Chester’s Dominic Toy drives to the basket in the first half against Coatesville Friday night at the Clip Joint. (Pete Bannan – MediaNews Group)
By Matthew DeGeorge
Jalen Harris is normally a man of few words. But Friday night, the sophomore guard needed only to utter a few words to get his point across.
“It’s playing hard defense,” Harris said. “That’s what we bring off the bench.”
Harris and his twin brother Daron helped turn the tide in a District 1 Class 6A quarterfinal, shackling what looked like an explosive Coatesville team in a 67-64 win.
The win sends the fourth-seeded Clippers (20-2) to Tuesday’s semifinal round against top-seeded Lower Merion. It also avenges one of the only two losses this year, to the fifth-seeded Red Raiders (19-7).
It was a return to classic form for the Clippers, in a matchup of district bluebloods. They forced 13 turnovers, while committing 16. But it was solid, man-on, you’re-not-getting-by-me defense that turned Coatesville’s early offensive parade into late frustration, led by the sophomore twins who don’t start but played a bulk of the minutes.
Coatesville looked like it was going to follow the same pathway as the regular-season meeting early. The Red Raiders led 21-14 after one quarter and 34-26 at half thanks to an opening 16 minutes of crisp execution, with Dior Kennedy (10 points) and Zuri Harris (7 points) leading the way.
(click on this link for the full article, subscription may be required)