Chichester’s Maz Sayed, left, drives as Chester’s Dallas Thompson defends in a recent Del Val League game. Sayed helped Chi top Penn Wood in an important Del Val contest Monday night. (Pete Bannan – MediaNews Group)
By Matthew DeGeorge
Akhir Keys called it Chichester’s “statement defense.” The Eagles, however, would make a statement or two on the defensive side Tuesday night against Penn Wood, and Keys was just one of a host of Eagles doing the talking.
Keys kept Delaware County’s leading scorer Nasir Washington to just two points in the second half, the Eagles turned Penn Wood over 21 times in its 3-2 half-court trap and Maz Sayed assembled an otherworldly stat line in a 62-51 win that keeps open Chichester’s path to a Del Val title.
Let’s get the mind-numbing numbers out of the way. Chichester (16-3, 5-1 Del Val) capped a season sweep over Penn Wood (12-5, 5-2). If Chi beats Academy Park Thursday and wins at Chester (10-9, 4-2) next week, the Eagles win the Del Val crown outright. A win at AP clinches at least a share of the title for the Eagles.
Penn Wood’s only hope is to win out (the Patriots play AP next week) and hope Chester tops Chichester for a second time to ensure a three-way split at 6-2.