2010-2011 Lady Jackets Basketball honored at annual end-of-year banquet

</element><element id="paragraph-1" type="body"><![CDATA[The Chester High School Lady Jackets Basketball Team was honored Tuesday evening March 15 at a banquet and awards ceremony held at the CHS cafeteria. Head Coach Rick Powley welcomed players and parents to the event and invited all to enjoy a delicious meal prepared by the Chester Eagles Club.

The menu consisted of fried chicken, corn, green beans and hot rolls. Parents and players added salads, desserts and drinks to round out the offering.

Following the meal Powley thanked everyone for coming and introduced Freshman Coach Pat Knowles who summarized the freshman season and talked briefly about each player. The freshman squad consisted of nine players this year. Knowles noted that the 2010-2011 freshmen were the most athletic and most coachable of any team he has coached in his career.

Sarah Lochhead was injured late last season at St. Mary's and underwent surgery to repair a hurt knee. She spent the entire 2010-2011 season recovering and never saw court time. She, however, attended every practice and added her spirited attitude to each practice and game and helped out with running the clock for scrimmages.

Natasha Pulliam was sick much of the season but when she was healthy she was very athletic and as Knowles stated, "She ran like a boy and played very hard. Averi Mueller was a huge rebounder and had an instinct for always being where the ball was on the floor.

Alexandria Fedderke was a big post for the freshmen. She ran the floor well and reminded Knowles of several college players. "Fed has a lot of potential and should be a key player for us next year if she continues to work hard and further develop.

Maddie Conner was extremely shy when the season started. Knowles noted "Maddie would hardy look at me when I talked to her early this year but she grew during the year and gained confidence. Overall she was likely the most improved this season. She has a bright future in basketball." Kaylee Ludwig was the freshman's best all-around player. She was described as a solid player who has a lot of potential.

Sarah Bindel and Maribeth Lawrence competed against each other throughout the entire season and developed a healthy battle during practice./ each drove the other to bigger and better accomplishments. "Bindel gave 110 percent effort throughout the year and eas very competitive and aggressive while Lawrence had great speed. She did a wonderful job of handling both the team and the ball as point guard.

Finally Katie Roth played with a big heart. "She was too fast for her thinking some times, but her competitiveness made up for that issue", said Knowles. "Katie will develop fine if she works throughout the summer."

Overall Knowles stated that the freshmen have much potential for success and that they should complement the upper classmen next season if they all work hard and continue to play as a unit.

JV Coach Connie Clendenin discussed the JV squad listing 16 players on the roster for 2010-2011. Freshmen included Maddie Conner, Katie Roth, Natasha Pulliam, Averi Mueller, Alexandria Fedderke, Sarah Bindel, Maribeth Lawrence and Kaylee Ludwig.

Conner was described as the JV's "Most Improved" player. "She listens and works hard", exclaimed Clendenin. "Roth is a defensive specialist who works very hard", said Clendenin. "Pulliam has much potential, but we need to keep her healthy."

Mueller was described as a great rebounder while Fedderke was described as a player who plays with heart. "She loves the game", stated Clendenin, and she has the desire to win. "Bindel plays with a game face and she gets into a zone when on the court."

Lawrence was described as a scorer. "Maribeth came into the JV games as a point guard and scored 15 points for the JV this year as a freshman", claimed Clendenin. Finally, Ludwig scored 35 points for the JV and was in the top-five in scoring for the JV.

Sophomores included Taylor Yankey, Marah Laramore, Danette Abernathy, Chelsea Schroeder and Alison Easton. Yankey switched from being a manager in grade school and her freshman year to being a player her sophomore year. "She has shown great improvement this year and scored her first JV points against Trico"' said Clendenin.

Laramore was one of the top-five scorers for the JV and recorded 52 points this season. She was also one of the top players in hard play marks. Abernathy is a guard who works very hard and is very coachable. She is dependable and should continue to improve next year as a junior.

Schroeder was the team's starting point guard who ended up in the top of both the offensive and defensive divisions for the JV squad. Finally Easton was ranked in the top-five of the scorers and she rotated well in the JV rotation.

There were three juniors who played JV ball this year. Raelyn Rosendohl, Libby Bollmann and Kellie Dillow started for the JV in 2010-2011. Rosendohl was described as a fighter on the JV who ended up in the top-five in scoring. Bollmann recorder 129 hard play marks and was known for her defensive prowess. Dillow was a three-point threat for the JV. She made at least two major three-pointers at the end of games to win. She ranked in the top-five both offensively and defensively. She will be a key component of next year's varsity squad.

Dr. Jim Beers, Volunteer Assistant for the Lady Jackets recognized the Scholar-Athletes for the 2010-2011 season. Beers noted, "Education is why we are here at CHS. Basketball is an extra-curricular activity. We always stress to the girls that the most important thing here during high school is education."

The 2010-2011 lady jackets did an excellent job of successfully completing that goal with 90.2 percent of the team making the honor roll. Beers recognized 27-of-30 players and managers who achieved academic honors presenting them with a certificate for their achievements.

Rebecca Young was the top scholar this year. Young was named to the "High Honors" program this year for both the 1st quarter and the semester. She also was named as an Illinois State Scholar making her one of the best high school seniors academically in the state. Young will have a full-ride academic scholarship to Southwestern Illinois College next fall for her dedication to academics.

Two other players received "High Honors" status for both the 1st quarter and the semester including Sarah Bindel and Sarah Lochhead. Both are freshmen. Another freshman, Maribeth Lawrence, earned "High Honors" for the semester while Hilary best and Chelsea Schroeder made the "High Honor Roll" for the 1st quarter. To earn "high honors" a student must have an overall GPA of 4.0 or higher.

Players and managers who earned "Honors" (GPA of 3.0-3.99) included the following 17 students who made the honor roll for both the 1st quarter and the first semester. Those players and managers were Danette Abernathy, Jordan Clendenin, Steven Colonel, Maddie Conner, Kellie Dillow, Alison Easton, Alexandria Fedderke, Jade Jolly, Marah Laramore, Savannah Lindsay, Kaley Ludwig, Megan Marcinkowska, Lindsey McCormick, Averi Mueller, Natasha Pulliam, Raelyn Rosendohl and Katie Roth.

Four players made the honor roll the 1st quarter including Libby Bollmann, Ariel gales, Shelly Lyons and Kristy Pulliam.

Beers then presented James Best with a special plaque for serving as Stadium Announcer and Book Keeper for the Lady Jackets the past four years. "Mr. Best has done a wonderful job of announcing for us at home games the past four years", said Beers, "and he faithfully kept our book at away games. It has been great having him as part of our team. We will miss him greatly." Beers then introduced Jeff Laramore as the new "Voice of the Lady Jackets" at home games. He will also take over for best as book keeper at away games.

Finally, Coach Beers recognized the four managers who have done such a good job of taking care of the Lady Jackets this season. Beers recognized freshmen Savannah Lindsay and Megan Gearhart, then recognized freshman Lindsey McCormick who committed to switch from manager to player next season. McCormick played at Chester Grade School and will vie for a spot on the Lady Jackets squad next season.

The final manager to be recognized was sophomore, Steven Colonel. Colonel has been a faithful manager for two years and was recognized as "Manager-of-the-Year". "Steven arrives early and stays late most nights. He keeps us on our toes and takes very good care of all of the coaches and players. He is the lead worker among the managers and highly deserves this honor", stated Beers. For his efforts and leadership Colonel was presented with a plaque as "Manager-of-the Year" for the CHS Lady Jackets.

To round out the awards program Head Coach, Rick Powley took the podium and talked about the Varsity squad for 2010-2011. Powley noted that it was the first year for CHS to compete in the Black Diamond Conference West Division. This year the Lady Jackets finished 3rd in the West with a record of 4-4. The Jacket's overall record was 8-15 which is the best record since 2004-2005 when CHS earned a 11-15 record.

The 4-4 conference record was the best since 1998-1999 when the Jackets went 4-6 under Coach Pat Knowles in the River-to-River Conference. In 2010-2011 the Jackets finished higher than fifth place in the conference. The Jackets also won a regional which is the first accomplishment of that nature in five years.

At the beginning of this season I asked the senior girls to leave team in better shape than when they arrived at CHS four years ago. They accomplished that goal and their record proudly speaks for itself", stated Powley.

Powley thanked Mike Coffey, CHS Athletic Director, Lady Jacket's parents, the CHS Booster Club, and James Best, Announcer and Book Keeper for the Lady Jackets for all of their support this year. Powley also thanked the team managers for their dedication and hard work.

"I had tremendous support from our coaching staff this year. Coach Connie Clendenin returned this year and did a great job with the JV and pat Knowles returned after taking a couple of years off. With his knowledge of basketball he was a great asset to the program. The team's motivator, Jim Beers, was back again and helps not only with motivation but he performs many tasks behind the scenes such as coordinating schedules, getting information to the players and informing administrators about various aspects of the team.

The 2010-2011 Varsity consisted of three sophomores including Libby Bollmann, Marah Laramore and Chelsea Schroeder. Bollmann was a defensive specialist who was always around the ball. She got numerous deflections and always created trouble for the opposition. Laramore proved to be solid on defense and she became a legitimate scoring threat. Schroeder earned the reputation for being one of the best three-point shooters for the team.

There were four Juniors, Shelby Helmers, Raelyn Rosendohl, Kellie Dillow and Megan Marcinkowska. Rosendohl is a solid rebounder who always finds her way to the ball. Dillow is a multi-position player who is one of the best shooters on the team. Marcinkowska led the team in assists with 38 and she was 6th in scoring. She helped out at the point guard position. Helmers finished third in free throws made with 24 and she drew a charge. Shelby has proved to be a tough, powerful post player. She should be one of the leaders on next year's team.

The 2010-2011 Lady Jackets had the biggest senior class in quite some time with seven players. Seniors included Rebecca Young, Jade Jolly, Kristy Pulliam, Ariel Gales, Shelly Lyons, Jordan Clendenin and Hilary Best.

Young missed several practices and games due to illness but she always rebounded and returned to the court. Her best game came against Trico when she shot 50 percent from the floor and 50 percent from the free throw line. She had one of the best shots on the team from a perspective of proper shot form and she was the team leader in GPA.

Jade Jolly was injured in the second game of the year and spent the remainder of the schedule recovering. In that final game Jolly scored eight points. The remainder of the year she attended practices and helped the managers with daily duties. At games she often kept a chart and motivated the players from the bench.

Kristy Pulliam played with the most heart. She was a defensive specialist and created havoc for all opposing players. Her shot improved throughout the season and she became an offensive threat. Late in the season Kristy injured her leg and spent the last portion on the bench recovering. She inspired her team and led from the sidelines.

Ariel Gales was a solid post player. She led the team in blocks with six and finished second in offensive rebounds with 63 and third in defensive rebounds with 47. At the free throw line she shot 100 percent against Sesser and 80 percent against Steeleville.

Shelly Lyons was a real scrapper on defense. If CHS had a chapter of "Floor Burn University" Lyons would be a member. She frequently dove on the floor of loose balls and she was the third leading scorer with 118 points. She finished third in assists with 33 and she also recorder 27 deflections which was good enough for second on the team. Lyons led the team in steals with 47.

Jordan Clendenin was the team's main defensive specialist. She always was assigned to guard the opposition's leading scorer. Clendenin finished second in scoring with 140 points and second in assists with 35. She also finished second in steals with 27. She led in deflections with 33 and second I defensive rebounds with 52.

Hilary best was the "go-to-player" for the Jackets. She led the team in points with 267. She also led in free throws with 43. Best further led in defensive rebounds (81), offensive rebounds (73) and free throw percentage (59 percent). Finally she recorded three blocked shots.

To end the night Powley presented the awards for 2010-2011. Freshmen who earned their freshman numerals included Katie Roth, Natasha Pulliam, Averi Mueller, Sarah Lochhead, Maddie Conner, Sarah Bindel, Linsdey McCormick, Megan Gearhart and Savannah Lindsay.

Sophomore patches were earned by Steven Colonel, Taylor Yankey, Chelsea Schroeder, Alison Easton, Libby Bollmann, Marah Laramore and Danette Abernathy.

Shelby Helmers and Raelyn Rosendohl earned varsity Letters while former letter winners Megan Marcinkowska, Rebecca Young, Shelly Lyons, Kellie Dillow, Kristy Pulliam, Jade Jolly, Ariel gales, Jordan Clendenin and Hilary Best earned pins.

Hilary Best and Jordan Clendenin were recognized as 2nd Team Black Diamond All-Conference players and Chester Lady Jackets Mid-Winter Classic Tournament All-Tournament Team selections.

The four major Lady Jackets Basketball Awards were then announced. Player of the Year was Hilary Best. Defensive Player of the Year was Jordan Clendenin. The "Will to Win" Award was earned by Kristy Pulliam. Best Fre9e Throw Percentage was earned by Hilary Best with 59 percent free throw shooting.