Chester’s Karell Watkins, center, has his shot blocked by Archbishop Ryan’s Christian Tomasco, left, among the myriad company in the lane. Watkins and Chester never got going in an 84-63 setback in the PIAA Class 5A semifinal. Pete Bannan – MediaNews Group
By Matt Smith
Chester senior Fareed Burton Jr. can admit when he’s been bested on the basketball court.
There’s no shame in giving props to the other guys.
For the Clippers, they faced a harsh reality Monday night. The District 1 champions lost in the PIAA Class 5A quarterfinals, falling hard to District 12 champ Archbishop Ryan, 84-63. The lopsided defeat snapped Chester’s 21-game winning streak at the Clip Joint.
And so ended another season without a state title for one of the most storied boys basketball programs in Pennsylvania. Chester fell a win shy of making their first PIAA final since 2013.
“Tonight, they were the better team. They played better than us. It’s simple as that,” said Burton Jr., who did his job trying to keep the Clippers afloat, producing a team-high 27 points.
“Congratulations to them because they’re a really good team.”