2026 Champions are the Marissa Meteors; Runners Up are Chester Lady Jackets
By Jim Beers
CHESTER – The 19th Annual Chester High School Lady Jackets Mid-Winter Classic Basketball Tournament is completed and in the books! This year’s weather cooperated beautifully and all five nights/sessions went without a hitch.
Marissa and Chester battled it out for four quarters and the final decision was not reached until the final seconds of the contest. The Marissa Meteors edged the host Lady Jackets by just three points, 54-51. The Meteors were Tournament Champions and the Chester Lady Jackets were Runners-Up. Both teams were awarded trophies.
Trico and Cobden faced off in the game for 3rd Place. The Lady Pioneers led the entire game and won by 16 points, 48-32. Trico was awarded the 3rd Place Trophy, finishing 3rd. The Lady Appleknockers finished in 4th Place.
Sparta and Dupo competed for the title of Consolation Champion. The game was competitive for the first half, but the Lady Bulldogs led by 18 points, 46-28, at the final buzzer. They were awarded the Consolation Championship Trophy, having placed 5th overall. The Dupo Tigers finished in 6th Place.
New Athens and Steeleville played for the 7th Place title. The Lady Yellowjackets won, 51-34, to claim the honor. The Lady Warriors finished in 8th Place.
MVP and All-tournament Team Honorees
The Most Valuable Player (MVP) for the tournament was Chester’s Lexi Mott (#33)
The All-Tournament Team included:
Championship Game
Marissa: Peyton Bickert (#32), Kennedy Trieb,= (#5)
Chester Lexi Mott (#33), Jessica Stumpe (#24)
3rd Place Game
Trico: Whitney Lovel (#23), Hayleigh Franklin (#4)
Consolation Championship Game
Sparta: Liberty Johnson (#2), Ruthie Pillers (#15)
7th Place Game:
Steeleville: Rylan Reiss (#24
New Athens: Brooke Deterding (#3)
Championship Game: Marissa 54-Chester 51
The Championship Game was a highly contested event from start-to-finish. Marissa started off big outscoring Chester, 17-10, in the first quarter. Chester answered with a 14-8 second quarter to get within one point, 25-24, at halftime.
The Meteors outscored the Lady Jackets, 14-13, in the 3rd quarter to take a two-point lead, 39-37, after three quarters of play. Down the stretch both teams fought hard and exchanged field goals with changed leads until the final seconds. In the end, The Lady Meteors outscored the Lady Jackets by one point, 15-14, to win the game by just three points, 54-51.
In the win, Marissa was led by one person who scored in double figures. Peyton Bickert scored 19 points. She was followed by Kaitlyn Klingeman (9), Ayla Ranck (7), Kearston Alstat (6), Kennedy Trieb (6), Allie Seiber (3), and Payten Parry (3).
In the loss, Chester had two players score in double figures. Lexi Mott scored 19 points and Jessica Stumpe scored 14 points. Other contributors included Lillian Diskey (9), Marlie Caby (7), and Aubrey Coleman (2).
3rd Place Game: Trico 48-Cobden 32
Trico led throughout the game. The Lady Pioneers led 17-7 after the first quarter and 29-10 at the half. In the third quarter, Cobden outscored Trico, 12-11, but still trailed by 18 points, 40-22. Down the 4th quarter stretch, the Lady Appleknockers outscored the Lady Pioneers, 10-8, but it was too-little-too-late, as Trico won the game, 48-32.
In the win, Trico was led by three players who scored in double figures including Lily Ebers (14), Hayleigh Franklin (11), and Greta Jones (10). Other contributors included Whitney Lovel (9), Morgan Durham (2) and Hazel Helmers (2).
In the loss, Cobden was led by two players who scored in double figures. Both Natalie Franklin and Emma Young scored 10 points apiece. Other scorers included Berkli Holtman (6), Mallory Adamitis (3), Griffin (2), and Ford (1).
Consolation Championship Game: Sparta 46-Dupo 28
Sparta and Dupo each scored 13 points apiece in the first quarter to tie, 13-13, after one period. The Lady Bulldogs outscored the Lady Tigers, 11-5, in the 2nd quarter to lead, by six points, 24-18, at halftime.
The third quarter was a wash for Dupo as Sparta shut out the Tigers 10-0 in the third frame to lead by 16 points, 34-18, after three quarters of play. The 4th quarter was close with Sparta only edging Dupo by two points, 12-10, but at the final buzzer, the Lady Bulldogs won by 18 points, 46-28.
In the win, Sparta had three players score in double figures including Liberti Johnson (12), Kaylynn French (12), and Sierra Starr (11). Ruthie Pillars added 6 points, Brynlea Keller added 3 points, and Maria Sangurima scored 2 points.
In their loss, Dupo did not have anyone score in double figures, but they did have six people score to get their 28 points. The Lady Tigers were led by Demiyah Chairs who scored 8 points. She was followed by Addison Mitchell (7), Kylie Kloess (7), and Kaitlyn Roberts, Keara Prater, and Maryann Esser who each scored two points apiece.
7th Place Game: New Athens 51-Steeleville 34
The Steeleville Lady Warriors came out strong in the first quarter and outscored the Lady Yellowjackets, 19-6. The tables turned in the second frame as New Athens outscored Steeleville, 20-2, to take a 5-point lead, 26-21, at the half.
The 3rd quarter was slim for both teams, but New Athens outscored Steeleville, 7-3, to lead by nine points, 33-24, after three periods. The 4th quarter put the game out of reach for the Lady Warriors as the Lady Yellowjackets outscored Steeleville 18-10, to win the game, 51-34.
In the win, New Athens was led by three players who scored in double figures. Peyton Jones led all players with 17 points and Brooke Deterding and Avery Albers each scored 13 points apiece. Other scorers included Nora Hager (4), Palin Deterding (3), and Riley Richardson (1).
The Chester High School Lady Jackets finished 2nd Place in the 19th Annual Lady Jackets Mid-Winter Classic Basketball Tournament. The Jackets faced Marissa in the Championship game Saturday January 10. The game was close throughout all four quarters, but Chester fell down the stretch to lose the Championship by just three points, 54-51. Tonya Diskey Photo
Two Chester players made the 2026 All-Tournament Team of the 19th Annual Mid-Winter Classic Basketball Tournament. Lexi Mott (33) was not only a member of the All-Tournament Team, but she was the tournament Most Valuable Player (MVP). Jessie Stumpe (right) was a member of the All-Tournament Team. Jennifer Cartwright Photo