JV wins, 41-27; Varsity losses 60-43
By Jim Beers
JV wins, 41-27
The Chester High School Lady Jacket Basketball Teams opened their 2023 home season Monday night November 27 with a Cahokia Conference matchup with the Wesclin Lady Warriors. Neither team had a freshman game, but the JV and Varsity squads battled for the wins.
The JV game tipped off at 6:00 p.m. under the direction of JV Coach Jen Colman. The first quarter was a close one with Chester outscoring Wesclin 9-8 in the opening 8:00. In that frame freshman Aubrie Colvis scored six of Chester’s nine points.
The second quarter CHS outscored Wesclin 13-7 to lead, 22-15 at the half. Freshman Bailey Hartman kicked off the second period by draining a 3-pointer, after which Lexi Mott single-handedly added 10 points on five buckets.
The third quarter was close with Chester outscoring the Warriors, 12-11. The Lady Jackets led, 34-26 after three quarters of play. Aubrey Colvis was on fire scoring 8 points on three field goals and two free throws. Sophomore Riley Lochhead and Bailey Hartman each scored baskets to finish the scoring.
The fourth quarter was all Chester as the Lady Jackets outscored Wesclin, 7-1 to win the game, 41-27. In the 4th period, Colvis popped a three-pointer, and Hartman and Lochhead each added two points apiece.
In the JV victory, Aubrey Colvis led all scorers with 17 points, followed by Lexi Mott (10), Bailey Hartman (8), Riley Lochhead (4), and Lillian Diskey (2).
Wesclin was led by Amilli Dugans who scored 10 points. She was followed by Jorja Wernle (6), Savanah Pontious (6), Autumn Guyette (3), and Izzy Moeavec (2).
Varsity falls, 60-43
The Varsity game was fast and furious. The Lady Jackets started out strong and led by as many as four points early, 8-4, at the 5:04 mark. Wesclin eased its way into the game as the first quarter wore on taking a 15-14 lead with 45-seconds left in the first.
Coach Jeff Mott watches as Jazzi Merideth fires up a 3-pointer in the game against Wesclin. For the night, Merideth scored 5 points, dished out 3 assists, has 1 steal, and grabbed 4 turnovers. Jim Beers Photo
Chester could not respond down the final stretch and allowed the Lady Warriors to add three more points with 13.3 seconds remaining. Wesclin led, 17-14 after one quarter of play.
In that opening period, Chester’s Lexi Mott scored seven points down low, and Jazzi Merideth drained a 3-pointer and a 2-pointer for 12 of Chester’s 14 points. Aubrie Coleman knocked down a shot for Chester’s final two points.
CHS sophomore, Lexi Mott gets ready to shoot free throws in the game against Wesclin. For the night, Mott was 5-for-8 from the free throw line (62%), and she led all players in overall scoring with 27 points. In addition, Lexi had 2 assists, 2 steals, and 10 rebounds, Jim Beers Photo
The Lady Jackets stalled a bit in the second quarter scoring only eight points. The spirit, speed, determination and confidence that Chester showed throughout the Sparta Tournament was lacking in the home opener.
In the second period, senior Emma Diskey and sophomore Lexi Mott each had identical offensive outings with one field goal and two free throws apiece. For the first half, Mott continued her perfect 3-for-3 performance at the line and Diskey was perfect 2-for-2.
Wesclin scored 15 points in the second frame as senior Lexi Oster came alive and scored nine of the Warriors’ 15 points. She had been absent from the score sheet in the first quarter. Wesclin took a 10-point, 32-22 lead into the locker room at halftime.
Chester picked it up a bit in the third quarter, but was still outscored, 15-11. Wesclin had three guards who were quick, skilled and good shooters. The Lady Warriors applied full-court pressure well and often to disrupt the Lady Jacket’s flow and create turnovers.
Chester’s Jazzi Merideth (12) and Aubrey Coleman (31) contain Wesclin’s Lexi Oster (12) at one point in the 4th quarter Monday November 27 when the Wesclin Warriors came to CHS Colbert Gymnasium. It was the home opener for the Lady Jackets. Jim Beers Photo
In the third frame, Lexi Mott continued to be the work horse for CHS scoring 9-of-11 points. Emma Diskey added two more points to make Chester’s 11-point total.
The Warriors had scoring from five players to increase their cushion over the Jackets. Oster popped a 3-pointer and hit a free throw. Lexi Hooks connected for two field goals and a free throw, Lilly Joslin drained a three-ball, Lauren Marks hit a shot, and Amilli Dugans scored to top off the Warrior scoring. Wesclin led by 14 points, 47-33 after three quarters.
Things got slowly worse in the final quarter as both teams stepped up their aggressiveness and tempers occasionally flared at times. Chester was called for nine fouls in the 4th quarter and Wesclin was called for four fouls.
For Chester, Lexi Mott remained focused on the offensive side, scoring an additional seven points. Aubrey Colvis added a basket and Lillian Diskey hit a free throw. Down the stretch, Jesse Stumpe and Jazzi Merideth both fouled-out of the game.
Wesclin used a semi-stall approach throughout the final period to both burn clock and score an occasional basket when open. That was highly frustrating for CHS and caused them to foul frequently.
In the 4th, Wesclin had seven more points from Oster, four more points from Hooks, and two points from Dugans for an additional 13 points. The Lady Warriors won the game, 60-43.
In the loss, the Lady Jackets were led by Lexi Mott who scored a whopping 27 points. She also had 2 assists, 2 steals, 10 rebounds and 4 turnovers. Emma Diskey had 6 points, six rebounds and 4 turnovers.
Jazzi Merideth had 5 points, 3 assists, 3 rebounds and 2 turnovers. Aubrey Coleman had 2 points, 1 assist, 1 steal, and 8 turnovers. Aubrey Colvis had 2 points, and 2 turnovers. Riley Conley recorded 1 assist, 1 steal, 3 rebounds, and 1 turnover. Lillian Diskey had 1 point, 1 assist, 2 rebounds, and 5 turnovers. Jessica Stumpe recorded 3 assists, 1 steal, 4 rebounds, and 3 turnovers.
As a team, the Jackets scored 43 points, grabbed 28 rebounds, dished out 11 assists, had 6 steals. That could have won the ball game. On the negative side, Chester committed 30 fouls and committed 29 turnovers, thus the loss.
Wesclin was led by Lexi Oster who had 20 points. She was followed by Lexi Hooks (13), Lauren Marks (11), Amilli Dugans (7), Chloe Nordmann (7), and Hailey Kallvy (2). The Lady Warriors committed 12 fouls.
Next up for the Lady Jackets will be a home game Tuesday November 28 when the Gibault Lady Hawks come to town. JV tip-off is 6:00 p.m. Varsity will follow at approximately 7:30 p.m.