CLARION, Pa.- Eli Barrett (Harrisburg, Pa./Harrisburg) had a career day en route to his fourth double-double in five games, finishing with a career-high 27 points and 10 rebounds as West Chester (10-5, 5-4) held off upset-minded Clarion (2-13, 0-9) by a 82-75 final on Saturday afternoon.
West Chester led throughout the first half and trailed only for a moment near the midway point of the second half. Still, Clarion did not make things easy on West Chester, methodically erasing a 13-point first-half deficit before eventually taking the lead with 12 minutes to play in regulation before West Chester pulled back in front. The Golden Rams would never trail again but would never lead again by double digits as Clarion kept the game close down to the final buzzer.
Kyle McGee (Jersey City, N.J./St. Mary's of the Assumption) was the one to finally put the game out of reach, sinking a pair of free throws with 43 seconds to play, making the score 78-72 in favor of West Chester while also becoming the fourth Golden Ram in double figures with 11 points.
In addition to Barrett's career-high 27 points and 10 rebounds,
Joshua Walker (Upper Marlboro, Md./Riverdale Baptist) finished with a double-double as well, coming away with 14 points and 12 rebounds, setting a new career-high in rebounding in the process.
Jamil Manigo (Philadelphia, Pa./Bishop McDevitt) was the third Golden Ram in double figures, finishing with 11, leaving him tied with McGee for third on the team in scoring in the victory.
For Clarion, Mekhi Reynolds led the team in scoring with 21 points as one of four Golden Eagles in double figures, while Gerald Jarmon, who ended the first half with 12 points, finished with 19 after scoring seven more in the second half.
West Chester started quickly on Saturday afternoon, surging ahead to a 19-6 lead with just under seven minutes gone in the first half following an 8-0 run, culminating with the afternoon's first basket for Manigo with 13:02 to play in the first half.
West Chester continued to hold on to its lead throughout the remainder of the first half. However, Clarion did close the gap trailing by just four at the half after Clarion scored the final points of the opening 20 minutes on a jumper with five seconds to play by Gerald Jarmon, who finished the opening half with 12 points.
Barrett and Walker scored the first points of the second half via a pair of free throws from Barrett and a dunk by Walker as West Chester led 47-39 with just under 18 minutes to play in regulation. Clarion would not go away quietly as the Golden Eagles went on an 18-8 run over the next five minutes to take a 57-55 lead with 12:04 to play, giving the Golden Eagles their first and last lead of the contest.
West Chester countered quickly with a five-point run from Manigo, followed by a layup from
Eli Barrett shortly after the clock had ticked under 10 minutes to play, thus, restoring a 62-57 lead for the Golden Rams.
The two teams began to trade baskets from this point forward, but it was the career afternoon of Barrett, which allowed the Golden Rams to stretch the lead back to 70-62 with five minutes to play in regulation. Down the stretch, Clarion continued to try and fight back into the contest; however, the Golden Rams were effective in the waning moments at the free throw line, holding off the Clarion upset bid in the 82-75 victory.
West Chester withstood an impressive three-point shooting effort from Clarion, which saw the Golden Eagles shoot 40.0 % from deep, connecting on 12-of-30 attempts by shooting 43.5 % (30-of-69) from the field and 20-of-24 (83.3 %) from the line, including a 6-for-7 effort in the final minute of regulation.
West Chester also ended the night with a 49-32 advantage on the glass, including a 20-12 lead on the offensive glass, which resulted in a commanding 23-7 lead in second-chance points. West Chester also ended the game with a 46-20 lead in points in the paint and a slim 14-13 lead in points off the bench, both of which proved crucial to allowing West Chester to earn the victory and hold off its Western Division foes.
Up Next:
West Chester returns to action on Wednesday night at Lock Haven at 7:30 p.m.
