William Penn’s Brandon Smallwood goes up for a shot against Chester’s Juanir Moore in the second half of Saturday’s game. In a tightly-contested game, William Penn lost by a point to a powerful Chester program. (Chris Dunn — gametimepa.com)
By Matt Goul
The aftermath of Chester’s 49-48 win Saturday night at William Penn Senior High School split into two tones in the teams’ locker rooms.
On one side, the Clippers (4-1) celebrated. Their coach, Larry Yarbray Sr., smiled. The long two-hour bus ride back to Chester would be an easier one.
Down the nearby hallway, past the court where they met last season’s District 3 Class AAAA champions, heads sunk low. William Penn (5-2) had just taken one of Pennsylvania’s most storied basketball programs down to the final seconds.
The final 1.6 seconds, said Bearcats coach Troy Sowers, referring to Marquis Collins’ tip-in to win it.
Chester’s record eight state championships.
An appearance in every PIAA tournament but one in the last 30 years.
Three starters at least 6-foot-6 and a few more off the bench.
None of that provided any comfort for the Bearcats or their coach.
(click on this link for more pics, video and the full story)