Faw’s return perfect timing as Chester is clipped by Upper Merion

CHESTER >> Doctors ordered Upper Merion senior Matt Faw to spend six weeks off he suffered a bone injury in his foot following an awkward landing in a December game.

But the Vikings sure are happy to have their 6-8 superstar back in the fold for the playoffs.

When No. 8 Upper Merion walked into Chester High’s Clip Joint for Saturday’s District 1 Class 5A quarterfinal, not many folks were expecting an upset. The Clippers were the top seed and a perennial contender for a PIAA championship. Faw and the Vikings didn’t care. “I believed as soon as I got in here, that we were going to win,” Faw said.

Faw poured in a game-high 23 points, grabbed 10 rebounds and was perfect at the foul line down the stretch, going 8-for-8 in the fourth quarter to lead the Vikings to a 53-50 victory. UM (15-9) advances to the semifinal round Wednesday to face No. 4 Bishop Shanahan at Temple University’s Liacouras Center.

The Clippers (18-6) will have to kick the bitter taste of a stunning defeat and battle for a berth in the PIAA tournament out of the losers bracket. The Clippers will tackle fifth-seeded West Chester Rustin Wednesday.

With 29.1 seconds to play, and Chester clinging to a one-point lead, Clippers point guard Michael Smith missed a 1-and-1. Faw came down with the rebound, was fouled and strolled to the line where he made two to put the Vikings in front, 51-50.

Chester fumbled an opportunity to take the win in dramatic fashion. A loose ball led to a mad scrum underneath the basket. A jump ball was called, with the possession arrow in Upper Merion’s favor with 2.1 seconds to go.

Faw received the ensuing pass and was hacked with inbound 0.8 seconds. He calmly swished to make it 53-50.

While Upper Merion was effective from the charity stripe (18-for-22), Chester struggled mightily in far fewer opportunities (2-for-9).

Ahrod Carter heaved a full-court shot as time expired. Chester had fallen in the second round of districts. What happened? Jamar Sudan tried to explain it. The 6-7 power forward was a monster in the fourth quarter, willing his team back from the abyss after Upper Merion grabbed a 45-40 advantage with four minutes left. Sudan scored eight of his 14 points in the final period, but just as he was heating up and single-handedly (with a hat tip to Brian Randolph III, who came up with a few clutch steals) put the Clippers in front late, he was whistled for his fifth foul of the night.

“I felt like I had to take over and put the team on my back,” Sudan said. “At the start of the fourth quarter we all came together. We didn’t want to lose in our house. We just needed to come out like that from the beginning.”

Carter had five 3-pointers and Clippers with 18 points.

Make no mistake, the Clippers had respect for the Vikings, who matched up very well with their trademark size and athleticism.

“We had a whole scouting report on them. We knew how good they can be,” Sudan said. “But tonight … it just wasn’t our night.” both freebies led all