Chester keeps its cool, cruises past William Allen in first round of PIAA Class 6A tournament

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EAST NOTTINGHAM — If you were wondering what team was most likely to get frustrated Saturday at Oxford Area High School, it might’ve been the team getting outworked on the offensive boards. It might’ve been the team getting outhustled, out-physicaled and at times left to watch its opponents pogo stick for rebounds near the hoop.

But that isn’t Chester. And even though William Allen by and large had its way on the glass in the PIAA Class 6A first-round boys basketball game, the Clippers didn’t get rattled, converting at the line and walking away when the Canaries’ frustrations boiled over.

Chester pulled away late as William Allen had two starters pick up technicals and foul out late in a 76-63 Clippers victory.

The win moves Chester (23-4) into the Round of 16 against District 12 champ Simon Gratz, which rallied past Garnet Valley Saturday. That game will be Wednesday at a site and time to be determined.

Chester kept its cool, even when William Allen’s Nate Ellis chucked the ball at Chester’s Rahmee Gilbert after an offensive foul in the third quarter. Gilbert tossed it back at him for off-setting technicals, but Chester won the free-throw exchange.

And when William Allen’s leading scorer A’Quele Adderley fouled out on a technical with 4:04 left, the Clippers quietly hit their free throws as he stomped to the bench.

“Maturity, time, we’ve been here,” Gilbert said. “We know how we’ve got to get the job done.”

For most of the game – a scintillating affair that was one of only nine of the 96 PIAA first-round games between 20-win teams – William Allen ruled on the boards. The final edge was 46-31 for the Canaries (23-6).

Adderley (18 points, 12 rebounds) and Quinton Stewart (10 points, 14 rebounds) battled foul trouble to tally double-doubles. But the upshot was a wretched shooting day (23-for-65, 35.4 percent) that offered so much rebounding practice. Yet the Canaries missed a bevy of close shots, which was sure to haunt them on a long ride home.

Couple it with 4-for-16 from 3-point range and the reason for the loss was clear.

Despite their rebounding deficit, Chester’s best offense came from the post. Karell Watkins was driven from tipoff with a game-high 22 points. Even when William Allen switched to the zone to protect Adderley and Stewart’s escalating foul count, the shiftiness of Fareed Burton and Gilbert off the bounce and the superior passing of both Watkins and Akeem Taylor opened slivers of spaces to exploit.

In all, Chester had 14 assists on 29 baskets, but the ratio was much higher before the bevy of blow-bys by Gilbert and company in the fourth quarter against a William Allen defense cheating for offense.

“We always try to play inside out,” Gilbert said. “So when we see them doubling down sometimes, we’re still swinging the ball around the perimeter and eventually we get the ball to them.”

“It’s awesome,” forward Zahmir Carroll said. “We go over it in practice all the time, driving and kicking, looking down to dump it down to the bigs.”

Watkins was 9-for-17 from the field. While he grabbed only six rebounds, he added four assists, two blocks and two steals, forcing 16 William Allen turnovers. Burton added 15 points, six rebounds and five assists, and Gilbert had 14 points. Carroll added 10 points, six in the fourth.

Chester made its big move in the second quarter, rattling off 28 points in the frame, including the final seven before halftime to take a 40-33 lead. More astounding is the fact that the Clips did it with Carroll and Taylor sitting with two fouls each. They fed the post often with Watkins scoring nine in the quarter. Burton added seven, and Faheem Berry stepped off the bench to bury a pair of 3-pointers. Chester’s main rotation of six players was a combined 3-for-5 from 3-point range.

“A lot of players, they know they’ve got to step up now,” Gilbert said. “We’ve been practicing, letting them get more time. Everybody is ready to play.”

William Allen threatened to creep back in, getting within four at 49-45 midway through the third quarter. But Chester scored six of the final eight points of the frame, repelling a couple of possessions where William Allen had three and four shot opportunities without scoring.

A 3-pointer by Joshua Carrion inched Allen within 57-54 with 6:05 left. But after a timeout, Chester went on a 7-0 run, keyed by a pair of Watkins blocks denying multi-chance possessions. By the time Adderley was disqualified, Allen’s fight back was just about done, just as the Clippers hoped they would wear them down mentally.

“We knew it early,” Gilbert said. “We knew we were going to get to them. It’s part of the game.”

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Matthew De George

Matthew De George
Matthew De George is the Asst. Sports Editor and the lead Union writer for The Daily Times.

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