Coatesville has earned a chance to knock off the defending champs on Saturday By Dave Conard Sports Editor, CoatesvilleTimes.com
NORRISTOWN–It’s a case of good news, bad news for the Red Raiders following their 61-52 PIAA class AAAA state playoff win over District 12 two seed John Bartram High School.
First the good news, Coatesville (25-6) which came into the state bracket as the seventh seed from District One, largely due to a total of five total minutes of defensive let down, is back to playing at the level that fueled a 12-1 romp through the Ches-Mont League and a ten game winning streak during the regular season.
Following the script for success which helped the Red Raiders carry the momentum of a s sensational regular season, in which every game it seemed a new character stepped up into the role of stand out, into the playoffs, it was Damien Nixon (nine points) and senior guard Kriston Miller (team high 19 points) who came to the for ground as Coatesville got off to s fast start and cruised to 37-18 halftime edge.
“Every game it is some one’s turn to step up,” said Coatesville head coach Jim Smith. “It’s been the same way all year, we are a team and they all have the confidence in each other that some one is going to make the big play, to over come the adversity of districts and come this far is something pretty special.”
As the second half got underway, again almost according to the script, Coatesville’s intensity tailed off for a few moments and the Braves were quick to pounce posting 11 of the second half’s first 13 points with a 9-0 run and were able to made it a one possession game following a Bo Murray deuce,
“This has been great, but we have a ton of work to do,” said sophomore Tyler Burke, who posted 10 points in the fourth quarter. “We need to treat practice the same way as we did following a loss, we have to forget it and take every game on by itself. Chester is a great team and we will have our work cut out for us.”
Led by Burke, who along with his fellow “ladder boys” has been the stopper all year for Coatesville, the Red Raiders steadied the ship with a 12-4 run as the final period got started, preserving the victory and advancing Coatesville into the “elite eight”.
Now for the bad news, the Red Raiders (25-6), which ironically won the Pennsylvania state second round game on the hardwood of Norristown Area High School, will face the team that eliminated Norristown on Wednesday night, Chester who defeated the Eagles 72-53 at Coatesville’s Ross Kershey gymnasium.
The monumental task in front of coach Smith and his hard working crew will be to hand defending state champion Chester (29-0) it’s first loss in more than two seasons.
The Clippers, who barely squeaked by Lower Merion to claim the district title, are averaging 67 points per game but also allow 45 points per game and have been giving up more defensively as the post season has progressed.
Junior captain Darius Robinson is always a threat and it will be key to stifle his three point shooting early on as he and his fellow captain Erikk Wright feed off of emotion and are like a run a way train if they get any kind of momentum going.
Coatesville (1-7) will battle Chester (1-1) on Saturday at 1:00 pm at Coatesville North (a.k.a. Norristown Area High School) in the PIAA quarter final for the right to play the winner of the (3-5) Central Dauphin vs. (3-2) Harrisburg in the semi final.
Bartram 11 7 22 12 – 52
Coatesville 14 23 6 18 – 61
Batram (52)-
Jared Bryant 6, Terrieck Williams 9, Bo Murray 2, Gary Gordon 21, Mailik Noel 12, Christopher McGill 2.
Coatesville (61)-
Dameon Nixon 9, Tymeir Miller 8, Tyler Burke 10, Kriston Miller 19, Leroy Hoggard 4, Emmett Hunt 7, Farrell Boyd 1, Vinny Williams 2, Chris Jones 1.
