By Matthew DeGeorge
Chester Charter Scholars Academy’s defensive performance was perplexing Thursday evening.
It would be hard to say the Sabers were struggling in that department through three quarters, having turned visiting Christian Academy over 14 times. But once the Crusaders got the ball over mid-court, things went south for Chester Charter, TCA shooting 63 percent from the field. In the third quarter alone, the Crusaders were 8-for-11 from the field, repelling several Sabers salvos to get the game under control.
Not until the fourth quarter, with a little adjustment and a lot more focus, did Chester Charter finally accomplish that.
A runner by Jaylen Williams put the Sabers up for good with two minutes to play, and the defense buckled down to deny TCA’s late attempts to get even in a 65-60 decision in a battle of District 1 Class A squads.
Doubling down on defense – and doubling out on shooters on the perimeter – the Sabers (16-3) stemmed the tide of TCA’s offense. They created 20 turnovers, which was great. But it wasn’t until holding the Crusaders to a 3-for-7 shooting performance in the fourth quarter that they could back their open-court intensity with half-court execution.