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.
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