Chester Ends 2023 on a Winning Note

By Terry Thomas

The Chester Clippers (6-1) finished calendar year 2023 on a 5-game winning streak after defeating the visiting Abington (9-3) Ghost 67-51 at the Clip Joint. The win gives the Clippers a 31-6 overall and 23-2 regular season record against the Ghosts. This marked their first meeting since the District Playoffs in 2015.

Senior Dante Atkinson led three Clippers in double figures with a game high of 19 points. The 19 points were also his career high; he also finished with a career-tying 4 assists. Senior Dominic Toy had a season high 14 points and tied his career high of 3 assists and 6 rebounds. Senior Calvin Williams notched his first double-double of the season with 11 points and a career high of 13 rebounds.

The first quarter was a game of runs with Chester starting the contest with a 7-2 advantage. Abington responded with a 7-1 run before an Atkinson bucket gave Chester the lead 10-9 with 1:40 to play. The Ghost reclaimed the lead 13-10 before the Clippers scored the final four points for a 14-13 margin at the end of the quarter.

In a tightly played second quarter, Chester managed to maintain their lead pushing it to an 8-point separation, 31-23, with just over a minute left. Abington took advantage of the Chester mishaps, closing the quarter with a 6-0 run. The Clippers held a slim 31-29 lead at intermission.

The third quarter was another tightly fought affair, the Clippers outscored their opponents 15-13 closing the quarter ahead 46-42. Dante Atkinson scored 8 of his points to help hold off the Ghosts.

The Clippers buckled down defensively in the final eight minutes limiting their opponents to just 9 points while scoring 21 to sail away from the Ghosts. The Clippers were aided by Abington's inability to make free throws; they were 5 of 12 from the charity stripe in the fourth quarter. Abington was able to close the gap to 56-51 with 2:30 to play but was held scoreless the rest of the contest. Chester on the other hand put up 11 points. In the final eight minutes, Williams dropped in 6 points, junior Dallas Thompson came through with 5 from the line and Atkinson was perfect 4 of 4 from the charity stripe. Sophomore Daron Harris chipped in with 4 points and claimed a career high 6 rebounds with Toy finishing the scoring with a rim-rattler slam dunk off an assist from Daron.

Chester will return to action on January 4, 2024 on the road at Del Val League foe Penn Wood Patriots. The JV tip-off is scheduled for 5:30 pm with the Varsity to follow.

JV GAME SUMMARY

The Clippers ran aground in the middle two quarters being outscored 31-15 and fell to the Abington Ghosts, 53-41. Kameron Wilson (6) and Nyrell Pray (5) scored all their points in the opening quarter for Chester's 11-10 advantage. Heading into the fourth quarter trailing 26-41, Ra'Shaad Dorsey scored 6 of his game high 12 points and Tae'Qwann Naylor dropped in all 5 of his points in an attempt to draw close to the Ghost but it was not enough.

The other Chester scorers were Shadrach George (2), Christian Spann (5) and Dominique Gilyard (6).

Clippers Surge Past the Blazers

By Terry Thomas

Chester (5-1) used a 23-13 third to propel them to 70-52 victory over the visiting Lancaster Mennonite (5-3) Blazers. Junior Jaseir Thompson led the way with career highs of 15 points and three 3-pointers. Dominic Toy also finished in double figures with 11 points. Both players only saw action in the first three quarters.

With Chester trailing 8-9, Jaseir Thompson drained the first of his two first quarter trey which propelled the Clippers onto a 13-0 run. The run began at the 3:15 mark and ended with a Blazers free throw with 25 seconds left in the quarter. Senior Calvin Williams scored next on a reverse old-fashioned three-point play. He made the first free throw but was able to put back his second missed shot. Toy added a short jumper, followed by a trey from Jaseir and a layup from senior Vincent Coleman. The quarter ended with Chester leading 21-10.

Senior Andre Brown opened the second quarter with consecutive treys pushing the Clippers lead to 17 points, 27-10 with 5:35 to play. The teams began exchanging scores throughout the quarter with Chester taking a 35-21 lead into intermission.

Jaseir Thompson opened the third quarter with 5 quick points followed by a bucket from junior Dallas Thompson and Chester increased their lead to 21 points, 42-21, with 5:45 to play. After Toy connected on two free throws, Chester pushed the margin to 48-26, with 3:50 left in the period. Toy hauled in one of his 6 rebounds and was rewarded at the other end when spotted up in the corner for a trey. Senior Andre Brown drained a trey on the Clippers final possession of the quarter giving Chester a 58-34 lead heading into the fourth quarter. Toy finished with 7 of his 11 points in the third quarter. Jaseir added his final 5 points, Dallas Thompson chipped his four. Sophomore twins Daron and Jalen Harris each contributed 2 points completing Chester's third quarter production.

In the fourth quarter, Jalen Harris scored the first four points for the Clipper giving them their largest lead of the afternoon, 62-36, with 6:30 to play. The Clippers went deep into their bench and the Blazers took advantage of their hospitality, outscoring their host 16-8 to finish the contest.

Of the 15 Clippers that saw action in the contest, 12 were able to add their names to the scoring column: J. Thompson - 15, Toy - 11, Brown - 9, Calvin Williams - 8, J. Harris - 8, Dante Atkinson - 5, D. Thompson - 4, Vincent Coleman -2, Kristian Chambers - 2, D. Harris - 2, Germaine Glover - 2, Tyson Scott - 2

The Clippers will return to action on Friday, December 29, when they host the Abington Ghosts for a matinee affair. The JV will tip-off at 1:00 pm with the Varsity to follow.

JV GAME SUMMARY

Chester improved to 4-1 with an easy 68-18 victory over Lancaster Mennonite. Sophomore Nyrell Pray saw his first action since being sidelined by injury after the December 7 game; exploded for a game high 13 points in just two quarters of action. He rocked the crowd with two thunderous dunks and trey. Chester led 20-5 after the first quarter and 43-11 at the half. The "Mercy Rule" was invoked at the start of the third quarter. The Clippers outscored the Blazers 25-7 in the second half.

All twelve players that dressed added points for the win. The other Clipper scorers were Tae'Quann Naylor (6), Shadrach George (4), Jawan Paynter (4), Christian Spann (5), Jaylon Bantum (6), Ra'Shaad Dorsey (5), Dominique Gilyard (6), Ryan Reed (6), Nymeer Madison (2), Hamza Payne (4).

Chester Sails Past La Academia Charter

By Terry Thomas

Chester (4-1) outscored La Academia Charter (3-2), 41-21, in the final three quarters for a comfortable 54-34 victory at the Clip Joint. All fourteen Clippers saw action in tonight's contest with eleven players adding their names to the scoring column.

Junior Dallas Thompson led the way scoring 5 of his team high 9 points in the opening quarter. Senior Dominic Toy went 4 of 4 from the line and sophomore Daron Harris added four points to complete the first quarter scoring. The team were tied at 13 at the end of the period.

The Clippers increased their defensive presence in the second quarter limiting La Academia to a mere 6 points. Meanwhile, five Clippers dropped in points led by junior Jasier Thompson with 4 points. Andre Brown knocked down a trey, while Dallas Thompson, Dante Atkinson, and Jalen Harris each contributed two points. Chester led at the intermission, 26-19.

Chester opened the third quarter with an 11-0 run increasing their lead to 37-19. La Academia stopped the run at the 3:15 mark, making the score 37-21. The Clippers play give-away the final three minutes allowing La Academia to shorten the lead to 41-28 at the end of the quarter. Once again, five Clippers added to their point production: Atkinson (5), Toy (4), Dallas Thompson (2), Calvin Williams (2) and Daron Harris (2).

The Clippers clamped down defensively in the final eight minutes once again limiting La Academia to just 6 points. And, for the third time, five Clippers shared in their 13-point production: Brown (2), Ra'Shaad Dorsey (3), Vincent Coleman (2), Germaine Glover (2) and Jalen Harris (4).

Junior Germaine Glover made the most of the minutes with a career high 6 rebounds. He also had 1 steal and 1 assist. Dante Atkinson filled the stat sheet with 6 rebounds, 2 steals, 1 assist and 1 blocked shot. Daron Harris finished with a young career high of 4 steals. Dominic Toy muscled his way to 5 rebounds, 2 assists and 1 blocked shot. Senior Calvin Williams also finished with 5 rebounds and 1 blocked shot.

The Clippers will return to action on Saturday, December 23 when Lancaster Mennonite visits the Clip Joint for a 1:00 matinee affair. The JV will tip-off at 1 with the Varsity to follow. 

Chester Edges West Philadelphia

By Terry Thomas

Chester (3-1) escapes West Philadelphia with a 58-55 win over the host Speed Boys. Dominic Toy and Calvin Williams led the Clippers with 13 points apiece and sophomore Daron Harris also scored in double figures with 10 points.

Dallas Thompson scored 5 of his 7 points and Calvin Williams connected on a trey giving the Clippers an 8-0 lead at the 5:55 mark. The team exchanged buckets and the lead was reduced to 13-6 with 3:41 to play. Chester began to play give-away thus allowing the Speed Boys to tie the game at 13 with 1 minute to play. Daron Harris's basket with 40 seconds on the clock gave the Clippers the lead 15-13. The Speed Boys answered and the quarter ended tied at 15.

Chester used a 21-12 second quarter surged to take a 36-27 lead into intermission. Daron Harris scored 7 of his 10 points in the quarter. Toy scored 5 of his 13 and Jalen Harris scored 4 of his 8 in the quarter. The Clippers used a 10-0 run to convert a 16-19 deficit into a 26-19 lead with 2:57 remaining in the quarter. After a Speed Boys basket made the score 26-21, the Clippers responded with an 8-2 blast for a 34-23 advantage at the one-minute mark.

Chester played give-away in the third quarter. Maybe it was the orange and white West Philadelphia jerseys, but the Clippers seemed to pass the ball more to the Speed Boys than themselves. This act of kindness resulted in the Speed Boys capturing the lead 42-40 with just under three minutes to play. Calvin Williams tied the score at 42 with 1:10 on the clock and connected on 1 of 2 free throws giving the Clippers the 43-42 edge at the end of the quarter.

The fourth quarter was a see-saw affair with 4 ties and 5 lead changes. With 1:34 to play, Dominic Toy made 1 of 2 free throws, giving Chester the lead for good. Toy contributed 5 points; Jalen Harris chipped in with 4 and Williams dropped in 3 points. Dallas Thompson and Daron Harris added 2 and 1 points respectively for a crucial 15-13 Chester edge which secured the victory.

The Clippers will return to action on Tuesday, December 19, as they will host Lancaster's La Academia Charter School for a Varsity only contest. Tip-off is scheduled for 6:00 pm.

JV GAME SUMMARY

Chester's JV also sits at 3-1 after a 47-39 victory over West Philadelphia. Ra'Shaad Dorsey led all scorers with a game high of 16 points. Kameron Wilson also scored in double figures with 11 points. Tae'Qwann Naylor just missed double figures with 8 points. They led 12-4 after the first quarter and never relinquished the lead. Dominique Gilyard (6), Ryan Reed (4), Shadrach George (1) and Hamza Payne (1) completed the scoring for Chester.

The JV team will return to action on Saturday, December 23, at home against Lancaster Mennonite. It will be a 1:00 pm tip-off with Varsity to follow. 

Clippers Sail Past the Green Knights

By Terry Thomas

Chester (2-1) used a 20-9 fourth quarter for a 52-38 victory over the host Mount Pleasant (DE) Green Knights (1-2).  With the win the Clippers and Coach Taylor are riding a 10-game win streak over our southern neighbors. Coach Taylor now holds a 12-2 record over the state of Delaware.

Chester jumped out for a 6-2 lead with 3:05 to play. Mt. Pleasant responded taking a 7-6 lead with just under a minute to play in the first quarter. The Clippers answered with a 6-0 run to close the quarter. Chester's Dante Atkinson scored on a free throw, a layup off a steal from Calvin Williams and drained a trey as the horn sounded. Dante finished the quarter with 8 of his shared game high of 12 points. Dominic Toy who also scored 12 points, dropped 4 points in the opening quarter. Chester led 12-7 at the end of the quarter.

Chester maintained their defensive pressure and used a patient offense which enabled them to stretch their lead to 12 points in the second quarter. Like the Clippers, the Green Knights hit a trey as the second quarter horn sounded to close the gap to 9 points going into intermission. Chester led 23-14. Calvin Williams scored 4 of his 6 points which included a trey. Jaseir Thompson also added a trey. Dallas Thompson (no relation to Dallas) and Vincent Coleman each contributed a bucket to finalize the Clippers scoring in the second quarter.

The Clippers began the third quarter with a bucket by Toy increasing their lead to eleven points, 25-14. Chester then appeared to play give away turning the ball over to the Green Knights which enabled them to draw close, 28-23, with just over four minutes left in the quarter. An Atkinson bucket with 4:00 on the clock pushed the score to 30-23. The Green Knights ran off 5 straight points before Daron Harris scored for the Clippers making the score 32-28 with 30 seconds left in the quarter. The Green Knights once again hit a late trey. The quarter ended with Chester slightly ahead 32-31. After holding Mt Pleasant to single digit scoring in the first two quarters, 7 points in each, Chester gave up 17 points in the third quarter.

The Clippers regained their wind in the final quarter sprinting to a 17-2 run and holding a 48-33 lead with 2:40 left on the clock. During that 5 minute and 20 second span the Clippers committed just one turnover and connected on 6 of 6 free throws. Calvin Williams added a bucket and Toy knocked down two more free throws to close out the scoring. Once again, Chester held Mount Pleasant to a mire 7 points in the final eight minutes. Jaseir Thompson went 4/4 from the line to finish with 7 points in the contest. The Harris twins combined for 6 points in the period, Daron - 4 and Jalen - 2.

The team finished with 10 assists on 19 made baskets. Dante Atkinson led the way with 4 assists to go along with 3 blocked shots and 4 rebounds. Dallas Thompson, Dominic Toy and Calvin Williams helped clean the glass with 6 rebounds apiece.

The Clippers will return to action next Friday, December 15, when they travel to take on the West Philadelphia Speedboys for a 4:00 pm JV tip-off. The Varsity will follow.

JV GAME SUMMARY

Chester's JV (2-1) returned to the winning column with a 36-27 victory over Mount Pleasant. The Clippers used a 13-6 fourth quarter to pull away for the win. Ryan Reed led with a game high 15 points including 8 in the pivotal fourth. Kameron Wilson drained two big treys to finish with 8 points. The other Chester scorers were Tae'Qwann Naylor (3), Christian Spann (4), Ra'Shaad Dorsey (2) and Hamza Payne (4). Jaylon Bantum and Dominique Gilyard contributed in the contest with defensive presence.

Chester Falls to Math Civics Science Charter

By Terry Thomas

Chester (1-1) could not overcome a first half slump and fell to the Math Civics Science Charter Elephants, 52-68, at the Clip Joint. MCS dropped 3 of their 4 three-points in the first quarter enroute to putting Chester in a 9-16 hole to begin the contest. The Elephants continued their offensive push in the second quarter outscoring the Clippers 23-12 to take a 39-21 lead into intermission. The Clippers inability to hold on to the ball was a major contributor to their inefficiency in the first half.

Chester began to find their mark offensively in the third quarter outscoring MCS, 19-13, to travel by twelve, 40-52. Dallas Thompson and Dante Atkinson led the way with 5 points apiece. Jaseier Thompson contributed 4 points, Dominic Toy knocked down a trey and Calvin Williams added a put-back for the Clippers. Chester got within ten, 47-57, with 5:30 to play after a basket from Tyson Scott. From that moment on the wind was out of the Clippers sails, as MCS closed the contest with an 11-5 run.

Dallas Thompson and Dante Atkinson led the Clippers with 11 and 10 points respectively. Dominic Toy, Vincent Coleman and Calvin Williams each finished with 5 points. Jaseier Thompson and Tyson Scott each contributed 4 points. Kristian Chambers, Daron Harris, Germaine Glover and Jalen Harris all scored two points to complete the team's scoring.

Chester will travel to Wilmington, DE on Saturday for a matinee contest against Mount Pleasant. The JV will tip-off at 2:00 pm with the Varsity to follow.

JV GAME SUMMARY

Chester fell to MCS, 44-52. Kameron Wilson led Chester with 13 points. Ra'Shaad Dorsey also scored in double figures with 10 points. Chester fell behind 14-21 at the end of the first quarter but fought back with an 8-1 run to open the second quarter to tie the contest at 22. MCS ended the quarter on a 7-0 run for a 29-22 halftime lead which they never relinquished. Tae'Qwann Naylor scored 9 points before fouling out of the contest in the fourth quarter. The remaining Chester scorers were Shadrach George (2), Christian Spann (2), Nyrell Pray (4) and Ryan Reed also with 4 points.

Clippers Successfully Opens the 2023-24 Basketball Season

By Terry Thomas

The Chester Clippers (1-0) started the 2023-24 basketball season with an exciting 54-47 victory over the visiting Abraham Lincoln (0-1) Rail Splitters. Tonight's game was the 9th Annual Fred Pickett Jr Classic and Dante Atkinson (Chester) and Samair Peterson (Abraham Lincoln) were honored for their outstanding performance.

The Clippers started fast opening with a 17-6 first quarter advantage. Senior Andre Brown dropped two treys for 6 of his 9 points. Senior Dante Atkinson contributed 5 of his team high 12 and fellow senior Vincent Coleman dropped 4 of his 8 points. Junior Jaseir Thompson completed the scoring with 2 of his 4 points. Lincoln began to make shots in the second quarter in an attempt to close the gap but Chester's bench responded by keeping them at a distance. Junior Kristian Chambers splashed a trey from the corner to end the quarter increasing Chester's margin to 14 points, 33-19, at halftime. Junior Germaine Glover chipped in 4 points; sophomore Jalen Harris connected on 1 of 2 free throws and junior Tyson Scott added a bucket. The bench scored 10 of the team's 16 second quarter points. For Glover, Harris and Scott it was their first Varsity points.

Chester became careless with the ball in the second half with many unforced turnovers thus allowing Lincoln to draw within 8 points at the end of the third quarter, 43-35. Senior Calvin Williams scored 4 of his 7 points in the quarter to help hold off the Rail Splitters. Chester went defensive in the final eight minutes and Lincoln could not get any closer than the 8-point deficit until their last basket was scored with 2.2 second remaining in the contest. Atkinson connected on 3 of 4 free throws down the stretch and Daron Harris added his name to the Varsity scoring list with a bucket in the 4th.

Vincent Coleman recorded his first double digit rebounding affair with 10 boards. The team finished with 11 assists on 19 made baskets and 10 steals.

Chester will return to action on Thursday, December 7, hosting Math, Civics & Science Charter with a 5:30 JV tip-off.

JV GAME SUMMARY

Kameron Wilson scored a game high 17 points including 5 of 6 from the charity stripe as Chester bested Lincoln 61-43. Nyrell Pray also scored in double figures with 10 points including a thunderous tomahawk dunk off one of his steals. Dominique Gilyard and Shadrach George just missed double figures scoring 9 and 8 points respectively. Dante Lee (7), Christian Spann (6), Jaylon Bantum (2) and Ahmir Walton (2) completed the scoring for the Clippers. Chester scored 19 points in both the first and fourth quarters to secure the win.