Chester performers wow 3,670 Saluki fans as Salukis dismantle Northern Iowa Panthers, 65-50
By Jim Beers
CHESTER – Wednesday January 28 was “Chester Night” at the SIU Banterra Center when Southern Illinois hosted the University of Northern Iowa Panthers in a Missouri Valley Conference game of basketball. The guest performers for the halftime show were the Chester High School Dance Team members and the 3,670 fans in attendance thoroughly enjoyed the performance.
For many years the CHS Dance Team has been invited to perform at halftime of one of the SIU home basketball games. CHS Head Dance Coach, Adrianne Kern said, “The girls were very excited. I was happy with their performance! SIU was very welcoming and the current SIU-Carbondale Chancellor, Austin A. Lane, even came over and took a picture with the girls.”
Kern said that the CHS Dance Team performed a mixed routine of jazz and hip-hop to the tune of “Hey Baby” by Pit Bull. The entire group of 3, 670 people in attendance appeared to get into the performance as evidenced by the huge round of applause at the completion of the dance.
The SIU Saluki Shakers Dance Team, who just returned from a major collegiate competition at Disney World, and the SIU Saluki Cheerleading Squad, both sat on the floor in front of the scorer’s table and watched in support of the Chester dancers. The expressions of delight on their faces appeared to demonstrate approval college spirit teams of the CHS Dancer’s performance.
The CHS dance Team includes Seniors Annah Helvey-Ahring, Hayden Cartwright, Megan Zimmer, and Southern LaChance; Juniors Aubrey Petrowske, Macy Van Zandt, and Katie Werner; Sophomores Jaden Bert, Grace Irose, and Justice Mattingly; and Freshmen Peyton Moll and Kennedy Nortin. The CHS Dance Team is coached by Adrianne Kern, Head Coach. She is assisted by Bailey Misuraca and Emily Roth.
The team has recently finished 1st at the Belleville East Open Pom Competition and 1st in Jazz at the Herrin Competition. Coach Kern said, “The girls have been competing extremely well and are improving at every competition. Our seniors are showing amazing leadership and our underclassmen are really stepping up. We are still working towards qualifying for the State Competition in both Jazz and Open Pom.”
Keeping in step with the “Chester Night” theme for the evening, more than 100 local Chester fans attended the event to watch the Salukis battle the UNI Panthers including the Chester High School Boys Varsity Basketball Team, the Chester Grade School Girls Basketball Team, the CHS Dance Team, as well as parents and other local Saluki fans.
The Southern Illinois University Intercollegiate Athletics Department and Thomas Becker, MBA, Interim Assistant Athletic Director of Ticketing, offered special discounted ticket prices for Chester fans attending the game.
Becker was very pleased with the turnout from Chester fans and the performance of the CHS Dance Team. Becker said, “The turnout was great! I hope we can continue to have a ‘Chester Night’ event for not only basketball but other Saluki sports. We love having Chester fans in the seats to help support the Salukis and I want to continue that relationship with the people of Chester.”
It was also “Autism Awareness Night” at the SIU game and Papa John’s Pizza and SIU made a contribution of $5,500.00 to the Center for Autism and Spectrum Disorders. The CGS Girls Basketball Team had a good time going down to the court to greet the SIU players as they were introduced in pre-game activities. The CHS Dance Team also had to opportunity to go the court and sit along the baseline to cheer the Salukis for a while.
A huge highlight to end the game was a big Saluki win! The Dawgs won by 15 points, 65-50, over the UNI Panthers. The win broke a 4-game losing streak for the Salukis and improved their record to 9-12 overall and 3-7 in the MVC.
Hopefully the winning spirit will continue as the Dawgs finish-up the 2025-26 regular season and head to St. Louis for the 2026 MVC Basketball Tournament, Arch Madness, March 5-8, at the Enterprise Center. It was fun for Chester fans to be a part of the big win over UNI on “Chester Night”, and a great opportunity for the CHS Dance Team to perform in front of 3,670 fans, their biggest crowd of the year. The game was also televised on ESPN.
The Chester High School Dance Team poses for a picture just prior to taking the floor at the SIU Banterra Center Wednesday January 28. The group performed for the halftime entertainment of the SIU vs Northern Iowa game. The team consists of Seniors Hannah Helvey-Ahring, Hayden Cartwright, Megan Zimmer, and Southern LaChance; Juniors Aubrey Petrowske, Macy Van Zandt, and Katie Werner; Sophomores Jaden Bert, Grace Irose, and Justice Mattingly; and Freshmen Peyton Moll and Kennedy Nortin. Jim Beers Photo
The Chester High School Varsity Boys’ Basketball Team made the trip to SIU-Carbondale for the “Chester Night” performance of the CHS Dance Team Wednesday January 28. They had already made arrangements to attend the game to watch the Salukis take on the Northern Iowa Panthers and then got the extra bonus of getting to see their fellow classmates perform for the halftime entertainment. The boys had a great time and had the opportunity to witness the Salukis play one of their best games of the season in the 65-50 win over the Panthers. CHS Head Coach, Coache Chris Toledo, and his Assistant Coaches, Tony James, and Nick Severs accompanied the boys to the game. Jim Beers Photo
The Chester Grade School Girl’s Basketball Team attended the SIU vs UNI Basketball game to Southern Illinois University Wednesday January 28 when the Salukis hosted the Panthers from the University of Northern Iowa. They were accompanied by coaches and parents. The girls had a great tine at the event and had the opportunity to go down on the Banterra Center floor for the pre-game introduction of both team’s starters. The “Chester Night” event was a huge success as the girls also had the opportunity to watch the CHS Dance Team perform for the halftime entertainment, as well as watching the SIU-C Salukis dismantle the Northern Iowa Panthers, 65-50. Jim Beers Photo.
The Chester High School Dance Team is coached by Head Coach Adrianne Kern (Far Left) and Assistant Coaches Bailey Misuraca and Emily Roth (Far Right). The coaches joined the dancers for a team photo just before the group took the floor at the SIU Banterra Center for the halftime performance of the SIU vs UNI basketball game. The group danced a mixed Jazz and Hip-Hop routine to the tune, “Hey Baby” by Pit Bull. The performance brought the house down as the CHS dancers received a fantastic round of applause for their efforts! Jim Beers Photo
The CHS Dance Team finishes their performance at the Southern Illinois University game Wednesday January 28. The event was the “Chester Night” game when the SIU Salukis hosted the University of Northern Iowa Panthers. The Chester girls performed a mixed routine of jazz and hip-hop to the Pit Bull song, “Hey Baby”. The performance was very well received by the 3,670 Saluki fans in attendance which included approximately 100 Chester fans who came to the game to support the Salukis and the CHS Dance Team. The game was also televised on ESPN. Jim Beers Photo
Most of the more than 100 Chester fans who attended the 2026 “Chester Night” basketball game at SIU Carbondale Wednesday January 28, got to sit together in Section 113 behind the basket by the Saluki bench. The crowd had a great time seeing the CHS Dance Team perform at halftime and watching the Salukis Beat Northern Iowa, 65-50, in a Missouri Valley Conference game. Attendance at the game was 3,670 and the game was televised on ESPN. Jim Beers Photo