Both JV and Varsity stay close through 3 quarters, but let down in final periods
By Jim Beers
CHESTER – The Chester High School Lady Jackets Junior Varsity and Varsity Basketball teams hosted the Red Bud High School Lady Musketeers JV and Varsity teams Thursday February 1 at Colbert Memorial Gymnasium on Rocky Bridges Court.
Both games were ell played and extremely competitive throughout the first three quarters of each game, however, the 4th Quarter proved to be disastrous for both the CHS JV Lady Jackets and the CHS Varsity Jackets.
Red Bud JV 38-CHS JV 28
The Junior Varsity trailed by just seven points, 11-4, after one quarter of play and pulled within four points at halftime, 23-19. In the third quarter both teams scored seven points so Red Bud still led by four points, 30-26, after three quarters. The final quarter was Chester’s downfall as the JV Lady Musketeers outscored CHS, 8-2, to eventually win by 10 points, 38-28.
In the loss the JV Lady Jackets were led by Aubrey Colvis who scored 10 points. She was followed by five other players who contributed points including Riley Lochhead (7), Lexi Mott (5), Lillian Diskey (3), Bailey Hartman (2), and Jesse Stumpe (1). Mott, Diskey and Stumpe play extensively on the Varsity squad and do not play many minutes on the JV squad.
Red Bud was led by Julia Whelan, a freshman, and Olivia Geralds, who both scored eight points apiece. They were followed by Talia Carter (6), Brooke Grohmann (5), Tori Muench (4), Lilly Minemann, (3), Addy Piel and Kendra Ehret who each scored two points apiece.
Red Bud Varsity 51-CHS Varsity
Lady Jackets Head Coach, Jeff Mott, takes a timeout to talk to his Chester team in the game against Red Bud Thursday February 1 at CHS Colbert Memorial Gym. Jim Beers Photo
The Varsity game was likewise very close and competitive throughout the first three quarters.
The first time that both teams met this season it was in Week 1 at the Sparta Tournament in Game 3 of the season for the 2023 tournament championship. That game was a knock-down-drag-out with Red Bud slipping by with a slim, 2-point victory, 55-53. The Lady Musketeers won the title and the Lady Jackets took home the runner-up trophy.
The second time that Chester and Red Bud met it was Week 7 in Game 20 of the 2023-24 season. The game was played at Red Bud and it was the first time that the two met in Cahokia Conference, Illinois Division play. In that match-up the Lady Musketeers blew out the Lady Jackets, 64-34, to drop Chester to an overall record of 11-9, and a conference record of 1-4.
The Lady Jackets were looking forward to getting Red Bud on Rocky Bridges Court for their third meeting of the season. The Jackets came into the game with a record of 13-14 overall and a conference record of 1-7. The very young Lady Jacket squad was much more mature in Game 28 of the season in Week 10, and had high hopes of getting a win in front of the home crowd.
Chester High School Lady Jacket Rylie Conley (4), a junior guard, fires and drains a 3-pointer late in the first quarter to tie the game 10-10 Thursday February 1 against Red Bud. Jim Beers Photo
In the first quarter Red Bud got out on a 6-0 run in the opening three minutes. Emma Diskey scored Chester’s first points at the 4:45 mark and Chester trailed by just four points, 6-2.
Red Bud’s Lyla Hess answered with a basket 10-seconds later the give the Musketeers an 8-2 lead. The Jackets answered Hess’s bucket with a 5-0 run on Aubrey Colvis’ 2-pointer and Lexie Mott’s basket and free throw on her corresponding foul. Chester was within one point, 8-8 at the 2:40 mark.
Red Bud’s Jeda Friess answered that run with a basket to extend the Musketeers’ lead to 10-7 with 2:17 to play in the first quarter. With just 25-seconds remaining, Chester’s Rylie Conley drained a 3-pointer to tie the game, 10-10. To end the first period, Red Bus’s Jeda Friess hit a free throw and at the buzzer, teammate Lyla Hess hit a bucket to take a 13-0 lead after one quarter of battle.
The first quarter saw Chester tie the game, 10-10 with 25-seconds to play, and Red Bud re-take the lead, 13-10 in the final seconds. That set the tone for the night and the next two periods would see Chester tie the game two more times and get a very short lead, 19-18.
The Lady Jackets would get within 3-points at both the end of the half and after three quarters of battle before Red Bud began its slow ascent to a 13-pont victory.
CHS Lady Jacket Basketball player Jesse Stumpe (2), a sophomore, closely guards Red Bud Lady Musketeer Lilly Minemann (0), a freshman, Thursday February 1 when Red Bud came to Chester for a Cahokia Conference, Illinois Division matchup. Jim Beers Photo
To start the second quarter Chester’s Lexie Mott drained a 3-pointer just a minute into the period to tie the game for the second time, 13-13. A minute Red Bud’s Addi Dilley hit a 2-pointer to re-gain the lead, 15-13. Dilley then hit back-to-back free throws to further extend the Red Bud lead to 17-13.
Chester’s Lillian Diskey came into the game and connected for a 3-pointer to get the Jackets within one point, 17-16 at the 2:12 mark. Lady Jacket freshman, Aubrey Colvis then hit a free throw at 1:37 to give Chester its only lead of the game, 18-17.
With 1:21q remaining in the first half, Red Bud’s Tori Muench hit her only basket of the game to re-take the Red Bud lead, 19-18. Chester’s Aubrey Coleman immediately answered with a free throw to tie the game for the final time, 19-19.
The final minute was a fee throw fest as Red Bud’s Addi Dilley and Lilly Minemann each sank two free throw apiece and Chester’s Aubrey Colvis sank a free throw to end both the quarter and the half with Red Bud leading by three points, 23-20.
After the half, Red Bud’s Addi Dilley hit a basket to extend the Lady Musketeers to 25-20 and Lilly Minemann scored to extend to 27-20.
Chester answered with a basket by Lexie Mott and a three pointer by Aubrey Coleman to get the Lady Jackets back within two points, 27-25, at the 5:57 mark. Twenty seconds later the Musketeers’ Addi Diller struck again with a 3-point shot to extend the Red Bud lead to 30-25.
Seven seconds after that, Lexi Mott popped a 2-pointer and Chester was back within three points, 30-27. Both teams traded baskets the rest of the final 3:45 of the 3rd Quarter with both teams scoring five more points. After three quarters of play, Red Bud led by just three points, 35-32.
Chester’s Lexi Mott started the 4th Quarter with a two-pointer just 50-seconds into the frame to bring Chester within one point, 35-34. What looked as if would be a race to the finish with possibly a last second buzzer-beater to decide the outcome, Red Bud began a slow-but-steady 16-6 run to win the game, 51-38.
During that run, Chester had four players foul-out including Jessica Stumpe, Camryn Luthy, Jazzi Merideth, and Aubrey Coleman. The loss of those players contributed to Red Bud’s success.
The closest that CHS would get during that dreadful final stretch would be seven points three different times; at 4:26 (41-34); at 1:52 (44-37); and 1:36 (45-38). Red Bud made a 6-0 run in the final 1:10. At the buzzer, the Lady Musketeers led, 51-38 to win the game.
In the loss the Lady Jackets had seven players contribute to the 38 point total. Only one player scored in double figures. Lexie Mott scored 16 points, grabbed five rebounds, dished out 2 assists and committed 2 turnovers.
The nest-highest scorer was freshman Aubrey Colvis who scored 5 points, grabbed 2 rebounds, dished out 1 assist, committed 2 turnovers and was the only Chester player to block a shot.
Aubrey Coleman and Emma Diskey each scored 4 points apiece. Coleman also grabbed 1 rebound and committed 2 turnovers. Emma Diskey tied Mott with 5 rebounds, dished out 1 rebound, and committed 4 turnovers.
Rylie Conley, Camryn Luthy, and Lillian Diskey each scored 3 points apiece. Conley also had 2 rebounds, 1 assist and 2 turnovers. Luthy recorded 1 rebound, 3 assists, and 2 turnovers, and Lillian Diskey had 1 rebound, 1 assist, 2 steals, and 1 turnover. Jazzi Merideth recorded 3 rebounds, and 1 steal. Jesse Stumpe had 2 boards, 2 assists, 1 steal, and 6 turnovers.
The Lady Jackets were 4-of-7 from the free throw line (57%); 8-of-23 from 2-point range (35%); 6-of-21 from the 3-point arc (29%); and 14-of-44 from the field (32%).
Red Bud was led by two players that scored in double figures. Lyla Hess scored 18 points. Addi Dilley scored 14 points. Other scorers included Jeda Friess (7), Lilly Minemann (6), and Talia Carter, Emma Carter, and Tori Muench with two points apiece.
The Lady Jackets coach Jeff Mott was impressed with their play.
“We played much better than our previous meeting with Red Bud January 8th at Red Bud,” he said. “I felt like we ran our half court sets a little better and I felt like our defense was pretty good as always! We played hard and the game was even for 3 1/2/ quarters, but we just couldn’t finish the game strong.. We rebounded much better and handled the press good and WE did knock down some perimeter shots and that has been hurting us lately. WE just have to keep taking small steps!”
Chester will play at DuQuoin Saturday afternoon February 3 when all four CHS teams, JV girls and Boys, and Varsity Boys and Girls, will compete at the Indians’ floor in an afternoon of basketball.
Thursday February 8 the Lady Jackets will host their final home game and final regular-season game of the 2023-24 season when Sparta comes to Chester High School Colbert Memorial Gymnasium on Rocky Bridges Court for a Cahokia Conference, Illinois Division contest. It will also be 2024 Senior Night.
Chester will host Round 1 of the 2024 IHSA Regional Tournament next Saturday evening February 10 at CHS Colbert Gymnasium. The Chester Lady Jackets will face the Anna-Jonesboro Lady Wildcats with tip-off at 6:00 p.m.