By Neil Geoghegan
ngeoghegan@21st-centurymedia.com
@NeilMGeoghegan on Twitter
CALN >> Coatesville has captured an incredible 46 all-time Ches-Mont boys’ basketball championships dating back to 1952. But the last time the Red Raiders got it done was in 2020, which is quite a gap for a program that’s won 65 percent of all league crowns.
The 2023-24 squad is in the thick of the Ches-Mont National race again this winter, and entered Thursday’s action in a tie for first place with West Chester Henderson. And Coatesville kept pace with a 63-52 home triumph over Downingtown West that included a turnover-fueled third quarter rally.
“We don’t want to talk about (the Ches-Mont drought) and jinx it,” said Raiders’ head coach John Allen. “We talk to the team about every championship, and we want to win every one possible.
“Every possession means something in our league. Our guys are doing a good job of play through every possession. We know the competition is tough and we don’t take anybody lightly.”
Thanks to a 14-point win at West in mid-December, Coatesville has now swept the regular season series. The Raiders are 5-1 in the National Division (10-4 overall) and are currently ranked in the top-10 of the District 1 6A Power Rankings.
“Since 2020 is quite a while ago,” said 6-foot-3 senior Dior Kennedy. “We’ve talked about it. I would love to change that – I’m hungry for that. And I think we have the team to do it.
“We worked hard all summer together. We were here with coach Allen at 5-6 in the morning, so we are ready.”
It was the second setback in a row for the Whippets, who fall to 3-3 in the division, 7-8 overall.
“Nothing against Coatesville – they are a good team that does what they do very well,” said West head coach Stu Ross. “But tonight it was about us. We have to find ways to be consistent night in and night out. That’s what you have to do when you play in environments like this.”
The Whippets did a nice job staying within single digits early in the second half. But the Raiders’ full-court pressure defense forced eight turnovers in the third quarter, and it spearheaded an 11-0 surge that quickly upped the margin to 50-30.
“Pressure wears on everybody,” Allen said. “We want to pressure teams – that’s how we play. Fortunately, we were able to turn (West) over in the third quarter.”
West finished strong even though Ross took out his starters midway through the final period while trailing by 18.
“At this point of the season the guys can’t make any excuses anymore,” Ross said. “We have to be ready to play.
“We are on to the next game. We have Henderson on Saturday and that’s another big opportunity for us. We can’t afford to dwell on this for too long.”
The Raiders actually started cold, going 0-for-6 from the field to start, but quickly warmed up. By the end of the first quarter, Coatesville was shooting 7-15 and already had a 22-15 lead.
And when senior Frank Miles and Kennedy knocked down back-to-back 3-pointers in the second, it sparked an 8-0 run and the Raiders took a 36-26 lead into the intermission.
“It’s all about team,” Allen said. “We did an excellent job all game long following the game plan.
“Our kids are resilient. They’ve been dealing with me yelling at them for two years. No matter what happens, they fight and play through everything.”
Kennedy led all scorers with 22, and senior point guard Zuri Harris scored nine of his 11 points in the first quarter for the Raiders. In all, Coatesville forced 18 turnovers.
“When we force turnovers, that helps us score – we get a lot of transition points,” Kennedy said. “All of our coaches preach that pressure breaks pipes.”
Just five days after pouring in 34 points (in a 69-64 loss against Central York), junior forward Donovan Fromhartz paced the Whippets with 13 points, while freshman guard Isiah Hicklen and senior Jase Lasher chipped in 12 and 10 points, respectively.
“We are a unique team where we have eight seniors, but we also have some young guys who play key minutes,” Ross pointed out.
“I think we are making strides and growing. Every team wants to be playing its best basketball at the end of January and into February. I think we can still surprise some people down the stretch.”
Coatesville 63, Downingtown West 52
DOWNINGTOWN WEST – Hicklen 4 2-2 12; Lewis 1 0-0 2; Moore 1 0-0 2; Lasher 2 4-4 10; Barker 1 0-0 2; Fromhartz 3 6-8 13; Raines 1 0-1 2; Staz 2 2-2 6; Crichley 1 0-0 3. Totals 17 14-16 52.
COATESVILLE – Harris 3 3-5 11; Kennedy 8 5-8 22; Peoples 2 0-0 5; Brown 1 3-4 5; Shockley 3 2-2 8; Miles 1 0-0 3; W. Fowlkes 0 1-2 1; A. Fowlkes 2 2-3 6; Van Orden 1 0-0 2. Totals 21 16-24 63.
Downingtown West 15 11 6 20 — 52
Coatesville 22 14 14 13 — 63
3 pointers: Hicklen 2, Lasher 2, Fromhartz, Crichley, Harris 2, Kennedy, Peoples, Miles.
