PIAA State AAAA Championship Preview
By
Gregory Goettner
AAAA State Championship:
Who: Chester
(District 1) vs. Schenley (District 8)
When: 8:00pm;
Saturday, March 24th, 2007
Where: Bryce
Jordan Center, Penn State University
How they got here:
Chester’s road to PSU included
victories over:
-
Abington Heights 72-37
-
South Philadelphia 70-55
-
Wilson West Lawn 81-48
-
Simon Gratz 68-60
Schenley’s road to PSU
included victories over:
-
Fox Chapel 71-48
-
Mount Lebanon 80-41
-
Moon 73-59
-
Harrisburg 85-62
Earlier this year:
Both teams met up at Cardinal
O’Hara on January 28th. Schenley defeated Chester 85-74. Leading the
way for Schenley was forward DeJuan Blair (23 points, 14 rebounds, 6
blocks, 2 steals) and senior D.J. Kennedy 26 points. Chester battled with
foul trouble all game as; Junior Russell Johnson, junior Nasir
Robinson, and sophomore Rhalir Jefferson all fouled out. Chester was
led by junior Karon Burton who netted a team high 25 points.
Game notes: Schenley was
up 31-30 at half time but blew open the game in the third quarter right after
Chester junior Russell Johnson picked up two technical fouls.
Match ups:
Back Court:
Chester: Karon Burton
(junior) and Micah Covert (senior)
Schenley: Jamaal Bryant
(senior), DeAndre Kane (junior), Greg Blair (junior)
Chester point guard Karon
Burton is coming off his best game of the season as he went for 35 points.
When Burton is on top of his game he is one of the most exciting players in the
state; his lighting quick speed and crafty ball handling skills makes it almost
impossible for defenders to stop him. The Schenley back court is experienced and
athletic, junior DeAndre Kane comes into the game averaging 14ppg
including a big time performance against Harrisburg; where Kane scored 23
points.
Front Court:
Chester: Nasir Robinson
(junior), Russell Johnson (junior), and Mark Burrell (junior)
Schenley: DeJuan Blair
(senior), DJ Kennedy (senior)
If you’re a Pittsburgh Panther
fan, this will be a great opportunity to see two future Panthers in Schenley’s
DeJuan Blair and Chester’s Nasir Robinson. Blair has
been the most dominate post player in the state, he has the capable of scoring
every time he gets the ball in the post. Earlier this season Blair scorched the
Clippers for 23 points and 14 rebounds. His partner in crime; D.J. Kennedy
is a versatile forward that has caught the eye of many Division One programs
across the country. Chester junior Nasir Robinson won’t back down from
Blair, Robinson is one of the toughest players in the state.
Bench:
Chester: Rhalir
Jefferson (sophomore), Kevin Green-Germany (senior), Robert Redd (senior)
Schenley: Raymar McClain
(senior), Michael Hickman (senior)
Chester has a huge advantage
off the bench; Jefferson, Green-Germany, and Redd would start for almost 85% of
teams across the state. Jefferson is very raw offensively but is regarded as one
of the top sophomores in the state and with great leaping abilities.
Keys to win:
Chester:
-
No foul trouble
-
Burton needs another big game
-
Keep Blair/Kennedy off the boards
-
Pressure the Schenley guards
-
Can’t fall behind early similar to the
first meeting (fell behind 12-1 to start)
Schenley:
-
Get DeJuan Blair the ball in the post;
Blair causes match up problems for the Clippers down low
-
Slow down Karon Burton
-
Keep Nasir Robinson off the glass
-
Either Kennedy or Kane have to have a
big game; Schenley is almost unbeatable when Kennedy, Kane, and Blair are on all
cylinders.
The Pick:
While I hate going against
Chester, I got to go with Schenley by 6. Even though I believe Chester is going
to give them all they can handle. The Spartans big man DeJuan Blair is on
a mission to win the state title. This years Schenley team has the swagger that
all championship teams play with. The Spartans are experienced, talented, and
hungry all three characteristics make up championship caliber team. Chester is
young, and will be the heavy favorite to win it all next year.
If
you have any questions or comments contact Greg at
greg@metrohoops.com
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