Chester girls basketball coach Marvin Dukes called Friday’s 49-43 victory over Penncrest the biggest of the season.
On pace to qualify for the District 1 Class 5A tournament, the Clippers considered the visiting Lions a litmus test. The Lions entered with a 14-6 record, 16th in the Class 6A district rankings.
The Clippers (13-8) are bound for the district playoffs for the first time since 2013. Defeating a quality program like Penncrest was what they needed as the regular season winds down.
“We knew what we needed to do tonight,” junior forward Ja’Mya Muhammad said. “This was … a pre-playoff game, so we had to play our best.”
Penncrest led 19-11 midway through the second quarter. Sensing the game was getting out of reach, Dukes called a timeout. The Clippers responded with a 8-2 run to end the half.
Shyne Hall drilled three 3-point shots in the third period. The senior guard’s final triple beat the buzzer to put Chester in front, 39-36.
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