Three players score in double figures to sting the Rangers, 47-32, including Coleman (12), Conley (10) and Stumpe (10)
By Jim Beers
CHESTER – Some say that, “There’s no place like home”! CHS Head Lady Basketball Jacket Coach, Jeff Mott, sure believes that fact after his home game Monday January 27 when his Lady Jackets beat the visiting Lady Rangers from Benton, 47-32.
The Lady Jackets had just spent the last ten games, over a three week period, on the road during which Chester brought home a road record of 4-8. The last home game was Thursday December 12 when the Jackets hosted Okawville to a 54-30 loss.
The last win for the CHS girls was Thursday January 23 when the Lady Jackets beat Steeleville on the road, 49-33. Monday night against Benton it was nice for the Jackets to get back to the friendly and supportive confines of Colbert Memorial Gymnasium on Rocky Bridges Court!
Benton is known as being a good team that brings toughness and talent to any game. The Lady Jackets, however, were ready to play in front of a home crowd after not having played at home since December 12.
Head Lady Jacket Coach Jeff Mott said, “Coach Kevin Cartwright has missed the past week due to an injury. Monday night was his first night back. Kevin has been a huge addition to my coaching staff and is my motivator!”
“Kevin brings a lot of energy to the team and that is infectious. We have missed that lately. He gave the girls a pregame speech that had them fired up and I really believe that speech was the difference in the game.”
Benton came into the game having played a really tough schedule and won against some good teams. We knew they were going to be tough, but we came out and played with a lot of energy. Benton had the size advantage but we did the right things and outrebounded them 45-31. We also forced them into a lot of rushed shots with pressure on defense.”
The Lady Jackets buzzed out to a 12-6 first quarter lead and stunned the Lady Rangers. In that first frame the Jackets had aggressive offensive play from five players. Lillian Diskey set the tone with a field goal and 2-of-4 free throws. Rylie Conley made 3-of-4 free throws.
Lexi Mott, who was double and triple teamed throughout the night was 2-of-4 from the free throw line. Jessica Stumpe was 1-of-2 from the line, and Aubrey Coleman drained a field goal to complete the 12-point effort.
The Lady Jackets continued to sting the Rangers in the second quarter behind the play of junior Aubrey Coleman drained a pair of 3-pointers, and a two-pointer for eight points to kick off the second quarter. Rylie Conley added a field goal, and Jessica Stumpe made a basket and hit 1-of-2 free throws.
The girls from Chester outscored Benton, 13-10, in the second frame to lead by nine points, 25-16 at halftime.
After the break, action returned to Colbert Gym with competition fierce and fast as both Chester and Benton were determined to take the game. In the third frame, Benton did outscore Chester, 11-9, but still were not successful in overtaking the Lady Jackets!
Rylie Conley opened the second half by draining a three point shot. That seemed to spark the Chester girls and keep up the momentum. Riley Lochhead, Jessica Stumpe and Lexi Mott each hit buckets to round out the nine point Chester third quarter scoring. After three quarters of play, the Lady Jackets led by seven points, 34-27.
The fourth quarter was very fierce and hard-fought. Both teams were playing with aggressiveness and determination and a bit of anger at times. Early in the period the Lady Rangers attempted to stay up with the Lady Jackets and did a decent job of staying competitive.
As the quarter worn on, the Jackets were relentless and continued to play tough defense and maintained the composition on offense to keep stinging the Rangers with consistent scoring. The Jackets had an answer for every Ranger challenge and managed to slowly edge away in the scoring column.
Rylie Conley scored again on a marginal 2-pointer that most fans thought was a three-point ball. Jessica Stumpe popped another 2-pointer and was 2-of-4 at the free throw line. After being silent in the third quarter, Aubrey Coleman scored again in the closing frame with a bucket.
In the fourth quarter frustration and desperation forced Benton to guard closer, reach more often and foul numerous times to stop the clock. The Jackets were sent to the free throw line 12 times in the fourth quarter and made seven of those free shots.
Chester’s Lexi Mott was a favorite target down the stretch and was sent to the line seven times. She made five of those shots to give the Jackets that winning edge to make the victory a sure thing. At the final buzzer, Chester led by 12 points, 47-32, to win the battle.
In the win, Aubrey Coleman led the scoring with 12 points. Two other Lady Jackets scored in double figures including Rylie Conley (10) and Jessica Stumpe (10). Other contributors included Lexi Mott (9), Lillian Diskey (4), and Riley Lochhead (2). The Jackets made 16-of-30 free throws (53%). They also made 11 two-pointers and 3 three pointers. The Jackets outrebounded the Rangers 45-31 and played hard, smart defense.
The Rangers also had two players score in double figures including J. Webb (10) and M. Webb (10). Other scorers were Zazzetti (4), Barry (3), Groves (3), and Glover (2). Glover was ejected from the game at the 4:21 mark of the second quarter. At that time she had already accumulated two fouls.
The Lady Rangers were 11-of-20 from the free throw line (55%). They recorded six 2-pointers and three 3-pointers. The Rangers had two players foul out with five fouls and two more players with four fouls.
With the win, Chester improved to an overall record of 8-14 and a Cahokia Conference, Illinois Division record of 1-5. Coach Jeff Mott said, “I’ve said all season this team has what it takes to be a really good team. Against Benton they showed what they are capable of doing. It was a total team effort!”
In the JV game the JV Benton Rangers won that contest by a score of 30-16, over the JV Lady Jackets.
Next up will be another road trip, this time to Okawville Thursday January 30. The Lady Jackets will close out Week 10 with a second road trip Saturday February 1 at Carterville. Tip off for the JV game will be 12 noon with the varsity game to follow.
Lady Jacket Aubrey Coleman (31) shoots against the Benton Lady Rangers Monday January 27 ay Chester High School’s Colbert Memoria; Gymnasium. Coleman led the Lady Jackets in scoring with 12 points for the night to help her team beat the Benton Lady Rangers, 47-32, on a hard-fought game which brought out one of the best team efforts of the season for the Jackets. Jim Beers Photo
Jessica Stumpe (24) knocks down her 4th free throw of the night Monday January 27 when Chester hosted the Benton Lady Rangers. The Jackets won, 47-32, against a very good Rangers team. In the win, Stumpe hit 4-of-8 free throws and three field goals to become one of three Lady Jackets to score in double figures. Jim Beers Photo
Rylie Conley (4) Chester’s only senior on the 2024-25 Lady Jackets Basketball Team was one of three YellowJacket players to score in double figures in the win over the Benton Lady Rangers. Conley scored ten points on a three-pointer, three 2-point field goals, and 3-of-4 free throw shooting. Conley has been a consistent scorer and leader on this squad throughout the first 22 games. Jim Beers Photo