Chester’s Dante Atkinson, seen closing out a comeback win over Coatesville in the district quarterfinals Friday, sees the Clippers recovering from a tough district semi loss Tuesday night to Lower Merion. (Pete Bannan – MediaNews Group)
By Matthew DeGeorge
Adam Herrenkohl knew the cat-and-mouse game would come early Tuesday night.
The senior guard knew that if Lower Merion started making 3-pointers at its usual rate, then Chester’s defense would have to press out. He knew that would create lanes behind, to drive or to hit cutters. He knew that with a lead going into the second half, Chester would turn up its full-court press, and that the Aces were ready to pre-emptively press and speed the Clippers up.
Most of all, Herrenkohl knew what to expect when Chester brought the ball up the court with 42 seconds left, having worked hard to tie the game before Herrenkohl put LM ahead with two free throws.
Herrenkohl’s steal helped the Aces turn it on in the final minute after its stall tactics sputtered, scoring seven of the last eight points in a 54-48 win over Chester in the District 1 Class 6A semifinals at the Kobe Bryant Gymnasium.
The win sends the Central League champion Aces (25-1), the district’s top seed, to Saturday’s final. It’ll be an All-Central affair, with No. 14 Garnet Valley claiming its latest upset, 50-46, over No. 2 West Chester Henderson.
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