Fitting End

East-Rustin a fine finale to wild Ches-Mont season

The COVID-19 virus has affected the local scholastic basketball season, just as it has impacted every portion of our daily lives.

Hence, no Ches-Mont League Final four or official championship game. But, Monday night, the two best teams in the Ches-Mont get together in a “Crossover Showcase” that will crown a de facto Ches-Mont champion.

Both West Chester Rustin,

the top seed from the American Division, and West Chester East, the deafening ChesMont League champions, belong in this game and will play for a third time this season.

Rustin is a team with the only current Division I college prospect in the league in senior guard Griffin Barrouk (Hofstra). Barrouk is a deadly three-point threat and may be at his best when driving to the basket.

The odd thing this season, at least from this chair, is that Barrouk can not seem to get a call from the officials.

Most times, a Division I player will get the benefit of the doubt from the referees, but Barrouk is taking a beating and not getting rewarded by going to the foul line. Even without the benefit of the doubt from the officials, Barrouk can take over a game all by himself.

Also leading the Golden Knights is big man Jacob Barksdale, who, when he gets down on the low block, is a very effective scorer. At the other end he he is always banging the offensive glass.

Mikey Miller and Pete Reinheimer are both legitimate three-point threats and the Golden Knights play with the passion of their head coach Keith Cochran, who has made Rustin one of the top teams in District 1 year in and year out.

West Chester East won both the Ches-Mont League and a District 1 Class 5A championship last year. But, take away the combined 45 points per game of Andrew Carr and Tym Richardson, and many people did not expect much from this edition of the Vikings. Carr is now starring at the University of Delaware, and Richardson will be playing for West Chester University next fall.

Those people were wrong.

Very, very wrong. West Chester East has already beaten Rustin twice this season, and both were close hard-fought games. The Vikings breezed through the Ches-Mont National under excellent guidance from head coach Tom Durant, who has his team playing selflessly and not worrying who is the star.

Point guard Mike Dedda makes things go for the fastpaced offense, and sophomore Jack Kushner is very athletic and a tough customer with good inside moves around the basket. Senior Kieran Hefferan is a deadly three-point shooter and an underrated defender. Big man Jackson Kulp and impressive freshman

Ryan Price both can score inside and both have a good medium range game.

So, even though Monday’s winner will not “officially” be crowned Ches-Mont League champion, the winner will know what the victory means. The matchup will be a fierce one as neighborhood rivals always go at each other tooth and nail every time they meet.

Monday is the official end of the Ches-Mont League season, with district playoffs to follow, beginning Saturday. Whoever wins tonight — and every other team who played this season — will be winners for navigating this crazy year of COVID-19.

Between wearing masks to play probably the most aerobic sport there is, and socially distancing off the floor, both West Chester Rustin and West Chester East have made it to the end of the season clearly as the best teams in each division.

The regular season was questionable because of COVID-19, but through the hard work and dedication of all the kids, coaches and administrators in the Ches-Mont, we reach a conclusion Monday night.

That is the way it should be.

PETE BANNAN — MNG FILE Rustin’s Griffin Barrouk, here during the first practice of the season in January, leads his team against W.C. East tonight.

NATE HECKENBERGER — MNG FILE West Chester East’s Mike Dedda drives the engine for the Vikings.