By Scott Huff
Chester or Plymouth Whitemarsh? Or should it be Plymouth Whitemarsh or Chester?Chester has been one of the elite programs in the entire state of Pennsylvania for decades, but Plymouth Whitemarsh has created quite a legacy of its own the last three seasons. How about three consecutive trips to the PIAA Quad-A Final Four for the defending state champions?
A pretty darn impressive resume.
And that resume will be on display Wednesday at 8 pm at St. Joseph’s University when PW and Chester meet for a chance to go to State College and compete for the state title on Saturday.
“We go into this game with Chester with the ultimate respect for their program - I have always said that they have the best basketball program in the State of the Pennsylvania,” said Plymouth Whitmarsh head coach Jim Donofrio. “But we certainly won’t go into this game wide-eyed. We are a team that is defending a state championship, and they are a team that has the history of winning state championships. Which team is going to be hungrier?“Both teams can play the game well at a fast pace, and this should be a great Eastern Final to watch from a fan’s perspective,” added Donofrio. “I love that fact that we are playing the game at St. Joe’s. The building is a perfect size for a game like this. The crowd can get into it, and it should be a great environment for our players.
“Our seniors - Jaylen Bond, Sam Pygatt, and Stephon Baker – know what it is like to compete at the highest level of high school basketball,” continued Donofrio. “We competed – and won – at the (Penn State’s) Bryce Jordan Center last year. We need to take advantage of that experience and fight that got us a state title.
“Both Chester and us play the game with a lot of pride and passion,” added Donofrio. “It could come down to a great game of tug-of-war. It should be a great basketball game. Fans should come early and get a good seat.”
Plymouth Whitemarh Colonials [1-3] vs. Chester Clippers [1-1]
Wednesday – March 23, 2011
@ Michael J. Hagan Arena - St. Joseph’s University – 8 pm
Tale Of The Tape:
Records: Chester – 29-1.
Plymouth Whitemarsh – 25-5.
MaXpreps State Rankings:
Chester - # 1
Plymouth Whitemarsh - # 2
Offensive Scoring Average:
Chester – 75.8.
Plymouth Whitemarsh – 63.0
Defensive Scoring Average:
Chester – 51.9
Plymouth Whitemarsh – 45.4
Common Opponents:
Neshaminy: Chester defeated the Skins 77-67, while PW defeated the Skins 67-61 and lost to Neshaminy 64-57.
Norristown: Chester defeated the Eagles 67-58, while PW defeated the Eagles twice – 59-49 & 60-37.
Sanford (Delaware): Chester lost to Sanford 62-57, while PW defeated Sanford 53-52.
Interboro: Chester defeated Interboro twice 98-37 & 72-35, while PW defeated Interboro 78-42.
West Chester Rustin: Chester defeated WCR 75-56, while PW defeated WCR 63-47.
Council Rock North: Chester defeated CR North 66-43, while CR North defeated PW 58-50.
Last Game:
Chester [1-1] earned its invite to the PIAA Quad-A Final Four dance with a 68-50 victory over La Salle [12-2]. The running Clippers broke open a competitive 37-30 contest with the Explorers after three periods and scored 31 points in the final period to secure the win. Maurice Nelson – brother of Orlando Magic guard Jameer Nelson – shared the scoring honors for Chester with 17 points. Lamon Church also scored 17 points for the Clippers, while Dequann Walker scored in twin digits with 10 points.
Plymouth Whitemarsh [1-3] earned its invite to the PIAA Quad-A Final Four dance with a 56-45 victory over Red Land [3-2]. The Colonials were led in scoring by University of Pittsburgh bound Jaylen Bond who scored a game-high 22 points. Point guard Marcus Badger scored in double figures for the Colonials with 14 points, while both Sam Pygatt and Marcus Glover added nine points each for the winners.
Players To Watch:
Chester – Maurice Nelson, Rondae Jefferson, Kareem Robinson, Darius Robinson, Lamon Church, Tymier Butler, Dequann Walker, and Erikk Wright.
Plymouth Whitemarsh – Jaylen Bond, Sam Pygatt, Marcus Badger, Stephon Baker, Brandon Johnson, Jake Silvers, Marcus Glover, and Wayne Thompson.
Injury Update:
A key factor to the game will be the ability for both Stephon Baker (knee) and Jaylen Bond (back) to play at 100 percent. Baker injured his knee against Frankford – missed the Red Land game – and has been cleared to come back.
“Both of them are recovering slowly,” said PW head coach Jim Donofrio. “Both were on the practice floor in practice gear, but I wouldn’t say that they are both at 100 percent. We will have to wait to see how that all plays out.”
Prediction:
Chester enters the game as the favorite and has not lost a game in the 2011 calendar year. The last loss for the Clippers came against Sanford (Delaware) – 82 days ago, Chester is a team that plays 10 or 11 deep – and that talent pool is 10 or 11 deep. PW can not match that – and with both Baker and Bond somewhat questionable on the injury front – it is going to make it a tough match for the Colonials. But March Madness is a time for the underdog – ruff, ruff – Plymouth Whitemarsh 68 – Chester 66.
Rosters:Chester Clippers
# 1 – (5-7) – Kareem Robinson
# 2 – (6-0) – Darius Robinson
# 4 – (5-11) – Maurice Nelson
# 11 – (6-4) – Tymier Butler
# 23 – (6-5) – Rondae Jefferson
# 31 – (6-4) – Lamon Church
# 32 – (6-3) – Dequann Walker
# 34 – (6-6) – Tavaune Griffin
# 35 – (6-3) – Erikk Wright
# 40 – (6-5) – Richard Granberry
Head coach – Larry Yarbray, Sr.
Plymouth Whitemarsh Colonials
# 3 – (6-1) - Marcus Badger
# 4 – (5-11) - Jequon Cook
# 5 – (5-10) – Kenny Williams
# 12 – (5-10) – Marcus Glover
# 15 – (6-7) – Jaylen Bond
# 22 – (6-2) – Brandon Johnson
# 23 – (6-0) – Stephon Baker
# 25 – (6-2) - Morgan Jackson
# 30 – (5-11) – Wayne Thompson
# 40 – (6-1) – Garnell Sanders
# 44 – (6-6) – Jake Silvers
Head coach – Jim Donofrio.
Penn Wood Vikings [1-9] vs. Mount Lebanon Cedars [7-4]
Wednesday – March 23, 2011
@ Chambersburg High School – 7 pm
Records:
Penn Wood – 24-8.
Mount Lebanon – 18-13
Offensive Scoring Average:
Penn Wood – 68.1
Mount Lebanon – 55.5
Defensive Scoring Average:
Penn Wood – 51.8
Mount Lebanon – 53.4
Common Opponents:
None.
Prediction: Penn Wood 72 – Mount Lebanon 51.
PIAA Quad-A Facts & Figures
How did the respective teams in each district fare in the tournament thus far?
District One – 16-6. – [.727]
District Seven – 8-4. – [.667]
District Twelve – 3-3. – [.500]
District Eleven – 2-3. – [.400]
District Ten – 1-2. – [.333]
District Eight – 1-2. – [.333]
District Three – 2-7. – [.222]
District Six – 0-2. – [.000]
District Two – 0-4. – [.000]
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