into the fourth quarter. Womack connected on two treys. White knocked down a trey and added a floater and Cobb added nine points off 4 buckets including an and-one. The Clippers took all forms of life from the Bucs outscoring them 27-17 in the final eight minutes of play. Nijah Carpenter came off the bench with 4 points and sophomore Kristian Chambers added a bucket. 

The Clippers will return to league play on Thursday, January 19 when they travel to Boothwyn to take on the league leading Chichester Eagles. JV tips off at 5:30 with Varsity to follow. 

JV GAME SUMMARY 

Chester won their fourth consecutive game, 57-27, over the visiting Interboro Bucs. Kristian Chambers led with way with 10 of his game high 12 points in the opening quarters. Chester led 18-6 after the first quarter and never looked back. Andre Brown was the other Clipper in double figures with 10 points. Chester led 36-15 at the halfway point. Chester was up 49-19, invoking the Mercy Rule, just before the third quarter ended.  Chester scorers: Germain Glover (8), Tashon Gibson (7), Ra'Shaad Dorsey (6), Nyrell Pray (6), Tae'Qwann Naylor (3), Kameron Wilson (3) and Dante Lee (2).

Chester Reaches 2000-Win Milestone

By Terry Thomas

On Saturday, January 14, 2023, the Chester High School Boys Basketball Team under the direction of Coach Keith E. Taylor Sr won their seventh game of the season. To the fans in attendance, it was just another game but to Chester it marked the 2000^th in the school's storied history. It was announced to the crowd and the team was presented the game ball by Ron Coursey, the Chambersburg Athletic Director. In doing so, the Chester Clippers became just the 2^nd high school in Pennsylvania to accomplish this fete. Reading High is the other. 

It was a process that began over a century ago dating back to 1911-1912. It took twenty-three Head Coaches with an unknown number of Assistant Coaches, Players, and Managers. The Head Coaches starting back in 1911 were: Vic Boell, Lee Kuntzleman, Lee Crippen, Frank Forstburg, Pard Larkin, Babe Buono, Joe George, Ollie Robinson, Neal Harris, Johnny Abrams, Ellis Dwyer, Dutch Boyer, Jack Crawford, Dick Madison, Bob Forwood, Ron Rainey, Ray McLaughlin, Juan Baughn, Cliff Wilson, Alonzo Lewis, Fred Pickett, Larry Yarbray Sr, and Keith E. Taylor Sr. 

Unfortunately, there are just too many players to be called out individually, so Congratulations goes out to them all; past and present. You made this happen.

Chester Goes 1-1 at the Stand Against Racism Showcase

By Terry Thomas

Over the past weekend, the Chester Clippers participated in the 2^nd Annual Hoops for Harmony: Stand Against Racism Basketball Showcase on the campus of Chambersburg Area High School. The showcase allows for not only socializing and competitive sporting fun, but also business networking opportunities and solution-oriented dialogue about this ongoing problem. In alignment with Dr. Martin Luther King Jr's "Dream" of Racial Harmony, the showcase was intentionally scheduled to align with his birthday weekend. 

Saturday, January 14

The Clippers (7-6) closed out Day-2 with a 49-47 victory over the host Chambersburg Trojans (8-6). The backcourt of Terrence Cobb and Breilynd White combined for Chester 17 first quarter points and a 17-15 advantage. The Trojans fought back taking a slim 26-25 edge into intermission. Cobb produced 7 second quarter points that allowed the Clippers to stay within striking distance, 33-35, at the end of the third quarter. Junior Kyree Womack joined the party in the final quarter scoring 7 of his 9 points, White contributed 4, Cobb 3 and Calvin Williams added 2. Chester won the quarter, 16-12, giving them the margin of victory. 

Terrence Cobb led all scorers with a game high 22 points. Brielynd White added 11 points and matched his career high with 5 steals. Kyree Womack matched his career high of 5 assists in the contest. Dante Atkinson and Vincent Coleman each scored two points in the contest.

The victory was a major accomplishment for the Clippers. It marked the 2000^th win in their storied history; becoming just the 2^nd Pennsylvania school to accomplish that fete. Nationally, Chester becomes the 10^th winningest high school basketball program in the country (supplied by Dave Burman).

Sunday, January 15

The Clippers (7-7) came up short in Day 3, 68-73, in a loss to the Imani Christian Academy Saints (8-5) during the matinee contest. The pace was the opposite of the slow down affair display on Saturday night; the first quarter ended with the score tied at 19. Chester used 5 players to produce their output led by junior Jerry White's 6 points, Dante Atkinson and Kyree Womack each contributed 4 with Terrence Cobb and Calvin Williams adding 3 and 2 respectively. All fifteen of Chester's second quarter points came via the guard position: Cobb (7), Womack (4), Breilynd White (2) and sophomore Dallas Thompson (2). The Clippers trailed at the intermission, 34-37.

The Saints caught fire in the third quarter and took advantage of Chester's defensive mistakes by connecting on five treys. Chester while producing twelve points, found themselves trailing by 14 points when the quarter ended, 46-60. 

The final quarter began with Chester introducing the Saints to the grit that resides at 9^th and Barclay via a 10-0 run. The Clippers scored on their first four possessions: Vincent Coleman (2), Cobb (3), White (2) and Cobb (3). With 6:10 to play, Chester trailed 56-60. Imani stopped the run with a free throw but Cobb answered with his 6^th trey pulling his team within two, 59-61, at the 5:10 mark. Chester's sixth possession ended with a White trey and with 3:50 to go, Chester was within one, 62-63. After a couple missed shots, White connected on two free throws and Chester was back within one, 65-66, with 2:19 to play. The parade to the foul line began for the Saints where they scored their final 8 points while the Clippers found a cover over the rim from distance.

While eight players scored, they were led by Terrence Cobb with a game high 25 points including 6 treys and a career high 8 rebounds. Breilynd White and Jerry Young each contributed 9 points and Kyree Womack dropped 8. Junior Vincent Coleman banked 7 points and matched his career high of 6 rebounds. Dante Atkinson chipped in 6 points and Dallas Thompson and Calvin Williams each put up 2 points.

The Clippers will return to the comforts of the Clip Joint on Tuesday, January 17 when they will host Del Val League foe Interboro. JV tips off at 5:30 pm with the Varsity to follow.

Clippers Pulls Away from Blue Knights

By Terry Thomas

Chester got back to .500 with a 73-59 win at Academy Park. The Clippers are now 6-6 overall and 1-1 in league play. The Clippers without starting point guard Kyree Womack were led by Senior Terrence Cobb with a game high 26 points. Womack is still recovering from an ankle injury suffered in the Overbrook game.

The Clippers used a long-range attack in the first quarter with thirds from Cobb (2), Breilynd White (1) and Dante Atkinson (1) for a 16-13 lead. With Dominic Toy saddled with two fouls, junior Calvin Williams came off the bench and provided the inside presence. Williams scored 7 of his 9 points in the period and Cobb added another 5 cancelling the output from the Blue Knights. Chester led at intermission, 30-24. 

Dominic Toy returned in the third quarter and dominated inside with 8 points. The Clippers were able to push their lead to 12 points, 51-39, with about 1:30 left in the third quarter. During the run Cobb added 6 points, White chipped in 4 and Atkinson chimed in with 3. The Clippers lost their wind and the Blue Knights responded with a spurt to close the gap going into the final quarter. Chester's lead was now 53-46.

Academy Park took advantage of the Chester miscues at the beginning of the fourth quarter which allowed them to close with 58-54 at the 4:35 mark. Two Cobb free-throws pushed the lead to 60-54. After the teams exchanged baskets, Calvin Williams scored his final two points giving his team a 64-56 lead with 2:47 to play. The Clippers turned up the pressure resulting in a 9-1 run with Cobb's free throw finishing the deal for a 73-57 lead with 40 seconds left in the contest.

Dominic Toy finished with 13 points, 9 rebounds, 1 blocked shot and 1 assist. Dante Atkinson was the third Clippers in double digits with a career high 11 points. Breilynd White just missed double digits with 9 points. Calvin Williams made his presence felt with 7 rebounds and 3 blocked shots to go along with his 9 points. Vincent Coleman (2), Jerry Young (2) and Dallas Thompson (1) completed Chester's scoring.

On Friday, the Clippers will be heading to Chambersburg, PA to participate in Stand Against Racism Showcase on the campus of Chambersburg High School. Chester will face the host, Chambersburg on Saturday, January 14 at 8:30 pm and Imani Christian Academy on Sunday, January 15 at 1:00. They will return home to the Clip Joint on Tuesday, January 17 to continue league play against Interboro.

JV GAME SUMMARY

Chester improved to 6-1 after man-handling Academy Park to the tune of 63-30. Chester jumped out to a 23-6 lead after the first period, led 36-17 at the half and the "Mercy Rule" was enforced in the third quarter. Andre Brown led the way with a game high 24 points. Nyrell Pray also had double figures with 10 points. Chester scorers: Jaseir Thompson (9), Tae'Qwann Naylor (2), Ra'Shaad Dorsey (5), Kristian Chambers (2) Ryan Reed (2), Kamerson Wilson (6), and Germain Glover (3).

Clippers Get Back on Course

 By Terry Thomas

Chester (5-6) used a 37-17 second half outburst to scalp the Bartram Braves 69-43 at the Clip Joint. Terrence Cobb led with a game high 29 points and Jerry Young collected his first double-digit rebound game with 10.

The teams went back and forth in the opening period with Bartram holding a slight edge 15-13. Junior Kyree Womack kept the Clippers close, scoring 7 of his 9 points in the period. Cobb added a trey, junior Dominic Toy helped with a put-back and Young joined in with a free throw.

Chester started the second quarter with a 9-0 run fueled by Breilynd White's six points and junior Dante Atkinson's 3 points. The Clippers now led 22-15 with 3:59 to play. A bucket from Young and two treys from Cobb stopped the comeback effort from the Braves. Chester took a 3226 advantage into intermission. 

The third quarter was all about the Chester defensive effort and the offensive production from Cobb. The Clippers held the Braves to a mere 7 points while Cobb was putting up 15 points. Toy and Young added four points apiece as the Chester held a 23-7 scoring advantage in the quarter. This resulted in Chester hold a 55-33 lead going into the final 8 minutes of play.

Chester began the 4^th quarter with a 9-2 run getting points from junior Calvin Williams (2), sophomore Dallas Thompson (2) and Cobb (5). Atkinson and sophomore Jaseir Thompson completed the scoring with 3 and 2 points respectively. 

The Clippers return to league play on Tuesday, January 10 when they travel to Glenolden to take on the Academy Park Blue Knights. The JV game will tip-off at 5:30 pm followed by the Varsity.

JV GAME SUMMARY

Chester's JV improved to 5-1 on the season with an 86-18 massacre of the Bartram Braves. The team led 24-0 at the end of the first quarter, 46-9 at the half and 69-20 at the end of the third. Ten of the eleven players that played were able to put their names in the scoring column. Three players scored in double figures led by Andre Brown with 22, Nyrell Pray had 12 and Kameron Wilson added 11. The other scorers were Tashon Gibson (9), Ra'Shaad Dorsey (8), Jaseir Thompson (7), Germain Glover (6), Dante Lee (4), Tae'Qwann Naylor (4) and Ryan Reed with 3 points.

Chester Drops Del Val Opener

By Terry Thomas

Chester (4-6) opened Del Val League play with a 54-64 loss to the visiting Penn Wood Patriots (6-2). This marked Coach Taylor's first league loss in six seasons. Penn Wood snaps a 10-game losing streak to Chester. The loss also snapped Chester's 13-year, 58 straight Del-Val League winning streak at home. It also ended Chester's 43-game Del Val League winning streak dating back to February 7, 2017 at Academy Park (info provided by Dave Burman).

The Clippers had their slowest start of the season producing a season low six points in the opening quarter. In contrast, the Patriots were hitting from afar producing 14 points including three treys. The Patriots hot hand continued into the second quarter with 18 points while the Clippers could only muster 11. Breilynd White led the way with 5 including a trey, Terrence Cobb added a trey with Calvin Williams and Dallas Thompson competing the scoring with 2 and 1 respectively. Chester entered intermission in a 17-32 hole.

Chester offensive woes continued as they were only able to score once in their first possession in the third quarter; resulting in a 20-36 deficit with 6:10 to play. Finally feeling a sense of urgency, the Clippers began to fight back. Chester went on a 6-0 run with buckets from White, Cobb and Jerry Young. Chester was now ten points down, 26-36, with 4:25 left in the quarter. The Patriots stopped the run with a trey but could not capitalize on two consecutive Chester turnovers. Chester however, turned a Dominic Toy steal into and-1 by White to get the deficit back to ten, 29-39, at the 2:59 mark. Even with two turnovers in their next five possessions, Chester went on a 7-2 run. A bucket from junior Calvin Williams, two free throws and a trey from Cobb enabled Chester to close the gap even more to 36-41 with 1:17 left in the quarter. Chester played give-away again and found themselves trailing 36-45 as the third quarter ended.

Breilynd White opened the final quarter scoring the first five points and Chester was within four, 41-45. Dante Atkinson answered Penn Wood's basket with a trey and the Clippers now trailed by three, 44-47, with 6:40 to play. Penn Wood countered with a trey and the margin stayed at 6 points until there was about 2 minutes to play. Chester was forced to foul and the parade to the foul line began. The Patriots were able to shoot 7 of 11 in the final quarter to secure the win.

Breilynd White finished with a career high 20 points followed by Terrence Cobb with 16 points. The other Chester scorers were Dante Atkinson and Calvin Williams each with 4 and 3 points apiece from Kyree Womack and Dominic Toy. Dallas Thompson and Jerry Young finished it off with 2 points apiece.

The Clippers will attempt to return to their winning ways on Saturday, January 7 with the Bartram Braves visit the Clip Joint for a matinee session. The JV game will tip-off at 2:00 pm with the Varsity to follow. 

Chester in Give-Away Mode at Clip-Joint

 By Terry Thomas

Chester falls to 4-5 after gift wrapping a 79-73 victory to the visiting Overbrook Panthers. The Clippers' turnover woes from 2022 found their way into 2023 leading to a 13-0 deficit with 5:13 to play in the opening quarter. Chester found wind in their sails behind 5 points apiece from Brieylnd White and Dominic Toy coupled with a bucket from senior Jabree Davis to close the quarter behind 26-12. 

White continued attacking the rim with floaters in the 2^nd quarter and Toy continued to be a force in the paint as the Clippers continued to fight back. Sophomore Kristian Chambers came off the bench producing 5 of his young career-high of 9 points and Davis knocked down a trey adding to the effort. Sophomore Dallas Thompson came off the injury list for his first action of the season and knocked down 1 of 2 free throws and the Clippers went to intermission trailing 30-40. Chester did a better job limiting the turnovers to just 6 out of the 20 second quarter possessions.

The Clippers returned to the giving spirit (turnovers) and mid-way through the 3^rd quarter found themselves trailing by double-digits, 33-47. After being held scoreless in the opening two quarters, senior Terrence Cobb finally found his mark scoring 8 points off two-treys and a bucket. Chambers added another bucket and White drained a trey to close the quarter bringing the Clippers closer 47-55.

Chester opened the fourth quarter with possession. Cobb knocked down his third trey of the game. Domonic Toy hauled in the defensive rebound and Cobb went to the line hitting 2 of 2 free throws to close the gap to 52-55 with 7:25 to play. The Panthers responded with a 5-0 run. The Clippers answered with White connecting on 2 of 2 free throws and a Cobb steal which led to an old-fashioned 3-point play from Toy to bring the Clippers back to within 3, 57-60, with 6:06 on the clock. Coach Taylor called for a timeout.

Dallas Thompson answered the Overbrook trey with one of his own to keep the margin at 3, 60-63, with 5:25 to play. A free throw from Toy closed the gap to 61-63, with 5:01 to play. With consecutive Chester turnovers, the Panthers were able to push their lead up to seven points, 61-68, with 3:15 left in the quarter. Toy once again connected on a free throw and scored a bucket on the next possession. He stole the Panters next pass which led to a bucket from Chambers and the Clippers were now within two, 66-68, with 2:35 to play. Toy erased the boards with one of his 12 rebounds and scored off an assist from Dante Atkinson, tying the score at 68 with 1:45 left in the contest. 

After a free throw from Cobb at the 1:31 mark got Chester within one, 69-70, the Clippers returned to their holiday season of gift giving turning the ball overs twice in their next three possessions. Chester was now trailing 70-77 with 30 second left in the contest. Dante Atkinson found White in the corner for a trey with 26 seconds left, 73-77. The Clippers had two more possessions before the horn sounded. They missed a shot attempt and of course ended the game with a turnover (they were called for traveling). 

The Clippers were playing without their second leading scorer in Kryee Womack due to an injury in the Lower Merion game. Senior Breilynd White and junior Dominic Toy stepped up producing career highs of 19 and 18 points respectively. Toy also finished with a double-double collecting those 12 rebounds. He also added 3 assists, 3 blocked shots and 2 steals to his stat sheet. Cobb was the third Clipper in double-digits with 15 points, 2 assists, 2 rebounds and 1 steal. Jabree Davis finally added his name to the stat sheet with 2 rebounds, 2 steals and 1 assist to go along with his 7 points. Chambers was also a factor on the boards with a career high 6 rebounds. Dallas Thompson finished the night with 5 points, 2 rebounds and 2 steals. 

Chester will return to action on Thursday, January 5, when the Penn Wood Patriots visit the Clip Joint to start Del Val League play. The JV will tip-off at 5:50 pm with the Varsity to follow.