Not-so gentle reminders push Chester to win

CHESTER — Outside the Fred J. Pickett Jr. Memorial Gym, they had loaded up a trophy case with each of their eight state-championship trophies. Inside the gym, they hung banners to represent all of those titles.

In case these youthful Clippers hadn’t noticed, they were being reminded here, there and everywhere — and not so subtly — of their program’s illustrious past.

“Every day,’ sophomore forward Jamar Sudan said, referring to Chester coach Larry Yarbray, “He reminds us every day.’

Chester eased into its up-tempo pace against Hatboro-Horsham, before routing the visiting Hatters, 56-35, in Friday night’s district opener. In doing so, the Clippers extended a piece of that history. They have won 69 consecutive district-playoff games at the Clip Joint, dating to the 1980-81 season. They also stretched their streak of opening-round, district-tournament wins to 35 years.

Those streaks began nearly two decades before even Chester’s oldest players were born, which means Chester High’s gym is steeped in playoff lore. And yet…

“We were looking forward to playing here,’ Hatboro-Horsham coach Ed Enoch said. “(The Clippers) had a lot to do with how bad we played. I’m not disappointed in my kids. It’s not often we get to play a team of their caliber. They play hard. I admire how hard they play. That’s heart.’

Sudan finished with 22 points, 11 rebounds and three blocked shots. Guard Keyonte Watkins, the team’s lone senior, had 11 points, five steals and four assists, and guard Marquis Collins paired 12 points with eight boards for Chester.

Hatboro-Horsham, which shot only 13-for-41 from the field, got a 12-point effort from guard Walter Kimble, while Brian McEachern chipped in with five points, five rebounds and four steals.

The 11th-seeded Clippers (14-9), who visit sixth-seeded Abington in Tuesday’s second round, needed an eight-minute buffer before settling in. (“It’s hard to get into your press when you miss shots,’ Yarbray said.) Once the first quarter had expired, with the Clippers clinging to a 14-13 lead, Yarbray’s team had righted its course.

The Clippers shot 5-for-10 in the second quarter, going on a 16-0 run over a 6-minute, 21-second span, to take a 30-19 lead into halftime. Watkins capitalized on Chester’s halfcourt trap with four steals in the opening half.

That’s not always easy to predict, Watkins said.

“In practice, people go through the motions. In games, people think teams are going to lay down for us because we’re Chester,’ Watkins said. “The hardest thing is getting this team to come together and building. That’s hard to do when you’re a young team. Guys don’t come with heart like some of the older Chester teams did.

“But we’re getting there. I can feel it.’

After the break, Chester reeled off 13 unanswered points in a nearly five-minute span to put the game away.

That’s not to say Hatboro-Horsham didn’t put up a fight. The 22nd-seeded Hatters (14-12) punched back, stringing together three consecutive buckets to open the fourth quarter and prompt Yarbray to use a timeout.

“He didn’t like seeing us just stop playing,’ Sudan said.

Tuesday, the Clippers will go for a little more history. A win would guarantee them a 23rd straight trip to the PIAA tournament.

“This team can win …,’ said Enoch, Hatboro-Horsham’s coach, before trailing off.

“I think we can go to the ‘ship,’ Sudan said.