Just like that, Chester's season was over.

With the flick of Troy Hockaday's right wrist (pictured), La Salle took its first lead of the game Sunday - with four seconds to go - and topped Chester, 42-41, in an opening-round contest in the PIAA Class AAAA bracket. The Clippers suffered their first, first-round exit from states since 2004.

Hockaday, who was wildly inconsistent, shot 4-for-14 in the contest. Three of those buckets, resulting in 8 of his 13 points, came in the final 4:33 of the game. Hockaday almost single-handedly whittled away Chester's nine-point lead.

Here's what some had to say afterward:
SENIOR FORWARD RONELL WILLIAMS
"It's a life-learning experience. I just have to prepare for the future and prevent this from happening again. ... They're going to be back next year. Chester's going to be back."

SENIOR GUARD LAQUAN ROBINSON
“What I'll remember about this year is the young guys, and playing for them. Hopefully they can have a better season than we had."

JUNIOR GUARD MAURICE NELSON
“I tried to get the ball up the court as fast as possible and I saw Laquan, so I got it to him. And he got off a good shot. He just missed it. It hurts more than a normal loss.

“(Hockaday) wasn't making those shots. He was taking it to the basket the whole game. He just made a good shot there at the end.

“We talked about that, getting back here. It's a young team, that's all. We took our bumps and bruises all season. It was a roller coaster. We have to play some summer league games, some AAU ball, get back in the gym and get over this."

COACH LARRY YARBRAY
“I wasn't surprised with (Hockaday's) shot. I'm just surprised it went in.

“We had a lot of youth, and with it comes a lot of problems. You're trying to get them to play your style. Most of them are used to playing an AAU style. As far as their knowledge, we had to put a lot of time in to get them to understand. When we execute, good things happen. We get layups, uncontested layups. We get jumpers. When they play for their self, that's a problem. They just want to stand around, not set your screen or play good team defense or help out on the backside or do this or that. It's one- or two-minute breakdowns at the wrong time."

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The Clippers graduate only two seniors from their 16-11 team - Laquan Robinson (pictured) and Ronell Williams. They played six sophomores and five freshmen this year. So, like Yarbray and Nelson said, Chester will be back next winter.

When I attend games, I don't like to sit at the scorer's table. Well, I do. But it's not my first choice. And especially not at a gym in which I've never seen a game.

So when I found a spot at Council Rock North Tuesday behind the Chester bench, I took it. In case you didn't get today's paper, the Chester backcourt of Laquan Robinson and Maurice Nelson (pictured) tore it up in the Clippers' win. Here's what I saw and heard from my vantage point:

TV timeout? At Rock North, there was a huge projection screen set up in the far right corner of the gym – sort of like a closed-circuit television broadcast of the game. But the opening tip was delayed for 60 seconds until technical difficulties had been ironed out and the refs had gotten a thumbs-up from the staff at Rock North. So, in a high school game, we had a TV timeout. … Good grief.

“Call it both ways.” Late in the second quarter, Council Rock North's John Raymon was whistled for a personal foul, the Indians' second of the half. A fan of the home team shouted toward the court, “Hey, ref, call it both ways.” … to which Chester assistant coach Keddy Harris shouted back, “Yeah, that's right – call it both ways.” By the time Rock North got its second foul, Chester already had seven.

Just in awe. At halftime, the Rock North cheerleaders did their little song and dance … then they waited on the court to watch the Chester High cheerleaders. Standing there, hands on their waist, they applauded the Clippers' crew after their in-unison splits. And the home-fan-heavy crowd gave the visiting cheerleaders a greater applause than its own squad.

BY THE NUMBERS
22 … turnovers by Council Rock North
15 … Chester's biggest lead, at 32-17 with more than 12 minutes remaining
9 … missed free throws by Chester
4 … first-quarter 3-pointers by Chester's Nelson
2 … offensive rebounds and subsequent putbacks by Chester's Ronnell Williams at the second- and third-quarter buzzers, effectively breaking the Indians' will

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.)