Lady Jackets will play for 3rd Place
By Jim Beers
CHESTER – On a cold, snowy night, the Chester Lady Jackets never did really seem to get warmed up and into a smooth flow in the semi-final round of the lower bracket of the 2024 Lady Jacket Mid-Winter Classic.
Chester hosted Valmeyer in the night cap at 7:30 following the Dupo vs Cobden game at 6:00 p.m. in which Dupo beat Cobden, 42-30, to advance to the Consolation Championship game. Cobden will play for 7th Place.
Chester’s Lexie Mott (33) and Valmeyer’s Brooke Miller (4) jump to kick-off the semi-final round of the lower bracket of the 2024 Lady Jacket Mid-Winter Classic Basketball Tournament Friday January 5. Valmeyer prevailed, 40-38, in a hard fought, back-and-forth battle to advance to the Championship game vs Marissa Saturday January 6 at 4:30 p.m. In the loss, Mott paced the Lady Jackets with 22 points and 11 rebounds.
Valmeyer won the tip and Avery Proffer drained a 3-pointer right away at the 6:43 mark to set the tone for the evening. The Lady Pirates led, 3-0 to start things off. Chester’s Lexie Mott answered with a bucket to get Chester on the board, trailing 3-2.
Mott tied the game at 6-6 at the 5:04 mark after making back-to-back free throws. Valmeyer answered with four more points from back-to-back baskets, one from Ava Reeves and the other from Brooke Miller to take a 10-6 lead at 3:16.
After a CHS time out, things didn’t get any better as Brooke Miller hit another bucket to extend Valmeyer’s lead to 12-6.
The Chester High School Pep Band, under the direction of Steve Colonel, provided plenty of support for the Lady Jackets Friday night January 5 when Chester hosted Valmeyer in a semi-final game. The band also performed throughout the nIght and kept the crowd entertained. Jim Beers Photo
Finally, CHS junior, Rylie Conley came into the game to stop the bleeding by draining a huge 3-pointer to get Chester back within three points, 12-9. To end the quarter, sophomore Aubrey Colvis grabbed a big rebound and turned it into two more points with a bucket to get Chester within one point, 12-11, after one quarter of play.
Throughout that first quarter, the Pirates were quick, determined and appeared to have lots of fight within them to do whatever they had to do to bring home a win. In the opening 8-minutes there was one tie and one lead change in what would turn out to be a close, hard fought contest.
Lady Jackets Rylie Conley (4), Lexie Mott (33), Jazzi Merideth (12), Aubrey Colvis (14) and Aubrey Coleman (31) fight Valmeyer’s Ava Reeves (24), Kierstin Miller (22), and Tessa Knowlton (11) for a loose ball late in the game Friday January 5. Chester won the possession. Jim Beers Photo
In the second quarter the Lady Jackets tied the game at the 6:35 mark, 13-13, when Lexie Mott sank back-to-back free throws. 2-minutes later, Lillian Diskey took the lead, 14-13, behind her made free throw. The Jackets were still struggling in the field goal department.
To close out the half, Lexie Mott hit a basket, was fouled, and completed the 3-point play by sinking her free throw. She followed with a second basket to give the Lady Jackets a 5-point, 19-14, halftime lead.
Chester only allowed the Lady Pirates two points in the second frame, both on single free throws, one by Madisyn Huddleston and the other by Tessa Knowlton.
Valmeyer went on an 8-2 run to start the third quarter and re-take a 22-21 lead at the 2:06 mark. Chester’s Lexie Mott re-took the lead 16-seconds later on a field goal. CHS led, 23-22 at the 1:50 mark.
Chester Lady Jacket Head Coach, Jeff Mott calls a timeout with just 41.2 seconds remaining in the Chester vs Valmeyer game Friday January 5. It was the semi-final round of the 17th Annual Lady Jacket Mid-Winter Classic Basketball Tournament. Immediately after the time out, Chester’s Lexie Mott scored a basket to take a brief 38-37 lead over Valmeyer. Unfortunately, the Lady Pirates answered with a basket to re-take the lead, 39-38, with just 10 seconds to play. Chester was not able to recover and lost the game, 40-38. Jim Beers Photo
Mott then had to come out of the game after committing her 4th foul. Chester’s Aubrey Coleman came to the rescue and drained a trey to extend Chester’s lead to 26-22. Just when Lady Jacket fans were feeling comfortable again, Valmeyer’s Brooke miller connected for a bucket to end the quarter with Chester still in a slim, 26-24 lead.
The battle continued throughout the entire final quarter as both teams refused to give up and continued to fight. The score changed seven different times down the stretch, three of those in the final 1:35 of the game.
Valmeyer took a 1-point, 37-36 lead with 1:35 to play. With just 48.5-seconds left in the game, Valmeyer call a timeout. An exciting jump ball battle gave Chester the ball at the 41.2-second mark. Chester took a timeout.
Chester’s Aubrey Coleman (31) attempts a 3-pointer early in the first half of the semi-final game of the 17th Annual Lady Jacket Mid-Winter Classic Basketball Tournament. Valmeyer’s Brooke Miller (4) soared to block the shot and foil the Lady Jacket’s three point attempt. Jim Beers Photo
Following the Lady Jacket time out, Chester’s Lexie Mott battled for a basket underneath and gave the Jackets what was hoped to be a game-winning, 38-37 lead with 18-seconds remaining in the game.
As in the entire game, the Lady Pirates refused to give up and with just 10-seconds left to play, Valmeyer retook the lead on a basket by Kierstin Miller. Valmeyer led, 39-38.
Chester likewise refused to give up and had the ball the length of the court to go. The Jackets got the ball across the center court line and had a miscue and somehow threw the ball back across the half court line causing a CHS turnover with 7.6-seconds remaining in the game.
With 6.2-seconds to play, and Valmeyer with the ball, Chester had to foul Avery Proffer to stop the clock. Proffer made one free throw to give the Lady Pirates a 2-point, 40-38 lead.
The Lady Jackets still did not give up and had 6.2-seconds on the clock to score one final basket to either tie or win the game. Valmeyer defended well and caused the Jackets make an errant pass which was not easily catchable. A last-second prayer missed the mark and at the buzzer, Valmeyer was the winner after a “battle supreme” on both team’s part.
With the win, the Valmeyer Pirates lived to face Marissa in the Championship game of the 2024 Lady Jacket Mid-Winter Classic. Chester will face Sparta in the 3rd Place game.
The Lady Jackets were led by Lexie Mott who scored 22 points and grabbed 11 rebounds. Rylie Conley scored 6 points and grabbed 3 rebounds. Aubrey Colvis scored 6 points, grabbed 11 rebounds, dished out 3 assists, and had 1 steal. Aubrey Coleman had 3 points, 2 assists and 1 steal. Lillian Diskey had 1 point, 4 rebounds, 3 assists, and 1 steal.
Valmeyer was led by Brooke Miller who scored 16 points. The Lady Pirates had five other players contribute to then point total including Avery Proffer (9), Kierstin Miller (9), Ava Reeves (4), Tessa Knowlton (1), and Madisyn Huddleston (1).