Smith: Excited buzz around Chester basketball isn't reserved only for the boys

Source: The Delaware County Daily Times
Author: Matt Smith

CHESTER -- Not often over the years has it been said that Chester High is the home of two championship varsity basketball teams.

That is changing.

Head coach Marvin Dukes and his staff have presided over a successful girls team built around its youthful core.

Sophomore guard Imani Dorsey averages a team-leading 15.5 points per game and is closing fast on 1,000 for her career. She is a gifted three-level scorer with untapped potential.

"I just want to do what I can," Dorsey said following the Clippers' best win of the season, a 49-43 decision last Friday over Penncrest (14-8), which is a contender for the Central League title.

"And I want to win."

In that game, Dorsey showed an ability to cause havoc defensively and create scoring opportunities for others. Dorsey and fellow sophomore guard Jordan Dennis found creative ways to get the ball to junior Ja'Mya Muhammad, an athletic forward who dominates the boards and scores in heavy volume inside the paint.

Dorsey finished with 13 points in the Penncrest game. Dennis, having an excellent first season with the Clippers, calmly swished two free throws in the final seconds to guarantee the victory. Dennis is a facilitator and relentless defender and can score from anywhere on the court.

The final piece of the Clippers' fearsome four is senior Shyne Hall, who topped all Delaware County players last season in scoring average (17.2 ppg). Hall's best trait is her 3-point shot, which she had working in the third quarter against Penncrest. Hall connected on three baskets from beyond the arc, helping the Clippers erase what had been a nine-point deficit.

Sophomore forward Zayana Vann is an energy force who can grab a rebound or make things happen on the defensive end. Since Dorsey (15.5), Muhammad (12.1), Dennis (11.7) and Hall (10.0) are averaging double figures in scoring, Vann needn't worry about putting the ball in the hoop as often, or at all, which was the case last Friday

"They have started to listen and learn. Do they have brain freezes, make mistakes and whatnot? Yes. That's part of being a young team," Dukes said. "I have only two seniors. No. 11 (Hall) and No. 1 (Zaniahe Grandberry), who is coming off the bench. We are sophomore heavy, a young team still growing."

Indeed, there is hope for the Chester girls hoops program, today and in the coming years. Dorsey doesn't feel any extra pressure to be the next big thing at her school because she is the daughter of Ralph Dorsey, the longtime president of the Chester Biddy League and former girls head coach. Mr. Dorsey is an institution in the Chester community. He was seated front row cheering on the girls against Penncrest.

"It's been a lot of fun," Imani Dorsey said.

As of Wednesday afternoon, the Clippers are in 10th place in the District 1 Class 5A rankings. The top 12 teams qualify for the tournament. They haven't qualified for the playoffs since 2013, but they will this season. While Chester's regular season schedule is complete, other teams ahead of them, such as No. 9 Bishop Shanhan (10-11) have one game remaining. Perhaps the Clippers move to No. 9, or stay put at No. 10. If the latter becomes the came, Chester would travel to No. 3 West Chester East in the opening round.

The Clippers are excited to be in the playoff picture, at all. But rest assured, that doesn't mean they are content with a cameo appearance. If last Friday's game was any indication, the Clippers are going to cause trouble for teams. They are a scrappy team, handsy on the defensive end, fleet footed, and score at a high percentage. And they have four players capable of making many buckets.

"We have more confidence and (there is) more team bonding this year," Muhammad said. "And we're just sticking together."

The Clippers are 14-8, their best record since the 2012-13 campaign, and earned a share of the Del Val League title Tuesday evening with a resounding victory over Chichester. Chester and Academy Park both ended with 7-1 records in the Del Val, but only the Clippers get to play on in a district tournament next week.

"In the past," Dennis said, "we were never good like this."

And have teams underestimated them? All four players answered simultaneously: "Yes."

"They see we aren't big, like we don't have a lot of height," said Muhammad, who is averaging better than 10 rebounds a game. "So we just fight for everything."

Dukes admits the Clippers are far from a finished product. Certainly, he's proud of the strides they've made, but there's little doubt there is still learning to be done inside Fred Pickett Gymnasium. When the Clippers come to practice, they are coming to class. And when the District 1 Class 5A tournament pairings are finalized next weekend, the Clippers fully intend to keep class in session for another few weeks.

""They are buying in and they have become coachable. Before, they didn't know they were not coachable, but they were not understanding," Dukes said. "You tend to take the bitter with the sweet. Having a mixture of talented young ladies who are coming together and learning how to play with one another. They are still learning how to do that, but they are coming on and they are staying together."

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The Central League girls basketball tournament starts Thursday with a pair of quarterfinal round battles.

Conestoga (20-2) and Haverford (19-3) are the top seeds and, thus, punched their ticket to the semifinal round Saturday. Haverford beat Conestoga in last year's championship final.

The quarterfinals feature No. 3 Garnet Valley (19-3) hosting No. 6 Ridley (11-11), while No. 5 Penncrest (14-8) travels to No.4 Radnor (18-4). GV handed 'Stoga its second defeat of the season with a thrilling, one-point win Tuesday.

The championship is scheduled for Tuesday, Feb. 13 at a time and Central League school to be determined.