Pennsbury looks forward to Chester

Pennsbury boys' basketball coach Frank Sciolla made no bones about it.

"Chester is the Roman empire of Pennsylvania basketball," he said of tonight's opponent in a PIAA Class AAAA semifinal at the Palestra at 7:30.

Few people can argue against Sciolla's assessment.

The Clippers (31-1) are making their fourth consecutive and 24th overall state semifinal appearance. The five-time state champion boasts a Class AAAA player-of-the-year candidate in Pittsburgh-signee Nasir Robinson.

And the Clippers are ranked third nationally, according to USA Today.

But the Falcons said they would not be intimidated.

"We are going to come out, and we are going to defend," said Sciolla, whose Falcons (30-2) are making their first semifinal appearance.

Norristown, Strawberry Mansion and Imhotep Charter are the other Southeastern Pennsylvania teams looking to advance to Saturday's finals at Penn State.

Norristown will face Moon Township, of the Pittsburgh area, in the other Class AAAA semifinal, tonight at 7 at Shippensburg University. Strawberry Mansion will meet Imhotep Charter tonight at 6 in a Class AA semifinal at Southern. It will mark this season's third meeting between Strawberry Mansion and Imhotep Charter. The Strawberry Mansion Knights hold a two-games-to-none advantage.

Most of the attention will be on the Chester-Pennsbury game. The Clippers are ranked No.1 in Southeastern Pennsylvania by The Inquirer, and the Pennsbury Falcons are fourth.

Both teams boast players - Pennsbury's Dalton Pepper (fourth) and Chester's Robinson (fifth) and Rahlir Jefferson (seventh) - who are ranked among the top seven college prospects in The Inquirer's Nifty Fifty.

Pepper, a 6-foot-5 junior guard, averages 22.8 points, 9.8 rebounds and three steals.

Robinson, a 6-5 forward, averages 17.1 points, 11.3 rebound, 3.9 assists, 1.6 steals and 1.1 blocked shots.

A defensive stopper, Jefferson, a 6-6 junior forward, averages 10.5 points, 7.1 rebounds, 2.9 assists, 2.1 blocked shots and 1.8 steals.

Only 5-8, Chester's Karon Burton (18.3 ppg and 7 apg) doesn't project as high on the next level. But the point guard is arguably the area's most exciting playmaker.

"Number 1, you have to slow them down in transition," Sciolla said of the Clippers. "Number 2, you have to keep them all off the backboard. And Number 3, you have to contain Karon Burton.

"You have to give up something because they are a good team."

Realizing that Pepper will get his points, Chester has a game plan that involves his teammates.

"We can't let those other guys that don't score that much score," Chester coach Fred Pickett said. "We have to take their strengths away. And of course, we want to play our game."

Making its first semifinal appearance since 1990, Norristown (31-1) will look to play its game against Moon (23-7).