YellowJackets edge New Athens, 59-56

By Jim Beers, Contributing Writer

   CHESTER — The Chester High School YellowJackets had a light Week 9 with just one game on the schedule. 

 

The Jackets traveled to New Athens Tuesday January 18 to challenge the New Athens YellowJackets.  It was game No. 20 for CHS and the boys from Chester were locked and loaded for a win.

           

Just three days earlier, Saturday January 15, the Chester YellowJackets faced the New Athens YellowJackets in the 3rd Place game of the 58th Annual Chester Invitational Tournament.  Chester won that game, by just two points, 69-67, to win the 3rd Place trophy.

           

On the road at New Athens, it was expected that the boys from New Athens would be hoping for a bit of pay-back, and that it might be another hard-fought contest.  Those sentiments were correct as the re-match was very competitive and was anyone’s game to win late in the game.

           

After one quarter of play, New Athens led Chester 16-8 behind the efforts of four different players.  Gannon Birkner scored seven points on two field goals and 3-of-6 shooting at the free throw line.  Isaiah Lintker hit back-to-back three-pointers, Kaden Vielweber hit a field goal and Andrew Wynn made a free throw.

Chester‘s Gavin Schroeder (0), a 5’8″ junior guard, had a good game Tuesday January 18 in the win at New Athens.  The Jackets won, 59-56 and Schroeder was one of three YellowJacket players to score in double figures with 14 points.  Shown here Schroeder gets set on defense in a recent CHS home game at Colbert Gymnasium.  Jim Beers Photo

 

Chester’s eight points came from just two players.  Jared Landeros hit a trey and a two-pointer and Chance Mott drained a three ball.  New Athens led, 16-8 after the first quarter.

 

The tables turned in the second quarter as Chester outscored New Athens, 12-9.  In the second, Jared Landeros and Cooper Eggemeyer combined for nine Chester points and Gavin Schroeder drained a 3-pointer to round out the Jackets 12-point period.

 

New Athens got six points off the bench from Codey Boone who made three field goals.  Gannon Birkner added three more points by making 3-of-5 free throws from the charity stripe.

 

The New Athens YellowJackets still led by four points, 25-20 at halftime.

Chance Mott (4), a junior, 5’10” Yellow Jacket guard, was one of three players to score in double figures Tuesday January 18 when Chester won at New Athens, 59-56.  Mott scored 11 points in the win. Shown here Mott demonstrates his athleticism as he soars to the basket in a recent Yellow Jacket home game.  Jim Beers Photo 

 

After a brief break, the boys from Chester returned to the court and exploded for 22 points.  Jared Landeros led the charge with seven points on a pair of two-pointers and a three ball.  Chance Mott chipped in six points on a trey, a two-pointer and a free throw. 

Gavin Schroeder recorded five points with his second three-pointer of the game and added two points on 2-for-2 free throw shooting.  Trace Fricke rounded out the 22-point effort with 2-of-4 from the free throw line. 

 

New Athens added 16 points with scoring from four players.  Isaiah Lintker and Andrew Wynn each scored 10-points apiece, Gannon Birkner scored five points on two field goals and a free throw, and Codey Boone made one free throw to round out the New Athens third quarter.

 

With Chester’s 22-point effort, the YellowJackets regained the lead, 42-41- after three quarters of competition.

 

Both teams were confident and ready to fight to the finish, so the fourth quarter was an exciting, competitive 8:00.  The final period could have actually been titled a “free throw fest” as there were a total of 24 free throws attempted down the stretch.

 

Chester went to the line ten times making 8-of-10 free shots and New Athens went to the line making 9-of-14 attempts.  CHS outscored New Athens, 17-15 in the fourth quarter to manage to edge the New Athens YellowJackets out for the three-point win, 59-56.

 

In the fourth quarter Chester was led by Gavin Schroeder who connected for a three-pointer and he made 3-of-4 free throws for a total of six points.  Jared Landeros made a field goal and all three of his free throws for five points. 

 

Trace Frick made a basket and one free throw for three points and Chance Mott scored two points. Rounding out the 17-point effort was Cooper Eggemeyer who split a two-point free throw attempt for one point.

 

The New Athens YellowJackets were paced by Isaiah Lintker who drained a three-pointer and made 3-of-5 free throws for six points.  Gannon Birkner scored four points on a field goal and 2-fdor-2 free throw shooting.  Andrew Wynn made a field goal and 1-of-3 free throws, and Kaden Vielweber made 2-of-4 free throws for two points, for a total of 15 points.

 

In the win, the Chester YellowJackets had three players score in double figures including Jared Landeros (22), Gavin Schroeder (14), and Chance Mott (11).  Cooper Eggemeyer and Trace Fricke each scored five points apiece and Ethen Stumpe added two points. The Jackets hit 10 two-pointers, seven 3-pointers and made 18-of-27 free throws (67 percent).

 

New Athens was paced by two players who scored in double figures including Gannon Birkner (19) and Isaiah Lintker (17).  Other contributors were Andrew Wynn (9), Codey Boone (7), and Kaden Vielweber (4).  For the night, New Athens made 11 two-pointers, five 3-pointers, and made 19-of-31 free throws (61 percent).

 

Chester will now play eight more games to close out the regular season. 

 

In Week 10 CHS will host Madison Thursday January 27 in a re-scheduled game that was supposed to take place Tuesday January 4.  This will be a varsity game that takes place following a Lady Jacket vs Okawville game which tips off at 6 p.m.  The boys will host Madison at 7:30 p.m. 

The next night, Friday January 28, the YellowJackets will travel to Okawville to take on the Rockets in a Cahokia Conference, Illinois Division match up.