There's something about Chester freshman Rondae Jefferson that looks awfully familiar.

He's agile and quick, hits the boards hard and can score from anywhere inside the 3-point line. Sound familiar? It sounds like a description of Jefferson's older brother, Rahlir, who was an All-Delco last season.

The elder Jefferson, enjoying a strong freshman season with 17th-ranked Temple, said his younger brother has the potential to be better than him

“He's playing well. He hit a couple of jumpers,” Rahlir Jefferson said, after the Clippers' 57-40 loss to Penn Wood last Thursday. “He's still getting used to the movement in his leg, from when he was injured. Once that gets healed, he'll be good. He'll be better than me. I'm the big brother. I know. I just watch. I can see it.”

“He tells me that sometimes,” said Rondae Jefferson. “I don't know. His work ethic is better than mine, but I just give all of my heart every chance I get. I just twisted my ankle before the game. All I could do was lace up the sneakers and give it my all.”

Rondae Jefferson is averaging five points per game for the Clippers, playing in only three of their games because of a preseason leg injury. Already, Chester coach Larry Yarbray can see similarities in the brothers' play.

“At this stage, as far as talent with him being a freshman, he's got more than what Rahlir had,” Yarbray said. “Rahlir's work ethic got better over the years once his confidence got up. In terms of confidence, Rondae already has that.

“He says stuff like, 'Coach, I'm going to get you a foul shot.' I trust his abilities to a certain extent. If you saw it, in the heat of the battle tonight, he pulled the whole team together. He's a leader. He believes in himself already. Not a lot of guys have that, which is amazing because some of them have played for three years. If he hadn't gone down in the beginning of the year, those (seven) losses we have, we might only have three of them.”

Here's a closer look at Penn Wood's 57-40 win over Chester Thursday:

***LAUGH IT OFF. Clippers forward Ronnell Williams experienced the joy and ire of coach Larry Yarbray in one trip to the free throw line. When the sophomore banked in a foul shot, Yarbray laughed and smiled at his young big man. And when Williams clanked the next one, Yarbray screamed at him to get down the floor and defend.

***COLLEGE ROLL CALL. Three members of the nationally-ranked Temple Owls' rotation were at the Clip Joint. Chester All-Delco Rahlir Jefferson sat beside former Clippers coach Fred Pickett, while Scootie Randall and Ramone Moore (Jefferson's teammates with the No. 19 Owls) were seated in the row in front of him.

***1,000 POINT CLUB, PART I. Before the game, Chester honored Maurice Nelson, who scored his career 1,000th point Tuesday in a road game at Interboro. But Tyree Johnson got the best of Nelson. Johnson, who scored his 1,000th point in an earlier meeting with Chester, had the better game this time around, too. ...And he did so less than 24 hours after making his college commitment.

***SUPER 7 DISCUSSION. Speaking of Pickett, the longtime Clippers coach asked me why Chester had slipped to No. 4 in the latest Daily Times' Super 7. After giving my explanation, Pickett walked away. He wanted nothing of it. But he's a good sport. He came back a minute later, smiling. (Like any good coach, he knows not to take sports too seriously. That's the key.)

***1,000 POINT CLUB, PART II. One of Darby Township's finest was a referee Thursday. Derick Loury, who scored 1,137 points in his career with the Eagles, worked the game at the Clip Joint.

(Note: PHOTOS BY DAILY TIMES STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER BOB GURECKI. Check delcotimes.com Friday for video from the game.)

For you Delco basketball fans out there looking to get caught up on some of the county's finest who have moved onto college, this semi-regular feature is for you. Today, we take a peak at Rahlir Jefferson:


It's not often that a freshman on Temple coach Fran Dunphy's squad gets minutes. But in Rahlir Jefferson's situation, he isn't just playing; he's making a difference.

The 2009 Chester graduate and All-Delco forward, Jefferson averages 16 minutes a game for the 16th-ranked Owls. He's become a defensive specialist, checking into the game late to lock down on the opposition's best scorer. Despite playing only 300 minutes, Jefferson is second on the team with 13 steals, and also fills out the stat sheet with 3.8 points, 2.7 rebounds and 1.0 blocks.

Who knows? With the way he and the Owls (16-3) are playing, we might be talking about Jefferson deep into March.

But, hey -- this post isn't just about the past. Here's a closer look at some of the action from Wednesday night:

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It may be a couple months - and with less on the line - but Chester got some revenge on Williamsport.

The Clippers (8-3) easily handled the Millionaires in a game on a neutral court, at Coatesville High, as part of the Mid-Atlantic Shootout. Chester lost to Williamsport last winter in the second round of the PIAA Class AAAA playoffs.

Erikk Wright, a sophomore, continues to impress. He had 12 points and 15 boards. Tavaune Griffin had seven rebounds and three blocks and Mo Nelson led the way with 15 points

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EXTRA BOUNCES
---Five of Upper Darby's eight losses have come by two possessions or fewer. Count the Royals' 44-43 loss to Springfield tonight among them. The Cougars' Adam Washington had 15 for the victors.
---Radnor, which scored 12 points in the first quarter, scored only 11 in the second half of its 37-29 loss to Ridley.
---Marple Newtown's Soutiri Sapnas, already the leading scorer in Delco, filled up the rim with 46 points in an 80-74 loss to Conestoga. Sapnas, the Tigers' all-time and single-season scoring champ, fell short of his 49-point career high, however.