Chester made 17-of-22 free throws in the fourth quarter to notch its first win of the season, 65-59 over Cleveland Junior Naval Academy of St. Louis Tuesday night in the Murphysboro boys basketball tournament.
“We have several kids that can make free throws, and they all came through tonight,” said Chester coach Robert Bell. “We had trouble with their press but fortunately we were able to get to the foul line and came away with important points.”
Trailing 13-10, the Yellow Jackets ended the first quarter with a 4-0 run to grab a 14-13 lead. Senior Zach Lochhead led Chester with six points in the opening frame.
Lochhead scored six early points in the second quarter to spark an 8-2 scoring run for Chester and a seven-point lead.
The Cleveland offense struggled making shots in the quarter going just 3-of-14 from the field and 1-of-6 from the foul line. However, costly turnovers by Chester, 14 in the first half, allowed the Commanders to stay in the game. Chester led 24-20 at halftime.
Cleveland’s full-court defense gave Chester a lot of problems and ignited a 9-2 run for the Commanders early in the third quarter.
The Yellow Jackets turned the ball over 10 times in the third quarter and Cleveland built up an eight-point lead.
“We couldn’t handle their press,” said Bell. “It’s hard to simulate their speed and athleticism in practice. The biggest thing was this team didn’t get down on themselves after mistakes. The seniors did a good job of keeping everyone focused.”
The Jackets finished the quarter strong and behind eight points from Lochhead, Chester used a 14-4 scoring run to claim a 44-42 lead heading into the fourth quarter.
The lead changed hands six times in the final quarter but consistent and accurate free throw shooting from Chester secured the six-point victory.
“We still have to get better fundamentally and do a better job of taking care of the basketball,” added Bell. “The bottom line is we won and after winning just six games last year, we’ll gladly take being 1-1 on the season.”
Lochhead finished with a game high 25 points, while Matt Chandler added 11 and Justin Woodward finished with 10.
For Cleveland, Ed Ware and freshman Barion Jones each had 13 points, while Brandon Harrell had 10.
The Jackets will host another St. Louis team, Gateway Tech, Friday at 7 p.m. in the Murphysboro tournament.