Clean Finish: Asparagus helps Rustin hold off Glen Mills

By Jeff Kerr
For Digital First Media
@JeffKerr247 on Twitter
WESTTOWN >> Taj Asparagus wanted to make sure things didn’t get out of hand for West Chester Rustin.
The Golden Knights saw what was once a 14-point lead evaporate quickly against Glen Mills in the fourth quarter, which was caused by four straight turnovers.
With Rustin clinging to a two-point lead, it was up to Asparagus to stop the bleeding, as Rustin pulled away late for a 57-50 victory over No. 12 Glen Mills in a District 1 Class 5A first-round game Tuesday.

“The only thing going on in my mind was ‘We got to stay sharp, stay clean, no turnovers,’” Asparagus said. “We had to keep the pressure going since we were getting a lot of layups off of that.”
Asparagus took his own advice with three layups of his own in the fourth quarter, scoring seven of his 16 points in the final frame as No. 5 Rustin finished off the Bulls. Once Glen Mills cut the deficit to 43-41 on a steal and finish by Wayna Smith, Asparagus responded with a jumper to put Rustin up 45-41 with 4:03 remaining.
Myron Sanders respond with a layup of his own to cut the deficit back to two. After Brandon Frazier hit 1-of-2 at the line to make it a three-point lead, Asparagus stole the ball to Glen Mills’s ensuing possession and went crosscourt for an easy layup to put Rustin ahead 48-43 3:10 to play.
Cooper hit a layup to cut Rustin’s lead to 50-47 with 1:41 to play, but Asparagus took advantage of a one-on-one matchup on the Golden Knights next possession for a drive and finish to put Rustin up 52-47 with 1:15 left.
That was all Rustin needed to take control of the game as a turnover by Kenyon Cooper in the final minute sealed Glen Mills’s fate.
Frazier hit a pair of free throws to put Rustin up 55-48 with 29.1 seconds left, sealing the victory. He led the Golden Knights with a game-high 23 points.
With Glen Mills focusing on containing Jake Nelson in the paint, that left Frazier and

Asparagus with some space on the perimeter to penetrate the lane. They weren’t backing down on that opportunity.
“We would have a man come over and have an open pass, which made the lane always open for us,” Frazier said. “Even if another man came over, we were able to find the open shot. That’s what got us through.”
“Jake (Nelson) did a great job with deferring the shot and passing out,” said Rustin head coach Keith Cochran. “I told the guys it’s the playoffs, everybody’s night can be different. It all depends on what the defense runs and how you set up for it. We did a great job following the gameplan.”
Rustin will face the winner of No. 4 Bishop Shanahan and No. 13 Academy Park, which will be played tonight at 7 p.m. Tuesday’s win provided great experience for a young Rustin team, one that is one victory away from the state playoffs.
“It’s good to get a win,” Cochran said. “We have a lot of sophomores that you can count on day in and day out to help you win ballgames. Those guys have done a magnificent job over the course of the year.”