Something about Rondae Jefferson's game Tuesday night looked unfamiliar.

He shared the ball (six assists). He rebounded well (four boards, two offensive). He played sound defensively (three steals). But the junior combo guard, ranked 19th nationally at his position for the Class of 2013, was cold from the floor.

Jefferson shot 1-for-4 from the field, 1-for-6 from the free-throw line and finished with three points in Chester's 59-31 pasting of Methacton in Tuesday's second round of the District One Class AAAA tournament.

Afterward, Jefferson said he felt "a little sore in my legs. It's nothing. I'm 100 percent." His coach told a different story.

"He wasn't feeling well tonight. He's the type of dude who's not going to tell you that," said Chester coach Larry Yarbray. "I could tell he wasn't well. He was the last one out of the locker room. He's the type who's going to play no matter what. If he's not scoring, he's going to rebound and play defense. Next game, maybe he'll make a few shots for us. But 75 percent of Rondae Jefferson is still better than most high school players.

Even while failing to make a difference in the scoring column, Jefferson led the Clippers in assists. And when Chester made only one bucket in the opening six minutes of the third quarter, he had a pair of helpers to start the fourth ... including a spot-on bounce pass into Erikk Wright's breadbasket to finish off a baseline drive.

"He finds ways to help, always," Wright said of Jefferson. "That's the kind of player he is." Added Jefferson: "I don't know. I just try to come out and play my game. It ended up being a pass-first kind of night."

Top-seeded Chester (24-0), which qualified for the PIAA tournament, hosts No. 9 Norristown Friday in a district quarterfinal.

(Times staff photo / ERIC HARTLINE)