Chester Takes Second In CIT
Chance Mott drives to the hoop against Gibault.
January 16, 2023
The Chester Yellow Jackets hosted Waterloo-Gibault in the finals of the Chester Invitational Tournament on Jan. 14. Gibault came into this game ranked 1st in the 1A state rankings, according to MaxPreps. Chester kept it close all game, even leading at times, but weren’t able to come out ahead. Chester lost 41-39.
Trace Fricke and Gavin Schroeder led the team in scoring with 10 points each. Chance Mott followed with 9, then Devante Polacio with 7, and Kolton Jany with 3. Chester’s defense played tough all game, holding Gibault to their season low in points.
Three members of the Yellow Jackets made the all-tournament team: Trace Fricke, Chance Mott, and Gavin Schroeder.
The boys play their next game at home on January 17th against New Athens High School.
The tourney kicked off on January 9th at 6 pm with a game between Valmeyer and Gibault. Gibault won and advanced to the second round of the winners’ bracket. Saxony Lutheran and Lovejoy played the 7:30 pm game with Saxony Lutheran winning by 5 points. Saxony Lutheran will advance to the second round of the winners’ bracket.
Two games were played on January 10th for the second night of the Chester Invitational Tournament. The first matchup was between the 7 seed, New Athens, and the 2 seed, Valle Catholic. New Athens upset Valle, advancing them to the second round of the winners’ bracket. Chester faced off against Perryville in the 7:30pm game. Chester got off to a hot start and didn’t allow a single point to be scored by Perryville in the first quarter. Chester was able to go up by 30 points on Perryville, allowing for a running clock in the fourth quarter.
Gavin Schroeder led in scoring for the Chester Yellow Jackets with 17 points, including five three-pointers.
The Chester Boys’ next game will be at 7:30 on Thursday, January 12, against New Athens High School.
The 2nd round of the C.I.T. was played on Wednesday, January 11th. Lovejoy played and beat Valmeyer to advance to the Constellation Championship. Gibault played Saxony Lutheran in the second game of the night and Gibault won, advancing them to the Championship and Saxony Lutheran to the 3rd/4th place game.
There were 2 more games in the 2nd round of the C.I.T. on Thursday, January 12th. Valle played and beat Perryville to advance to the Consolation Championship. Chester played New Athens in the 2nd game of the night. Chester played a good first half and went into halftime up 11 points. Chester increased the lead throughout the 3rd quarter, going up 15. With some big shots in the 4th quarter, New Athens quickly found themselves back into the game with just a couple of minutes left to go in the final quarter. Chester was able to handle the ball, knock down some free throws, and secure the 52-46 win.
Gavin Schroeder led the Yellow Jackets in scoring against New Athens.
This win advances Chester to the C.I.T. Championship against Gibault.
