Chester Charter Defeats Lancaster Country Day 58-44 in PIAA Tournament 1st Round: Kehler on Hoops
Written by: Dell Jackson on March 11, 2023
Chester Charter Defeats Lancaster Country Day 58-44 in PIAA Tournament 1st Round
Chester Charter Scholars Academy defeated shorthanded Lancaster Country Day 58 to 44 on Friday afternoon at Strath Haven in a first round game in the PIAA Class 1A state championship tournament. Because of other commitments, only six Country Day players were in uniform for this game. Chester Charter’s height advantage made things particularly difficult for scrappy, hard-trying Country Day.
The game was close for much of the first half. Country Day had some good scoring chances in the first quarter, due to six Chester Charter turnovers in the opening frame. Country Day’s 1-2-2 zone defense gave Chester Charter some problems in the early going. Late in the first quarter, a drive by junior Jabryl Bennett gave Chester Charter a 9 to 8 lead, and they never trailed from that point.
Trailing 16 to 8 early in the second quarter, Country Day tied the game at 17 on a 9 to 1 run consisting of a 3-pointer by 5’ 10” freshman Jordan Ashby, a free throw by 5’ 11” sophomore Jake Kumah, a hoop by 6’ 3” senior Christian Hoin, and a 3-pointer by 5’ 11” freshman Kane Kirby. Chester Charter then closed the first half with a 10 to 0 run on a jumper by senior Kevin Miller, a putback by junior Brean Rudd-Cook, a hoop inside by 6’ 6” senior Azarhis Smith, and two fast break layups following steals by Miller. That gave Chester Charter a 27 to 17 lead at halftime, a lead that proved to be insurmountable.
There was no quit in Country Day. They were gritty, and they kept trying. Early in the fourth quarter, a 3-pointer by Chester Charter’s Miller gave his team a 44 to 31 lead, the biggest lead of the game up to that point. With 4:55 left in the game, Chester Charter went to a four corner half court set, and Country Day forced turnovers on two consecutive possessions, each leading to a Country Day score: a 3-pointer by Ashby and a hoop inside by Hoin. That cut Chester Charter’s lead to 47 to 41 with 3:50 left in the game. However, Chester Charter pulled away at that point with a 9 to 1 run on a hoop inside by junior Samaad Powell, another hoop inside by Powell, a layup by Powell, and a three point play by senior Jayden Williams, and it was 56 to 42 in favor of Chester Charter. That last, decisive run by Chester Charter, fueled by their height advantage, was entirely based on scores made close to the basket.
The outstanding players in the game were Chester Charter’s Miller, who scored at all three levels, and Country Day’s Ashby, who did the same.
Chester Charter had a 34 to 26 rebounding advantage. Significantly, Chester Charter had 12 offensive rebounds. Chester Charter had 16 turnovers, and Country Day had 19 miscues. Chester Charter was 10 of 18 from the free throw line, while Country Day was six of 12 from the stripe. Chester Charter scored four times from beyond the arc, and Country Day made six 3-pointers. There were four ties and three lead changes, all in the first half.
Chester Charter Scholars Academy scoring: Kevin Miller 23, Jayden Williams 10, Samaad Powell 6, Azarhis Smith 5, Calvin Lewis 5, Brean Rudd-Cook 5, and Jabryl Bennett 4.
Lancaster Country Day scoring: Jordan Ashby 21, Jake Kumah 11, Christian Hoin 7, and Kane Kirby 5.
Lancaster Country Day 8 9 12 15-44
Chester Charter Scholars Academy 11 16 12 19-58
Chester Charter, the PIAA District 1 Class 1A champion, is now 20-5. In the second round of the tournament, they will play the winner of Saturday’s Northumberland Christian-Forest City game. Country Day’s fine season concludes with a 16-10 record.
On Twitter: @david_kehler
Follow LLhoops on Twitter @LLhoops
