YellowJackets edge New Athens 59-56
The Chester High School boys basketball team traveled to New Athens Tuesday, Jan. 18, to challenge the New Athens YellowJackets. It was game No. 20 for CHS, and the boys from Chester were locked and loaded for a win.
Just three days earlier, Chester had faced New Athens in the Chester Invitational Tournament. Chester won that game by just 2 points, 69-67, to win the third-place trophy.
If Chester was expecting a hard-fought contest on the road with New Athens looking for a bit of payback, those expectations proved correct. The rematch was very competitive and anyone's game to win late in the game.
After one quarter of play, new Athens led Chester 16-8 behind the efforts of four different players. Gannon Birkner scored 7 points on two field goals and 3-of-6 shooting at the free-throw line. Isaiah Lintker hit back-to-back 3-pointers, Kaden Vielweber hit a field goal and Andrew Wynn made a free throw.
Chester's 8 points came from just two players. Jared Landeros hit a trey and a 2-pointer, and Chance Mott drained a 3.
The tables turned in the second quarter with Chester outscoring New Athens 12-9. Landeros and Cooper Eggemeyer combined for 9 Chester points, and Gavin Schroeder drained a 3-pointer to round out the Jackets' 12-point period.
New Athens got 6 points off the bench from Codey Boone. Birkner added 3 more points by making 3-of-5 free throws. At halftime New Athens led 25-20.
After a brief break, the boys from Chester returned to the court and exploded for 22 points. Landeros led the charge with 7 points on a pair of 3-pointers and a 3. Mott chipped in 3 points on a trey, a 2-pointer and a free throw.
Schroeder recorded 5 points with his second 3-pointer of the game and 2-for-2 free-throw shooting. Trace Fricke rounded out the 22-point effort with 2-of-4 from the free-throw line.
New Athens added 16 points with scoring from four players. Lintker and Wynn each scored 10 points, Birkner scored 5 points, and Boone made one free throw.
With Chester up 42-41 at the end of the third, both teams were confident and ready to fight to the finish. The fourth quarter was an exciting, competitive 8:00. The final period could have been titled a "free-throw fest" as there were a total of 24 free throws attempted down the stretch.
Chester went to the line ten times, making 8-of-10 free shots, and New Athens went 9-of-14. In the end, CHS outscored New Athens 17-15 in the fourth for the 3-point win, 59-56.
In the fourth quarter, Chester was led by Schroeder, who connected for a 3-pointer and made 3-of-4 free throws. Landeros made a field goal and all three of his free throws for 5 points.
Fricke made a basket and one free throw for 3 points, and Mott scored 2. Rounding out the 17-point effort was Eggemeyer, who split a 2-point free-throw attempt.
New Athens was paced by Lintker, who drained a 3-pointer and made 3-of-5 free throws. Birkner scored 4 points on a field goal and 2-for-2 free-throw shooting.
Wynn made a field goal and 1-of-3 free throws, and Kaden Vielweber made 2-of-4 free throws for 2 points.
In the win, the Chester YellowJackets had three players score in double figures - Landeros (22), Schroeder (14), and Mott (11). Eggemeyer and Fricke scored 5 points apiece and Ethan Stumpe added 2 points.
The Jackets hit 10 2-pointers, seven 3-pointers and made 18-of-27 free throws (67%).
New Athens had two players in double figures - Birkner (19) and Lintker (17). Other contributors were Andrew Wynn (9), Codey Boone (7), and Kaden Vielweber (4). For the night, New Athens made 11 2-pointers, five 3-pointers, and made 19-of-31 free throws (61%).
Chester has eight more games in the regular season. In Week 10, CHS will host Madison at 7:30 p.m. Thursday, Jan. 27, to make up a game that was supposed to be Jan. 4.
The next night, Friday, Jan. 28, the YellowJackets will travel to Okawville to take on the Rockets in a Cahokia Conference, Illinois Division matchup.