Clippers

With four starters gone from last season's state championship team, Chester entered the District 1 Class AAAA playoffs this season in the unfamiliar role of dark horse rather than favorite. But for 32 minutes Tuesday afternoon, the Clippers flashed the same ingredients - stifling defense and a high-octane running game - that made them state champions last season. And the Clippers' lone returning starter - 6-foot, 4-inch junior forward Zain Shaw - turned in a monster game: 30 points, 12 rebounds and 6 blocked shots to lead the Clippers to a 76-44 victory over Downingtown.

Chester's postgame celebration was subtle at best. Sure, Karon Burton laughed with teammates last night. Nasir Robinson even posed with him for pictures. But for the most part, the Clippers showed very little emotion as they received gold medals. The talented and poised Clippers were only 10 minutes removed from defeating Norristown, 61-47, in the District 1 Class AAAA championship at Villanova's Pavilion. Perhaps Chester didn't celebrate because winning district titles has come to be expected.

In many ways, Chester's game at the Haverford School on Saturday was a microcosm of the Clippers' season. The Clippers would move the ball and then self-destruct. The Clippers would flash brilliance on one play and then stumble on the next. There was one big difference between Saturday's game and Chester's first two games of the year, however. The Clippers won. They overcame the previously unbeaten Fords, 27-14, and they overcame themselves. "That's the way it's been all year," Chester coach Mike White said.

In many ways, Chester's game at the Haverford School on Saturday was a microcosm of the Clippers' season. The Clippers would move the ball and then self-destruct. The Clippers would flash brilliance on one play and then stumble on the next. There was one big difference between Saturday's game and Chester's first two games of the year, however. The Clippers won. They overcame the previously unbeaten Fords, 27-14, and they overcame themselves. "That's the way it's been all year," Chester coach Mike White said.

Tornados are a rarity in this part of the country. But to Chester's football team, Red Tornados are still a menace. On Saturday, the Clippers ran into the Red Tornados of J.P. McCaskey. And with a defensive line that averages more than 225 pounds, the Clippers' running game was swept away, as was visiting Chester, 20-6. "It's disappointing to lose, but I'm very proud of the kids," said Clippers coach Don Masse. "We made a 75 percent improvement over last week (a 16-8 loss to Lower Merion)

Columbus pitcher Sam Militello allowed only four hits and struck out 12 in leading the Clippers to a 3-0 International League victory over Scranton/ Wilkes Barre last night. The visitors scored all their runs in the fourth inning, using two hits, an error and a bases-loaded walk. The win put Columbus at 69-39. The Red Barons fell to 61-45. READING 5, NEW BRITAIN 0 READING 4, NEW BRITAIN 0 NEW BRITAIN - Paul Fletcher pitched a complete-game four-hitter to give the Reading Phillies a 4-0 victory in the second game of a doubleheader sweep of the host Red Sox. Starter Darrell Goedhart went five scoreless innings as Reading won the first game, 5-0.

Chichester head coach Tony Irvin was delighted that league rival Chester had received some national prominence Tuesday. Until he had to face the Clippers on the court. On Tuesday morning, USA Today ranked Chester 18th in the entire nation in its weekly poll. Later that afternoon, Irvin got an idea why as he watched the Clippers dismantle his Eagles 97-39 in the first Del-Val League matchup for both schools. "I think it says something about how strong their program is. And it's great because they deserve it," Irvin said.

Samara Benson and her Chester girls' indoor-track teammates are forced to practice in a tunnel, but they sure know what to do when they get on a track. Because of limited facilities, the Clippers can do no better than a cold, winding 100-foot-long tunnel at the school to hone their track and field skills. That doesn't leave a whole lot of room for practicing things like baton passes and the triple jump. But somehow, the Clippers persevere. Friday night at Haverford College, Chester just missed capturing the the Delaware County Indoor Girls' Track and Field Championships.

The Chester Clippers are just one game away from having a better turnaround season than even the Baltimore Orioles. And based solely on what the Clippers did to perennial Del-Val National Division power Penn Wood on Saturday, Chester's accomplishments may have already surpassed the Birds' magic on the baseball diamond in 1989. The Clippers, who were a dismal 2-10 last year, improved to 7-2 and 5-0 in the league after crushing the Patriots, 35-12, at Kerr Field in Yeadon. And if Chester beats Interboro on Saturday, it will win its first title since 1986.

CHRIS PAUL is new to Los Angeles, so his modest explanation for the phenomenon going on throughout the NBA might be only half true. The Clippers, a perennial laughingstock, are now one of the hottest tickets in the league. Paul confirmed there's a buzz in each city the first-place Clippers visit, but his reason doesn't explain everything. "When you got Blake Griffin on your team, it's going to be like that every night," Paul said with a smile. And he's right that Griffin, last year's slam-dunk contest champion, is one of the NBA's most exciting players and biggest draws.

San Antonio's Tim Duncan helped engineer a 24-0, third-quarter run Saturday that put the Spurs ahead for good and the Los Angeles Clippers in danger of being swept out of the playoffs. The Spurs, who at one point trailed by 24 points, beat the Clippers, 96-86, in Los Angeles to take a commanding 3-0 lead in their Eastern Conference semifinals series. "We didn't plan on being down that much," said Duncan, who scored 19 points and at 36 is hungry to win the team's fifth NBA championship and first since 2006-07.

THE LOS ANGELES Clippers refused to let a third chance to knock the Memphis Grizzlies out of the playoffs slip away. Kenyon Martin scored seven of his 11 points in the fourth quarter, and the Clippers advanced to the Western Conference semifinals with an 82-72 win over the Grizzlies in Game 7 on Sunday in Memphis. "That's why it's seven games," Martin said. "If you don't do it before, you get another chance. So they did what they had to do, they came and stole home court back on our floor . . . We had a chance to close it out. We knew we let it go, an opportunity get away.

The Los Angeles Clippers refused to let a third chance to knock the Grizzlies out of the playoffs slip away. Kenyon Martin scored seven of his 11 points in the fourth quarter, and the Clippers advanced to the Western Conference semifinals with an 82-72 win over the Grizzlies in Game 7 on Sunday in Memphis, Tenn. "That's why it's seven games," Martin said. "If you don't do it before, you get another chance. So they did what they had to do, they came and stole home court back on our floor.

The New York Knicks beat the Los Angeles Clippers, 99-93, Wednesday night at Madison Square Garden and remained in a tie with the 76ers for the seventh playoff spot in the Eastern Conference playoff race. The Knicks and the 76ers, who defeated the Milwaukee Bucks on Wednesday, have the same records, so Thursday's games will determine their playoff futures. If the Knicks, who visit Charlotte, and the Sixers, who visit Detroit, finish with the same record, the Knicks own the tiebreaker because they beat the Sixers twice in their three meetings this season.

Chester won its record eighth PIAA state championship in no-doubt-about-it fashion, blitzing District 1 rival Lower Merion, 59-33, in the final at Penn State's Bryce Jordan Center. It was a fitting finale for the Clippers, who mostly dominated en route to a 32-0 season and their second straight Class AAAA title. In the district and state playoffs, Larry Yarbray's squad, deep and athletic, won by an average of 31 points. For producing its first perfect season, Chester is The Inquirer's Southeastern Pennsylvania boys' basketball team of the year.

Chester won its record eighth PIAA state championship in no-doubt-about-it fashion, blitzing District 1 rival Lower Merion, 59-33, in the final at Penn State's Bryce Jordan Center. It was a fitting finale for the Clippers, who mostly dominated en route to a 32-0 season and their second straight Class AAAA title. In the district and state playoffs, Larry Yarbray's squad, deep and athletic, won by an average of 31 points. For producing its first perfect season, Chester is The Inquirer's Southeastern Pennsylvania boys' basketball team of the year.

STATE COLLEGE - With another awe-inspiring performance, perfection was achieved. In Saturday night's PIAA Class AAAA championship game vs. Lower Merion, Chester kept its unblemished record with rebounding ferocity, length-of-the-floor defensive pressure, and transition scoring. Defending their state title and finishing with a 32-0 mark, the Clippers throttled the Aces, 59-33, at Penn State's Bryce Jordan Center. Larry Yarbray's team pounded the offensive glass, collecting 24 rebounds on that end. Lower Merion, hurt by 29 turnovers, was held to 16 points in the first half and 17 in the second.

READING - The "second five" has played a big part in Chester's dominance this season. Clippers coach Larry Yarbray confidently called on his reserves, most of whom would be starters elsewhere, and they delivered, as usual, in Wednesday night's PIAA Class AAAA semifinal against Central Dauphin. With 25 points and big-time energy coming off the bench, the red-hot Clippers pulled away from the foul-plagued Rams in the third quarter and cruised to a 67-48 victory before an overflow crowd at the sauna-like Geigle Complex.

THE GRUELING NBA schedule is really starting to wear on the Los Angeles Clippers, who needed a late rally and a gritty overtime effort in their sixth home game in 8 days to hold off the Detroit Pistons, 87-83. Although Chris Paul is just as tired as his teammates, he's keeping the Clippers competitive. Paul scored nine of his 19 points in overtime and added a season-high 15 assists. Blake Griffin had 17 points and 11 rebounds, and he tipped in Paul's missed layup with 19 seconds left in regulation before Paul swiped the ball from Tayshaun Prince to send the game to overtime.

How does Coatesville coach Jim "Scoogie" Smith compare the Chester team he saw Saturday to the one the Red Raiders lost to by 13 points in early December? "It was like night and day," he said. "Back then, they were still getting a feel for what they were doing and who they were. " Except for a short second-period lull, the well-oiled Clippers frolicked in a PIAA Class AAAA boys' basketball quarterfinal, coasting to an 87-46 victory at Norristown. In the first half, the District 1 champions, who notched their 56th consecutive victory, had a 38-11 rebounding advantage.