Chester co-star Taylor earns nod for all-around leadership

Akeem Taylor, dunking on Simon Gratz in the PIAA Class 6A boys basketball second round, played his last game in a Clippers uniform. The PIAA canceled the remainder of the winter sports championships as well as the spring sports season in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic. (Pete Bannan/MediaNews Group)

By Matthew DeGeorge

In addition to player of the year Karell Watkins of Chester, the rest of the All-Delco team includes:

Akeem Taylor, Chester: The senior guard was the engine that drove the Clippers to the Del Val League title (part of a 31-game in-league winning streak) and the quarterfinals of the PIAA Class 6A tournament before the season was cut short by the coronavirus pandemic. Taylor was second on the Clippers to Watkins in averaging 14.4 points per game, but his contributions far exceeded his offensive output. Taylor averaged 7.6 rebounds, 3.5 assists, 2.7 steals and 3.9 blocks per game, an all-around statistical demon who filled roles as Chester’s most consistent offensive playmaker and its best defensive stopper. He scored in double figures in 24 of 28 games for the Clippers, who finished with a 24-4 record. Taylor topped out at 27 points in the regular-season finale against Christiana. He scored 24 on three occasions, including a win over South Philadelphia High in December in which Taylor hit a 3-pointer at the buzzer to force the game to overtime. He added 16 points in the District 1 Class 6A semifinal loss to Methacton and 21 in the win over Bensalem in the third-place game. Taylor, who spent his freshman year at the former Chester Charter School for the Arts, finished his career with 1,033 points, 15 fewer than his uncle and Chester High coach Keith Taylor. Akeem scored his 1,000th career point in the District 1 third-place game against Bensalem with a typically prodigious stat line: 21 points, 12 rebounds, seven blocks, five steals and two assists. Taylor recently committed to Kutztown University.

(click on this link for the the rest of the All-Delco first team)