Jackets beat Appleknockers, 54-20, behind double-digit scoring of Mott, Coleman and Merideth
By Jim Beers
CHESTER –The first round of the 2024 Lady Jackets Mid-Winter Classic Basketball Tournament is over and the girls from CHS have won against the Cobden Appleknockers to advance to the Semi-Finals.
Chester’s Lexie Mott (33) goes hard to the hoop to score a basket in th opening minutes of the 1st Round win over Cobden. In the game Mott led the team in scoring with 12 points and she grabbed 5 rebounds, 1 assist, and 1 steal. Jim Beers Photo
Chester hosted Cobden on Day 2 of the tournament Wednesday January 3 at 6:00 p.m. The Jackets led throughout the game and at the final buzzer, Chester had a final score of 54-20, over the guest Lady Appleknockers.
In the first quarter, Chester jumped out to an early, 4-0 lead as Lexie Mott scored back-to-back buckets. Cobden’s Natalie Franklin scored Cobden’s first points at the 4:44 mark to trail by two points, 4-2. Lady Appleknocker Dixie Kaufman scored Cobden’s next points at the 4:34 mark to tie the game, 4-4, and that’s the closest Cobden would get to CHS the rest of the contest.
Chester’s Camryn Luthy (13) drains a 3-pointer at the 3:09 mark of the Chester vs Cobden 1st Round game Wednesday January 3. Luthy, just returned to action after a 2-year layoff from basketball and a sidelining leg surgery earlier this season, In the 54-20 win, Luthy scored 5 points, grabbed 2 rebounds and dished out 2 assists. Jim Beers Photo
Lexi Mott scored again at 3:42 to retake Chester’s lead, 6-4, and the Jackets never looked back. Chester senior Camryn Luthy drained a 3-pointer at the 3:09 mark to extend Chester’s lead to 9-4, but Cobden’s Dixie Kaufmann scored at 3:05 to get the Appleknockers back with three points, 9-6.
To end the first quarter, Lady Jacket Aubrey Colvis, a freshman, knocked down a shot to extend Chester’s lead to 11-6 and that is how the first quarter closed out.
In the second quarter, the YellowJackets spread their wings a bit more and outscored the Appleknockers, 18-8 to extend their lead, 29-14 at the half.
Lexie Mott was still on a roll to begin the second period as she rolled with back-to-back-to-back baskets to give Chester a 17-6 lead at the 5:16 mark. At that point Mott had scored 12-of-Chester’s 17 points.
Senior Jazzi Merideth popped a 3-pointer at the 3:40 mark and Lexie Mott struck again the 3:14 mark as Chester broadened its lead to 22-9.
Natalie Franklin gave Cobden six points in the second quarter and Dora Funes added two points for the Appleknocker’s eight points.
Closing out the half, Chester’s Jessica Stumpe, a sophomore, got in the scorebook with a 2-pointer and Aubrey Coleman hit a pair of buckets, one a trey and the other a deuce, to close out the first half.
A minute into the second half, junior Rylie Conley knocked down a bucket for her first score in the game. Cobden’s Kylie Hale hit a basket for the Appleknocker’s first score of the second half. Chester led, 31-16.
Sophomore Aubrey Coleman (31) fires a 3-pointer in the 1st Round win over the Cobden Lady Appleknockers. For the night, Coleman scored 10 points on a pair of 3-pointers and a pair of 2-pointers. She also dished out an assist. She was one of three Lady Jackets to score in double figures. Jim Beers Photo
The rest of the third quarter Cobden would only be able to score two more points, both on Natalie Franklin’s individual free throws, one at the 4:24 mark and the other at the 1:26 mark.
Chester, on the other hand, would add 12 more points, on the shooting of Jesse Stumpe (4), Rylie Conley (2), Camryn Luthy (2), Lexie Mott (2), and Aubrey Coleman (2). Chester outscored Cobden14-4 in the third quarter to lead, 43-18. The highlight of that period was a huge steal by Jessica Stumpe after which she drove to the basket and put it in at the 2:12 mark.
The Lady Jackets almost shut out the Appleknockers in the fourth quarter, outscoring them, 11-2, to win the game by 34 points, 54-20.
In that last frame, senior Jazzi Merideth hit a pair of 3-pointers, Aubrey Coleman hit her second 3-pointer of the night, and Rylie Conley knocked down her third 2-pointer of the second half.
In the win, Lexie Mott led the Jackets, shooting 53% (8-of-15) from 2-point range for 16 points. She also grabbed 5 rebounds, dished out 1 assist and had 1 steal. Sophomore Aubrey Coleman scored 10 points making 2-of-2 from 2-point range (100%) and 2-of-2 from 3-point range.
Sophomore Aubrey Coleman scored 10 points on a pair of 3-pointers and a pair of 2-pointers. She also dished out 1 assist.
Chester’s Jazzi Merideth (12) puts up one of her three, 3-pointers in the 1st Round game against the Cobden Lady Appleknockers. In the win, Merideth, who just returned to action after suffering an earlier season injury, scored 9 points, grabbed 3 rebounds, and recorded 2 assists. Jim Beers Photo
Jazzi Merideth, a Lady Jacket senior, who just returned from the disabled injury list, scored 9 points (all 3-pointers), grabbed 2 rebounds and had 2 assists.
Jesse Stumpe scored six points, led the team in assists with 4, grabbed 3 rebounds, and had 2 steals. Junior Rylie Conley scored 6 points (3-of-5 from 2-point range or 60%), grabbed 3 rebounds, and had 1 assist and 1 steal.
Senior Camryn Luthy, another player who just returned from the disabled injury list, knocked down a huge 3-pointer to start the first half and hit a 2-ponter to kick-start the second half. She also recorded 2 rebounds and 2 assists. Aubrey Colvis, a freshman, hit a last second field goal to close out the first quarter scoring.
Cobden had just one player score in double figures. Natalie Franklin scored 10 points. She was joined by Dixie Kaufmann (6), Kylie Hale (2), and Dora Funes (2).
With the win the Jackets advanced to the Semi-Final round Friday evening January 5 to play Valmeyer at 7:30 p.m. The win also improves Chester to an overall season record of 10-7.
1st Round action:
Marissa 47-New Athens 17
Sparta 42-Steeleville 39
Chester 54 – Cobden 20
Valmeyer 37- Dupo 31
Upcoming games:
#4 Steeleville will host # 8 New Athens Thursday January 4 in the Consolation Semi-Final
#1 Marissa will host #5 Sparta Thursday January 4 at 7:30 in the Semi-Final
#6 Dupo will host #7 Cobden Friday January 5 at 6:00 p.m. in the Consolation Semi-Final
#2 Chester will host # 3 Valmeyer Friday Jan. 5 at 7:30 p.m. in the Semi-Final