Chester puts away Penn Wood

By Terry Thomas

Chester (15-1) used a 29-12 first half enroute to an easy 60-39 victory over the visiting Penn Wood Patriots. The Patriots attempt to slow the game by holding the ball - failed. With the win the Clippers increased their win streak to 14 games and sits atop the Del Val at 5-0.

Chester led 10-3 after the first quarter behind six points from Dante Atkinson and a pair of baskets from Andre Brown and Dallas Thompson. The Clippers limited the Patriots to 2 field goals in the second quarter while Andre Brown took control with 10 of his team high 15 points. Dallas contributed a trey and Dante, Calvin Williams, and Daron Harris each added 2 points for the Clippers. Chester went into intermission leading 29-12.

The Patriots made a push in the third quarter, but the Clippers had just enough to keep them at a distance. Jaseir Thompson scored 5 of his 7 points, Dominic Toy dropped in his 4 points, Jalen Harris hit a trey and Calvin Williams added a bucket. Chester led was now 43-28 at the end of the quarter.

Chester managed to keep the lead at fifteen points, 52-37, with 3:30 to play. But closed the game on an 8-2 run. Chester used six players to account for their 17-point fourth quarter production. The Patriots frustrations became physical, and the officials called the game with 39.6 seconds remaining.

The Clippers will continue league play on Thursday, January 25, when they travel to Sharon Hill to take on the Academy Park Knights. JV tip-off is scheduled for 5:30 pm with the Varsity to follow.

JV GAME SUMMARY

After losing a close one (47-46) at Penn Wood, Chester "Mercy Ruled" Penn Wood to the tune of 57-26. The Clippers opened with an 18-4 first quarter and never looked back. Germaine Glover led the way with 14 points. Tae'Qwann Naylor and Kristian Chambers also scored in double figures each with 10 points. The other Chester scorers were Shadrach George (7), Jawan Paynter (4), Christian Spann (2), Ra'Shaad Dorsey (6), Tyson Scott (2) and Dante Lee (2). The JV record is now 11-3.

 

Clippers sail pass the Buccaneers

By Terry Thomas

Chester continued its domination of the Interboro Buccaneers with an 82-34 win in Glenolden. The Clippers are now 14-1 overall with a 13-game win streak and sitting atop Del Val with a 4-0 record. Jaseir Thompson led three Clippers in double figures with 15 points. Dante Atkinson finished with 14 and Andre Brown added 13 points.

Chester opened the contest with a 10-0 run. The Bucs scored three and the Clippers responded with a 17-0 outburst. Chester ended the first quarter ahead 29-7. Atkinson scored 11 including three treys, Jaseir dropped in 8 with 1 trey and Dallas chimed in with 5 also adding a trey. Dominic Toy and Calvin Williams finished the scoring with 3 and 2 points respectively.

The Clippers started their second unit in the second quarter and continued to increase their lead. They led 47-21 into intermission. Andre Brown led the way with 9 points followed by four points from Germaine Glover. Daron and Jalen Harris each picked up three fouls in the second quarter forcing Coach Taylor's hand in putting Dallas and Jasier back into the game. Dallas added a basket and Jaseir ended the quarter with his second trey of the night.

The Bucs scored first to open the third quarter and the Clippers answered back with an old-fashioned three-point play from Dominic Toy. On their next possession, Toy fed Atkinson in the corner for a trey giving Chester a 53-23 lead at 6:45 thus invoking the Mercy Rule. Chester outscored their opponents 15-10 in the quarter taking a 62-31 lead into the final eight minutes of play. Toy finished the quarter with 6 of his nine points and Jaseir dropped in his final 4 points.

With his starters firmly seated on the bench, Coach Taylor used the opportunity to give minutes to the reserve players. With a running clock in the final eight minutes, the team continued to run the offense and defense according to the game play. The result was a 20-point quarter for the Clippers and a miniscule 3 points for the Bucs. Brown, Kristian Chambers and Tyson Scott each scored 4 points. Ra'Shaad Dorsey, Daron Harris, Germaine Glover, and Jalen Harris scored 2 points apiece.

Chester will return home to the Clip Joint on Tuesday, January 23 to face the Penn Wood Patriots. JV tip-off is scheduled for 5:30 pm with the Varsity to follow.

JV GAME SUMMARY

The JV squad set the stage for the Varsity with an easy 65-25 win over Interboro. Chester's JV is now 10-3 on the season. The Clippers held a slight 15-10 lead at the end of the first quarter then went on a 32-5 run in the second quarter. The end result was a 47-15 lead at the intermission thus invoking the Mercy Rule to begin the third quarter. Shadrach George and Germaine Glover led the way with game highs of 10 points.

Chester Scorers: Tae'Qwann Naylor - 2, Jawan Paynter - 2, Kameron Wilson - 2, Christian Spann - 6, Kristian Chambers - 8, Ra'Shaad Dorsey - 9, Nymeer Madison - 2, Hamza Payne - 6, Dante Lee - 8

Clippers Streak Reaches Twelve

By Terry Thomas

Chester (13-1) extended their winning streak to 12 games with a 64-54 win over the William Penn (York) Bearcats at the Clip Joint.

Prior to the start of the game, Coach Cliff Wilson was honored with the renaming of the portion of Barclay Street in front of Chester High School to "Cliff Wilson Way". Coach Wilson brought the first Boys Basketball State Championship to Chester in 1983. Coach Wilson was surrounded by his family, members of the 1983 State Championship Team and his predecessor Juan Baughn. A special moment was held as the only living Chester Head Coaches, Cliff Wilson, Juan Baughn and Keith Taylor Sr, had a Kodak moment at center court. Cliff Wilson amassed 239 wins in his career, Juan Baughn finished with 94 and Keith Taylor Sr is currently guiding the Clipper ship with 123 wins.

Dominic Toy dominated the first quarter scoring 10 of his career high 19 points. Junior Dallas Thompson drained two treys, Dante Atkinson chipped in three points and Calvin Williams added a free throw. The Clippers raced out to a 20-9 lead before the Bearcats scored the final four points of the quarter. Chester led 20-13 when the buzzer sounded. With Toy watching from the sidelines due to foul trouble, the Clippers went cold scoring a mire 7 points thus allowing the Bearcats to close the gap at the intermission. Chester held a narrow 27-26 edge.

The third quarter was a different ball game. The Bearcats took the lead on their first possession and Toy tied the game at 28. York went on a 5-0 run earning their largest lead of the afternoon, 28-33, forcing Chester to call a time-out at the 5:14 mark. Toy answered with a 4-0 run of his own capped with a trey from the top of the key closing the gap to 32-33 with 4:14 to play. Atkinson's trey tied the game at 35 and another Toy basket and Chester was back in front 37-35. The Bearcats recaptured the lead for the final time at 37-38. Daron Harris responded with a bucket giving the Clippers the lead 39-38 with 2:10 to play. A trey from Jaseir Thompson followed by another Toy basket and the lead was up to 44-38 with just over a minute to play in the period. Toy's impact was felt as he scored both inside and outside, scoring 9 of the team's 17 points. Toy finished with 19 pts, 5 rebounds, 4 blocked shots, 3 assists and 2 steals. Chester led 44-40 at the end of the quarter.

The Clippers sailed into the fourth quarter off the wind generated in the third quarter. They pushed out to an 11-5 run and with 4:10 to play Jalen Harris scored giving the Clippers a 55-45 lead. Chester had an answer for whatever York sent their way. With 35 seconds left in the contest Jaseir Thompson stripped his opponent and scored giving Chester a 64-52 lead. Daron Harris was a key contributor in the final eight minutes, scoring 7 of his 9 points. Andre Brown scored his only 5 points in the quarter helping to keep the Bearcats at bay.

The Clippers will return to league action on Monday, January 22 when they travel to Glenolden to take on the Interboro Bucs.

JV GAME SUMMARY

Chester won their fifth straight pushing their record to 9-3 with a 64-57 win over York. Kristian Chambers and Germaine Glover led the way with 16 and 14 points respectively. The Clippers led 46-27 at the end of the third quarter and put the game on cruise control. With the bench starting and playing against the York starters, the game became very interesting in the final quarter. Chester called in the calvary (the starters) to close out the game and secure the win. Ten of the eleven Clippers that saw action put their names in the scoring column.

FRESHMAN GAME SUMMARY

Chester fell a little short against York, 39-50, in the first game of the afternoon's triple-header. Chester trailed by 13 at the half, 27-14, but fought back to close the gap to 10 at the end of the third quarter, 35-25. Zane Thomas finished with a team high of 14 points. The other Chester scorers were Quann Starkey (7), Jabree Davis (9), Julian Clark (1) and Vanel Melendez (8).

Chester Holds Off Chichester

By Terry Thomas

Chester's win streak reaches 11 games with a 47-46 win over the visiting Chichester Eagles. The Clippers are now 12-1 overall and sit atop Del Val at 3-0. Dante Atkinson's two free throws with 37.9 seconds left in the game gave the Clippers their margin of victory. Atkinson finished with 11 points. The Eagles had no answer for Chester's big-man, Dominic Toy, who finished with a team high 16 points, 13 rebounds, 5 blocked shots, 3 assists and 2 steals.

Emotions were high for this game from the jump. Chichester was visiting the Clip Joint for the first time since winning their first Del Val Championship on this floor last season. They were also riding high because their head coach, Clyde Jones, had just celebrated win #400 in his career. Chester on the other hand was looking for payback. The atmosphere was electric, and you could feel it on each and every possession.

Neither team could find their mark from long distance, as points off transition was key in the first quarter. Chester's inside presence of Dominic Toy and Calvin Williams combined for 6 of their 8 first quarter points. The Clippers trailed 8-12 at the end of the quarter.

In the second quarter, Chester scored on their first two possessions as Toy's two-handed dunk tied the game at 12 at the 7:00 mark. While Chester stepped up their game defensively in the second quarter limiting the Eagles to a mire 5 points, their offense was MIA. The Eagles held a slim 12-15 lead with 3 minutes to play. Calvin Williams scored at 2:47 getting the Clipper close at 14-15. Chester regained the lead, 16-15, on a basket from Atkison with 1:20 on the clock. Chichester answered with a bucket and Chester trailed 16-17 at the intermission.

Chester scored on the opening possession in the fourth quarter regaining the lead 18-17. The Clippers enjoyed their biggest margin of the quarter at 7 points, 33-26, with three minutes on the clock. Chichester's Carlton Gordy got hot in the third quarter where he scored 14 of the team's 18 points. His hot hand allowed the Eagles to tie the contest at 35 with less than 10 seconds left in the quarter. Senior Andre Brown hit 1 of 2 free throws with 0:00.5 on the clock giving them a 36-35 lead at the end of the quarter. While the Eagles were dependent on Gordy, Chester on the other hand continued to use the team approach where six played participated in their 20-point production. Toy led the charge with 8 points, followed by Atkinson's 5 points, three points from Jaseir Thompson, two points from Calvin Williams and one apiece from Andre Brown and Dallas Thompson.

The final eight minutes were a roller-coaster of emotions as the team battled through three ties and six lead changes. With three minutes left in the contest Chester trailed 41-44. Dallas Thompson scored a lay-up drawing within 43-44 with 1:29 to play. After a steal and a missed shot from Atkison, Toy converted his steal into two points giving Chester a 45-44 lead with about 1 minutes on the clock. The Eagles recaptured the lead 45-46 and the Clippers responded after Williams hauled in a crucial defensive rebound leading to the two free throws from Atkinson at the 37.9 mark.

The Clippers strapped in defensively forcing the Eagles to use the final two time-outs during this possession. Their last time-out came with 0:04.5 left on the clock, of course still trailing 47-46. During their last possess, Toy recorded his fifth blocked shot and Chester having fouls to give strategically used them taking time off the clock. As the Eagles inbounded the ball, Chester had a lock on Gordy, so Chichester was forced to find another option. The Clippers challenged each ball handler, and the Eagles were forced to take a contested shot that did not find the bottom of the basket.

The Clippers will put their win streak on the line on Saturday, January 20, when the William Penn (York) Bearcats visit the Clip Joint. There will be a triple header with the Freshman team opening in the afternoon at 12:00, followed by the JV and then the Varsity.

JV GAME SUMMARY

Chester used a balanced attack to pull away from Chichester, 41-27, improving to 8-3 on the season. While no Clipper reached the double figure mark, eight members of the team reached the scoring column. After taking a 10-8 lead after the first quarter, Chester held Chichester scoreless until the last play of the quarter. Chester outscored Chichester, 9-2, to take a 19-10 lead into intermission.

Chester Scorers: Tae'Qwann Naylor - 2, Shadrach George - 4, Kameron Wilson - 3, Kristian Chambers - 9, Ra'Shaad Dorsey - 9, Nyrell Pray - 3, Tyson Scott - 4, Germaine Glover - 7.

Chester Squashes the Newark Yellowjackets

By Terry Thomas

Junior Jaseir Thompson led the Clippers with a career high 17 points as Chester pushed their winning streak to 10 games squashing the Newark Yellowjackets, 68-31. With the win, Chester moves to 11-1 on the season. The Clippers raced out to an 18-0 lead and never looked back. Six Clippers participated in the ambush of the Yellowjackets. Dante Atkinson scored the first 4 points, Jaseir scored the next 4 points, Dallas Thompson added 2, followed by Daron Harris with a pair. Senior Dominic Toy went to the line and hit 3 of 4 free throws and Andre Brown chipped in a free throw and a basket off a steal from Daron Harris. After the Yellowjackets scored on their next two possessions, Vincent Coleman connected on 1 of 2 free throws and Jalen Harris scored off a steal and assist from his brother Daron. Chester led 21-8 at the end of the quarter.

The second quarter opened with the Yellowjackets scoring first and eventually closed the gap to 24-13 with 4:30 to play and that would be as close as they would get for the remainder of the contest. Chester closed the quarter with a 21-0 run. Jaseir led the 21-point outburst with 13 points with Dante Atkinson and Jalen Harris each contributing four points. Chester led 45-13 at the intermission.

With Chester leading 49-17 in the third quarter, Dominic Toy hit a free throw and on Newark's next possession, junior Dallas Thompson stole and pass which led to a rim-rattling dunk from Toy invoking the Mercy Rule with the score 52-17 and 4:55 on the clock. Toy finished the quarter with 5 points and 8 points for the game. The Clippers held the Yellowjackets to 9 points in the quarter and led 57-22 at the end of the quarter.

Juniors Ra'Shaad Dorsey and Kristian Chambers scored 7 and 4 points respectively as Chester outscored Newark 11-9 in the final eight minutes. Chester finished the contest with a season high of 17 steals in the contest.

Chester will return to league play on Thursday, January 18, when the Chichester Eagles visit the Clip Joint. The JV will tip-off at 5:30 pm with the Varsity to follow.

JV GAME SUMMARY

The JV team set the stage for the Varsity with a convincing 62-35 win over the Newark Yellowjackets. Kristian Chambers and Germaine Glover led thirteen Clippers with co-game highs of 10 points. Chester led 15-4 at the end of the first quarter and used a 22-13 third quarter to secure the win. They finished the contest with a 15-6 fourth quarter.

Chester's Scoring: Tae'Qwann Naylor - 3, Shadrach George - 1, Jawan Paynter - 2, Kameron Wilson - 5, Christian Spann - 2, Ra'Shaad Dorsey - 7, Nyrell Pray - 7, Dominique Gilyard - 4, Nymeer Madison - 6, Hamza Payne - 2, Jaylon Bantum - 3. 

Chester wins Thriller in MLK Jr Showcase

By Terry Thomas

The Chester Clippers (10-1) extended their win streak to 9 games with a thrilling 63-55 overtime victory over the Bishop Shanahan Eagles. The Eagles were coming off a 59-57 upset over West Chester Henderson (12-2) who are ranked #1 in the District-1 6A Power Rankings. The Chester game was part of the Martin Luther King Jr Showcase held on the campus of Octorara High School. Senior Dominic Toy earned team MVP honors with season highs of 16 points and 9 rebounds.

With the victory, Coach Keith E. Taylor Sr earned win #120 and moved into 6th place on the Chester Boys Basketball Coaches Win List. He passed Ray McLaughlin who won 119 games during his tenure as Head Coach. Bishop Shanahan shares history for Coach Taylor. After defeating the Eagles on February 26, 2022 in the District-1 5A Semi-Finals, the win moved Coach Taylor into a tie for 7th place on Chester Coaches Win List.

The first quarter was a back-and-forth affair with two ties and three lead changes. Dominic Toy and Jaseir Thompson led the way for the Clippers with 5 points apiece. Dallas Thompson and Dante Atkinson each scored a bucket and Chester led 14-12 with the quarter ended. The second quarter was similar to the first except this time there were two ties and four lead changes. The Clippers used five players for their 12 points in the second quarter. Jaseir (Thompson) and Atkinson each dropped a trey while Dallas (Thompson), Vincent Coleman and Jalen Harris each contributed a basket. Chester led 26-24 at the intermission.

The closely contested affair continued in the third quarter. There were four ties and four lead changes. The biggest margin was four points for Chester and two points for Bishop Shanahan. Dominic Toy was the force for Chester with 6 points in the quarter. Atkinson contributed 4, Jaseir added 2 and Dallas and Calvin Williams each scored one point. Chester led 40-37 at the end of the quarter.

Chester held a four-point margin, 45-41, with 4:32 left in the fourth quarter. The Eagles fought back to tie the score at 45 with 3:02 to play. Dallas hit a three with 2:45 on the clock - 48-45. Bishop Shanahan tied the score at 48. Calvin Williams recorded one of his offensive rebounds and passed to Atkinson for a bucket giving Chester the lead 50-48 with about 1:45 to play. The Eagles knotted the game at 50 on their next possession. After a Chester turnover with 1:00 to play, Calvin Williams stole a pass and the Clippers were setting up for a winning play. The Eagles had other plans and blocked the attempted shot by Atkinson to send the game in overtime.

The overtime was all Chester. The Clippers steamed ahead with a 6-0 run for a 56-50 lead with 2:02 to play. Toy had a basket sandwiched between buckets from Atkinson. After the Eagles scored, Dominic Toy had an old-fashioned three-point play off a two-handed dunk. Chester now led 59-52 with 1:22 on the clock. The remainder of the contest was a march to the free throw line for both teams. Atkinson scored 6 points in overtime followed by Toy (5) and Dallas Thompson (2).

Chester had four players in double figures led by Dante Atkinson (17), Dominic Toy (16) and Dallas Thompson with 10 points. Jaseir Thompson had a career high 6 rebounds to go along with his 13 points, 3 assists and 1 steal.

The Clippers will return to Del Val League action on Tuesday, January 16, when they travel to Glenolden to take on the Interboro Bucs. The JV will tip-off at 5:30 with the Varsity to follow.

Chester wins against Academy Park

By Terry Thomas

The Clippers won over the visiting Academy Park Knights, defeating them 76-51. With the win, Chester improves to 9-1 overall and 2-0 in league play and maintains their 8-game winning streak.

Andre Brown and Dallas Thompson led thirteen Clippers in the scoring column with 14 and 13 points respectively. Dallas led the charge in the first quarter with 9 points as the Clippers jumped out to an 18-9 lead. Calvin Williams scored all 4 of his points in the opening stanza. Dante Atkinson scored a trey and Dominic Toy dropped in a bucket to complete Chester's scoring.

In the second quarter, Chester opened with a 6-2 run pushing the score to 24-11 with 5:45 to play. The Knights stopped the run with a trey pulling to within 10, 24-14; Chester answered back with a 13-0 run capped by an offensive put-back from Daron Harris at the 1:00 mark giving the Clippers a 37-14 lead. Chester had a mental lapse over the next couple possessions allowing the Knights to score on consecutive possessions. Chester took a 39-18 lead into intermission. Andre Brown and Daron Harris had the helm in the second quarter with 7 points apiece. Junior Germaine Glover came off the bench to score 4 points, Vincent Coleman added a bucket and Toy went 1 of 2 from the charity stripe.

With the starter back on the court to begin the third quarter, they responded with a 13-4 outburst thus invoking the Mercy Rule with 4:05 to play. The deciding bucket came off a steal from Dante Atkinson and the ball ending in the hands of Dallas Thompson who scored, giving the Clippers a 52-22 lead. Academy Park called for a time-out and Coach Taylor called an end to the night for the starting five. At this point, the starting five had accounted for 31 of the team's 52 points. Dallas Thompson (13), Jaseir Thompson (3), Dominic Toy (7), Dante Atkinson (5) and Calvin Williams (4). The reserves matched the Knights scoring the remainder of the quarter ending it at 62-32.

The Clippers second unit played the first 1:49 of the fourth quarter and after a trey from Jalen Harris and a bucket from Andre Brown, led 67-34, they were pulled with 6:11 left in the contest. Kristian Chambers scored 5 points, Ra'Shaad Dorsey hit a trey and Tyson Scott connected on 1 of 2 free throws for Chester's final points.

With limited minutes, Jaseir Thompson and Daron Harris recorded season highs of 3 assists and 9 rebounds respectively.

The Clippers will be off until Saturday, January 13 when they travel to Octorara High School to participate in the Martin L. King Jr Showcase. They will take on Bishop Shanahan with a 1:00 pm tip-off. Their next home game will be Thursday, January 18, when the Chichester Eagles visit the Clip Joint.

JV GAME SUMMARY

Chester improved to 6-3 on the season with a 59-14 victory over the Academy Park Knights. Kristian Chambers and Ra'Shaad Dorsey led the way with 11 and 10 points respectively. Chester led 47-13 at halftime thus invoking the Mercy Rule at the start of the third quarter. Chester had eleven players in the scoring column: Tae'Qwann Naylor (4), Shadrach George (6), Kameron Wilson (6), Nyrell Pray (7), Dominique Gilyard (2), Tyson Scott (6), Germaine Glover (1), Nymeer Madison (4), Dante Lee (2).

The game was stopped in the third quarter with 2:32 to play as Academy Park's Hafize Sherif required serious medical attention. At the conclusion of the Varsity game, we had received word the young man was doing okay and should be released from the hospital later this evening. Our thoughts and prayers go out to the young man and his family.

Chester Wins a Thriller

By Terry Thomas

Sophomore Jalen Harris hits a baseline floater with 2.3 seconds on the clock giving the Clippers (8-1) a 65-64 victory over the visiting Constitution (8-3) Generals. The contest was the final game of the Inaugural New Year's Classic held at Chester High School. Earlier in the afternoon, the Lady Clippers hosted the Executive Chart Raptors with Executive Charter winning the JV contest and Chester won the Varsity game. The Clippers boys won the JV and Varsity games against Constitution.

In typical Chester vs Philadelphia fashion, the game was very fast paced and aggressive from the beginning. Junior Dominic Toy opened the contest with a put-back and capped Chester's 11-3 run with a trey at the 3:23 mark. Junior Dallas Thompson and senior Dante Atkinson each contributed 3 points during the run. Dallas Thompson dropped another trey at with 1:20 to play that stopped a 7-0 Constitution run giving the Clippers a 14-10 advantage. A bucket from senior Calvin Williams gave Chester a 16-13 lead at the end of the quarter.

The second quarter began with the Constitution coming from behind to tie the game at 19 with 6 minutes to play. Jalen Harris knocked down a trey giving Chester a 22-19 lead with 5:40 to play igniting an 11-0 run that was capped with his brother Daron scoring at the 2:10 mark and Chester ahead 30-19. After the Generals stopped the run, Daron answered with another bucket and Chester went into intermission ahead 32-22. During Chester's 16-point outburst, they were led by Jalen with 5 points, Daron (4), Calvin Williams (3) and junior Jaseir Thompson and Atkinson each contributed 2 points.

With basketball being a game of runs, it was not surprising that the General would make a run as the third quarter began. After back-to-back treys from Atkinson, the Clippers were now ahead 40-32 with 5:38 to play. The Generals closed to within 40-38 before Dallas Thompson sparked his own 8-0 run beginning with a trey at the 2:45 mark and ending with a mid-range jumper with 1:28 left in the quarter. At this point, the officials began a parade to the Constitution free throw line where they scored 9 of their next 11 points. The quarter ended with Chester ahead 50-49. In the third quarter, the General were 13 of 15 from the free throw line while the Clippers were 3 of 4.

The fourth quarter began, and it was clear the direction this game was taking. Fortunately for the Clippers, fatigue was setting in on the legs of the Generals and they were unable to continue their proficiency from the free throw line. Once again, they were paraded to the free throw line for 15 attempts but were only able to connect on 8. For Chester, Jalen started the fourth with a trey, but the Generals were able to tie the score at 53 with 6:30 to play and continued their run taking a 57-53 lead. Calvin Williams scored the next four points for Chester, tying the score at 57 and Jalen scored once again giving Chester a 59-57 lead with 4:25 to play. After the Generals tied the score at 59, Chester score inched ahead 63-61 with 1:06 to play after a free throw from Jalen Harris. Constitution came through with a big-time trey with 43.8 seconds left in the contest taking a 64-63 lead. On Chester's next possession a mid-range jumper from Dante Atkinson rimmed out and into the hands of the Generals with 25 seconds on the clock. Jalen Harris hauled in his career high rebound #8 on the General's missed shot as the ball crossed half court the Clippers called for a timeout with 9.5 seconds to go.

Coming out of the time-out, the ball ended up in Jalen's hands and as he drove the baseline the defender stepped in, and Jalen lofted his floater that found nothing but the bottom of the net. Chester led 65-64 and the horn sounded, and the fans began to rush the court. However, the referees came to the table and told the clock operator to put 2.3 seconds back on the clock and awarded Constitution a time-out. After getting a look at the defense the Clippers were unfolding, the Generals called for back-to-back (their final) time-out. With the ball being taken out under the Chester basket, Chester put big Dominic Toy on the in-bounder which did not allow for a clean pass the length of the court. Once receiving the ball, the opposition was forced to make a long throw which fell short, and the crowd rushed to the floor.

Chester finished the contest with four players in double figures, three establishing new career highs including Dallas Thompson with 16, Calvin Williams with 14 and Jalen Harris with 13. Dante Atkinson finished with 11 points. Both Dallas and Dante fouled out of the contest in the fourth quarter. Jalen also finished the contest with 2 blocked shots, 1 assist and 1 steal. Calvin Williams was awarded game MVP finishing with 8 rebounds and 2 blocked shots.

The Clippers will return to league play on Tuesday, January 9, with the Academy Park Knights visit the Clip Joint. The JV will tip off at 5:30 pm with the Varsity to follow.

Clippers Breeze Past the Patriots

By Terry Thomas

In Del Val League action, Chester (7-1, 1-0) overcame a sluggish first quarter for a 59-50 victory over the host Penn Wood (5-6, 0-1) Patriots. The Patriots fueled by the packed "Shoe Box on Essex Ave" jumped out to a 13-0 lead before Dante Atkinson stopped the bleeding with a trey at the 3:20 mark. Atkinson connected on two free throws and Jalen Harris scored off a steal from his brother Daron. Chester trailed 7-15 at the end of the quarter.

The Clippers carried the momentum into the second quarter. Junior Dallas Thompson capped a 13-2 run with a trey at the 3:40 mark giving Chester the lead 20-17. Senior Andre Brown started the run with a trey followed by two foul shots. Sophomore Daron Harris converted an offensive rebound into two points and junior Jaseir Thompson added a triple of his own. After the Patriots tied the score at 20 with a trey; Dallas Thompson added 3 more points and senior Vincent Coleman came off the bench for a bucket giving the Clippers a 25-22 advantage at the intermission. Chester's defense held Penn Wood to a 7-point quarter.

Chester started the third quarter with a trey from Atkinson and after exchanging baskets used a trey from Brown to gain a little breathing room at 34-28 with four minutes to play. On Chester next possession, Brown found his mark once again, 37-28. Daron Harris put-back on a missed Dominic Toy shot stretched the lead to 39-28 followed by two Atkinson free throws, 41-28 with 2:20 to play. Atkinson finished the quarter with a 4-point play securing the 45-31 lead. While the Patriots were limited to 9 third quarter points; Dante Atkinson finished with quarter with 10 of his game high 19 points. Andre Brown dropped in 6 of his seasons high 11 points.

With the game in their hands, Chester took a more conservative approach with each possession using the clock as their friend. While the Patriots started to find their mark, every time they got within 8 points the Clippers responded with a basket pushing the lead back to 10 points. Sophomore Jalen Harris added 4 of his 6 points, Atkinson added 4 more and Dallas Thompson, Jaseir Thompson and Calvin Williams each contributed 2 points to hold the Patriots at bay.

Dallas Thompson finished with a career high of 5 assists to go along with 8 points, 3 rebounds and 1 steal. While plagued with foul trouble, Dominic Toy made his presence felt on the boards with a team high 8 rebounds. Daron Harris matched his career high of 6 rebounds and recorded 3 steals. The team had a season high of 8, made three-pointers.

The Clippers will return to action on Saturday, January 6 when they host Constitution of the Philadelphia Public League in the 1st Annual New Year Classic. Four games are scheduled; the Lady Clippers vs Executive Charter (JV tip off at 1:00 with the Varsity to follow at 2:00), the boys JV will face off against Constitution at 3:30 pm with the Varsity to follow at 5:00 pm.

JV GAME SUMMARY

The Clippers fell short in their comeback bid, 47-46, to the Penn Wood Patriots. Trailing by 9 points entering the fourth quarter, Chester put up an outstanding effort, outscoring the host 14-6. Ra'Shaad Dorsey lead the way with 10 of his game high 17 points. Trailing 46-47 with seconds left on the clock, the Clippers missed on two shots in the paint that could have game them the win. Dominique Gilyard and Nymeer Madison each scored two points in that final quarter. Nyrell Pray scored all 8 of his points in the first half.