CHESTER, Pa. – When Joe Arbitello said he was happy to be playing nationally ranked Chester in Chester coming off a 32-point loss, this is what the Christ the King coach hoped for.
A hostile environment against a tough opponent with his fatigued team rising to the challenge.
The result wasn’t exactly what Arbitello imagined – the Royals fell, 65-53, to Chester in the fifth annual Villa Holiday Classic at Widener University – but the selfish and lethargic play he saw in Friday’s loss lopsided loss to Neumann Goretti didn’t resurface.
“You’re never happy after a loss, but we came out and competed hard,” he said. “You have to be sharp to beat that team and we missed a couple of free throws and layups.”
CK stood toe-to-toe with Chester, the defensive-minded defending PIAA Class AAAA champion ranked 14th in the country by USA Today, for 32 minutes. It trailed by just a point at halftime and was even at 36 late in the third quarter before the Clippers (9-0) created a cushion with a 11-3 run.
Fighting back, the Royals (4-3) got within three late in the fourth quarter after an Isaiah Lewis basket, but their momentum was quickly short-circuited when Lewis was assessed a technical foul for taunting.
“I scored the ball, I clapped and the ref teched me,” Lewis said. “I’m a very emotional player. I got a little too emotional.’
He later added: “He was right there, but I didn’t mean to clap directly in his face.”
Darius Robinson hit two free throws and Kareem Robinson scored in transition as Chester quickly extended the difference to 57-with 1:45 left and CK never got closer than five the rest of the way.
“Undoubtedly the turning point in the game,” Arbitello said. “We were making a run on them.”
Lewis accepted blame for the defeat afterward, saying he needs to play smarter and erase mental mistakes.
Omar Calhoun scored 24 points to lead CK and made 15-of-18 free throws, virtually forcing his way to the line to keep the Royals within striking distance. Jordan Fuchs enjoyed arguably his best game of the season, scoring 10 points and making his presence felt off the glass at each end of the floor.
“I was happy with what I saw,” Arbitello said.
It wasn’t enough for the weary Royals, who were playing their fourth game in five nights. Not only did CK lose for the second straight game, but the defeat also clinched bragging rights for Philadelphia, which won the day-long showcase, 3-2, one year after getting swept.
The victory brought relief for Chester. Playing in front of his home crowd, with the Villa Holiday Classic on the line, highly recruited forward Rondae Jefferson (18 points, 10 rebounds, four blocks and four steals) said he would have had to go into hiding if he had finished up on the short end.
“They’re in our hometown so it was either win or the whole city was going to be mad at us,” he said, laughing.
Christ the King has other worries – like getting back into the win column.