City of Basketball Love

Eugene Rapay (@erapay5)
---

Chester has risen from the depths of the Delaware Valley League, at one point dwelling near the bottom with a 2-5 overall record earlier in the season.

The Clippers haven’t lost a game since 2015. And in the new year, they have looked like a new team.

They carried a five-game winning streak entering Thursday night, a run that started with a win over John Bartram on January 2nd.

Their streak was put to the test as they travelled to play an equally tested opponent. A packed gymnasium was ready to see Academy Park, which also had a five-game winning streak of its own, take on Chester.

Streaks weren’t the only thing on the line. Both teams had yet to lose in league play. Only one team could leave undefeated and have lone possession of first place in the Delaware Valley.

Like the Clippers, the Knights also had their share of early season adversities. Academy Park dropped its first two games to start the season, losing to Strath Haven and Taylor Allderdice.

On one end of the court, Academy Park boasted its star guard Jawan Collins. The senior guard entered Thursday’s game with 1,345 career points, etching his name in Academy Park history as the highest scorer of all-time.

While Academy Park had its star guard, Chester boasted imposing size in the frontcourt that Academy Park couldn’t match and won its sixth consecutive game, 66-59.

“We wanted to continue to attack inside, we had the size,” Chester head coach Larry Yarbray Sr. said of his game plan that helped pave the way to victory. “We wanted to attack the basket and not settle for jump shots.”

The Clippers had size and depth at the front court positions. They had three different players who stood at least 6-7, while Academy Park didn’t have that type of size and length to match.

Sure, the Knights had talented, quick guards to compensate for the lack of brute force upfront, but it would be Chester’s length that set the tone early.

The Clippers zipped across the floor in controlled pandemonium, swarming around the court in an erratic, yet controlled manner to disrupt passing lanes and generate turnovers.

“We’re really small and their length got us early,” Academy Park head coach Allen Brydges said. “We just had a tough time, they got a hand on everything early.”

The Clippers’ defense forced numerous turnovers that they converted into scoring opportunities.

What was supposed to be an exciting game for first place in the league, quickly became a lopsided one in the opening quarter as Chester raced out to an 18-4 lead to start.

Meanwhile, on the opposite end of the court, the Clippers were content with bruising their way inside.

They continued this pace throughout the game, with one adjustment made midway through the second half.

“With the way the referees were calling the game, we couldn’t stay in the press,” Yarbray Sr. said. “We had eight or nine fouls in the third quarter, we had to change up and go with the flow.”

With Chester sagging off of Academy Park’s guards, they were able to get some breathing room, and more importantly some space to work with.

The Knights slowly crept their way back into the game. Shots began to fall, and Academy Park put together a staunch defensive effort in the closing minutes of the game.

Despite strong fourth quarter performances from Collins, who finished with 16 points, and De’Andray Covert’s team-high 21 points and six 3-pointers, the Clippers were able to squash the comeback effort.

Academy Park would bring it as close as four points but could never get the pivotal basket or play to really take over.

Chester did just enough of what it needed to do to preserve the win by sinking the necessary free throws to ice the game, breaking the spirit of Academy Park and its fans.

“We just ran out of time basically because we spotted them too many points early,” Brydges said.

Chester (9-5) now stands alone at the top of the Delaware Valley League, no longer sharing it with Academy Park (8-5) after Thursday night’s game.

“We have to forget about this one for a while, and we’ll be back at them in the coming weeks when we play them again,” Covert said.