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Lady Jackets honored for individual, team performance

Chester High School Lady Jacket basketball players were honored Wednesday evening March 7 at the 2017-18 Basketball Awards Night at the high school cafeteria.

Head Coach Pat Knowles and Assistant Coach Jennifer King hosted the honorary reception and awards program with all players and parents in attendance. Knowles began by thanking the parents for all of their help and support throughout the season.

"We were very young this year with very little varsity experience. The girls played really good and worked very hard," Knowles said. "This group behaved like a family and there was very little complaining. I really liked the way we got up and down the floor and made good, quick passes."

The Lady Jackets finished the season with a record of 9-17 overall and 4-8 in the Black Diamond Conference West Division. "This team has a lot of potential going into next season," said Knowles.

King praised her JV squad, saying "the work ethic of these girls was most impressive and you just don't see that any more in many programs!"

King also thanked the parents and noted that they never created any problems or never complained about how things were being run. She praised her JV players including Ally Rowold, Audrey Hopper, Katie Shinabargar, Peyton Clendenin, Josie Kattenbraker, Reese Chandler, Kendall Williams, and Bailey Wahl.

Coach Knowles and King then presented the annual awards to all players, starting with the freshmen. Katie Shinabargar earned her varsity letter and was also recognized for her vast improvement. Peyton Clendenin earned a varsity letter.

Josie Kattenbraker earned a pin for her letter. Knowles noted that she was talked about at the conference selection meeting as being a potential member of the 2018 All-Conference Team. Josie was impressive this year and has a lot of potential. She is a great athlete."

Reese Chandler earned a pin for her letter. Reese was second in scoring this season with 200 points. "Reese was also mentioned at the conference selection meeting. She has a great ability to pull up and knock down three's. She was a great scorer", said Knowles.

Kendall Williams earned a varsity letter. Coach Knowles joked, "Kendall has one speed; 110 miles per hour. She has much potential. If she can learn to change her speed, cross over, make some moves and take a few chances, Kendall will be a dangerous player in the future".

The Lady Jackets had four sophomores this season. Bailey Wahl received her sophomore patch and was praised for her drastic improvement this year. Ally Rowold earned her sophomore patch. "Ally had a good year on the JV and was a pleasure to coach", said Coach King. In spite of a three-week illness, Ally improved a lot hustled all the time.

Aubrey Hopper earned her sophomore patch. Coach Knowles praised Aubrey for her quick learning skills. "Aubrey has just played basketball for three years. She started her 8th grade year at CGS and has improved every since with better rebounding and shooting. This year she came off the bench and did a good job for the varsity to help when needed", said Knowles.

The final sophomore was Destiny Williams. She earned a pin for her letter. Williams was the top scorer this year. Throughout the season Destiny had to fight injuries and played 70-75 percent of the time with injuries. As both a freshman and a sophomore Williams combined for a total of 786 points. She only needs 780 to tie the school record and is just 241 points away from hitting the 1000 point mark.

The Lady Jacket's 11-girl roster was rounded out with two seniors; Abby Myers and Taylor Dunning. Abby earned a pin for her letter. a tough, stubborn player who refused to come out of the game even when injured. She always gave 110 percent effort. Her leadership skills were great. She often led drills and practice and was usually the first to running activities".

Taylor did not get to play last year as a junior due to an injury at the end of her sophomore year. She shot the ball well, hustled and dove on the floor for balls quite often. Coach Knowles said, "I saw her play in grade school. She was a key contributor at St. Johns. I am glad she was able to return this year after missing last season. She helped us a lot!"

After recognizing every player, Coach Knowles presented the top awards for 2017-18. "Most Improved Awards" were earned by Bailey Wahl and Audrey Hopper. Taylor Dunning and Josie Kattenbraker earned the two "Defensive Awards". "Dunning said, "I am glad I came back this year. We did well as a team. I got my competitive drive back. I really had fun with the team this year!"

Abby Myers earned the "110 percent Award" for outstanding effort and hustle. Reese Chandler earned the "Rebounding Award" for leading the team with 142 rebounds. "I am proud of what we accomplished this year as a team. I personally could have done better because there is always room for improvement", said Myers.

Destiny Williams earned four top awards including "Best Free Throw Shooting Percentage", having made 81-of-112 free throws for an average of 72.3 percent. She also led the team in steals with 58.

Williams further broke the school assist record by dishing out 111 assists. Destiny also earned "All-Conference" honors for the second year-in-a-row. For her efforts Destiny Williams was the 2017-18 "Most Valuable Player" of the Lady Jackets Basketball Team.

The 2018 Lady Jacket Basketball major award winners included, from left, Bailey Wahl, "Co-Most Improved;" Destiny Williams, "MVP," "Best Free Throw Shooting Percentage," "Most Steals," and "Broke School Assist Record;" Taylor Dunning, "Co-Defensive Award;" Abby Myers, "110 Percent Hustle Award;" Josie Kattenbraker, "Co-Defensive Award;" Reese Chandler, "Rebound Queen Award;" and Audrey Hopper, "Co-Most Improved Award." Jim Beers Photos
Pictured are the 2018 Chester High School "First Time Letter Winners" for Lady Jacket Basketball. The awards were presented at the 2018 Lady Jackets Basketball Awards Night Wednesday March 7 at CHS. The evening included a social time with refreshments provided by "Muddy River Coffee" as well as the year-end review and awards presentation. These three ladies earned their first CHS Athletics letters. From left to right are: Katie Shinabargar, Kendall Williams and Peyton Clendenin.