High Schools - Chester wins PIAA Class AAAA state title over Norristown

It's that kind of pressure the 2007-08 Chester team lugged throughout the season. The Clippers had their moment of doubt and concern. They drew everyone's "A" game, and when they didn't blow teams out by 25, they even drew some criticism.

But this special team now warrants special consideration, after beating a very good Norristown team, 81-77, on Saturday at Penn State's Bryce Jordan Center. Chester claimed its sixth state title, and second in the last 4 years.

It also marked a milestone for Clippers coach Fred Pickett, who now stands above a distinguished group of former Chester coaches; he has guided three Clippers teams to state titles, a distinction no other Chester coach has reached.

More important, Saturday's victory was a coronation of sorts, a title that this Chester team could proudly wear - as the school's best ever, and arguably one of the best-ever high school basketball teams from the Philadelphia area.

The Clippers concluded their fantastic season with a 33-1 mark, winning their last 25 games. Their victories include a pair over Norristown, which finished 32-2 (both losses coming against Chester) and a 30-3 Pennsbury team. Their loss was to St. Benedict's of Newark, N.J., one of the nation's top teams.

"Winning a state championship is something that we always wanted and something that we always knew we could do," said starting point guard Karon Burton, who led the Clippers with 24 points, including a pair of free throws with 26.1 seconds to play and the game still in doubt. "I don't know about us being the best ever. There were a lot of great Chester teams before us, but we have to be included somewhere in there."

Chester never trailed, opening its largest lead at 49-28 after a Kevin Green-Germany's three-pointer. But the Eagles fought back behind the red-hot shooting of Khaliff Wyatt, who scored 19 of his game-high 28 points in the last 8 minutes. At one point, Wyatt scored 10 straight points for Norristown in a span of 1 minute, 25 seconds to fuel a 10-1 run that cut Chester's lead from 68-54 to 69-64 with 3:24 to play.

Wyatt banked home a three-pointer from 27 feet that pulled Norristown to within 75-73 with 1:12 remaining. But Chester, as usual, showed great poise at the finish, hitting six straight free throws to seal the victory.

Now it's a team that belongs in the rich tradition of Chester hoops lore.

"It's definitely a team that ranks up there, and I can't say they're the best ever, however, this team went 33-1 and played undoubtedly the toughest schedule any Chester team has ever played. And we finished 33-1 and that says something," Pickett said. "We had five guys that averaged in double figures, and everyone likes to score. But they kept in mind winning was the most important thing. We finished No. 3 in one national poll and No. 2 in another, and now I'm just finishing off a parade here in Chester. They'll remember this group 10, 20 years from now. Probably forever." *

E-mail Joseph Santoliquito

at santolj@phillynews.com.