Charger Boys beat Davis County, but Lady Chargers Lose

Chariton Leader, February 4, 2014 and February 6, 2014
Bill Howes, Associate Editor
Photos by Bill Howes

Boys Varsity Beat Mustangs, 79-62.

Varsity Charger Boys Beat Davis County for Ninth Straight Win

A sterling offensive performance propelled the Chariton varsity boys to a 79-62 win over Davis County at Chariton on January 31st.  Both Willie Felderman and TJ Hockenson had double-doubles in the win and Daric Laing had a strong game as well.  The win was the ninth in a row for Chariton and moved them to 6-1 in the conference and 12-3 overall.

Felderman shot a blistering 63 percent, 12-19, from the field to finish with a team-high 24 points, 11 rebounds, four blocks, one steal and one assist.  Hockenson shot 9-11 from the line and had 23 points, 11 rebounds, four assists, two steals and one block.  Laing had 22 points, six rebounds, six assists, one steal and one block

Christian Bengtson had four points, seven rebounds, seven assists and one steal.  Hunter Storm had three points, one steal and one assist.  Ben Morrett had two points, three rebounds, four assists and one steal.  Joey Krutsinger had one point.  Brett Braida had three rebounds, one assist and two steals.  Quinn Storm had one rebound, two assists and one steal.  Sean Sullenger had one rebound.

Davis County started out well offensively and led 20-19 after one period.  Chariton turned it up defensively after the first period and outscored the Mustangs, 26-12, in the second to take a 45-32 lead into halftime.  The Chargers came out strong in the third outscoring the Mustangs, 20-17, to take a 65-49 lead into the final period.  The Mustangs couldn't really cut into their lead as they outscored Chariton just 14-13 in the fourth.

"We were really good offensively all night.  We pushed the ball well and got some easy looks in transition.  I thought we did a nice job of getting the ball to the open guy.  We didn't play very good defense in the first quarter, but to the boys' credit, they played much better defense in the three quarters.  That was the difference in the game.  We were able to get stops after the first quarter.  Our guys did a much better job of focusing on it and making it tough on Davis County.  I was really pleased with the effort the boys showed all night.  They were hustling for all the loose balls and just played with great energy.  The boys continued to work hard and show improvement and that's all you can ask for as a coach," Chariton Head Coach Ben Schooley said.

For the game, Chariton shot 29-61, 48 percent, from inside the arc and 1-9, 11 percent, from trifecta land.  The Chargers shot 18-27, 67 percent, from the charity strip.  Chariton pulled down 43 rebounds, including 17 offensive boards.  The Chargers committed just 10 fouls.  They had almost a three to one assists to turnover ratio with 27 assists and 10 turnovers.  Chariton swiped nine steals and had six blocks.
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Chariton JV Boys Hold On To Beat Davis County

After a slow start, the Chariton JV boys got going and held on for a 50-45 win over Davis County at Chariton January 31st.  After allowing 15 points in the first period, the JV Chargers outscored the Mustangs 39-30 the rest of the way.  Chariton had all 10 players score in the game and Quinn Storm led them with 16 points, seven rebounds, two steals and one block.  Of his seven rebounds, five were offensive boards.
Davis County led 15-7 after one period.  Chariton outscored the mustangs 14-7 in the second period to take a 25-22 lead into halftime.  The Chargers outscored Davis County 14-10 in the third to take a 39-32 lead into the final period.  Davis County tried to rally but the Chargers held them off to win by five.
"The boys didn't play their best game tonight, but it was good enough to get the win.  The team is working on preparing for games.  This always seems to be a struggle.  We need to be more consistent and the best way to do this is to be ready to defend every time they step on the floor.  We want to become a team that other teams don't want to play against,"  Chariton Head Coach Jay Pierschbacher said.
For the game Chariton shot 20-45, 44 percent, from inside the arc.  They shot 2-10, 20 percent, from the three-point range and 4-15, 27 percent from the line.  Chariton pulled down 36 rebounds, 16 of which were offensive boards.  The Chargers committed 22 turnovers and 14 fouls.  Chariton dished out 16 assists and swiped 16 steals.  They had one block.
Aaron Cain had seven points, four rebounds, five steals and four assists.  Bradley Krutsinger had five points, four rebounds, five assists and two steals.  Chase Altenhofen had five points, a team-high nine rebounds and one assist.  Of his nine rebounds, six were offensive.  Sawyer Dow had four points, four rebounds two steals and one assist.  Carter Riechmann had four points, two rebounds and one steal.  Ethan Curnutte had three points and two rebounds.  Eduard Rodygin had two points, one rebound, one steal and four assists.  Spencer Sherrick had two points, three rebounds, three steals and one assist.  Adam Kaska had two points.

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Fuhs Has Big Game In Girls Varsity Loss at Davis County

A strong rally in the second half fell short for the Chariton varsity girls in a 47-44 loss at Davis County on January 31st.  Chariton led at halftime and rallied to tie the game in the fourth quarter but couldn't quite seal the deal.  Emma Fuhs had a standout game with 17 points, 13 rebounds and two blocks.  Allyson Showers had 10 points, seven rebounds and two steals.

With the loss, Chariton moved to 4-12 overall and 2-5 in the league play with five regular season games remaining.

The Lady Chargers led 12-9 after one period and 26-24 at halftime.  Davis County took the lead in the third period and led 40-35 at the end of the third period.  Chariton rallied to tie the game in the fourth period and had a chance to win it with under a minute left.

With the game tied, Chariton had the ball and possession with 30 seconds left.  The Lady Chargers tried to run the clock down and planned to call a timeout with eight seconds left.  However, Chariton threw the ball away to Davis County and the Lady Mustangs went in for a layup and Chariton fouled them with 3.4 seconds left.  Davis County converted from the line to get the win.

"We gave a great effort tonight, Emma had a tremendous game.  Maria Blong played really well off the bench.  We outscored them from the field but Davis County made nine more free throws than we did," Chariton Head Coach Lee Sandy said.

Coach Sandy said that going in Davis County planned to key on Showers on the outside.  "However, we switched them around and put Emma on the outside and Allyson in the post and Emma made them pay.  She hit some key shots for us," Coach Sandy said.

For the game Chariton shot 18-51 from the field and 5-8 from the line.  Davis County shot1 5-43 from the field and 14-22 from the line.  Chariton out-rebounded Davis County 35-25 and the Lady Chargers committed just nine turnovers.  Davis County committed 10 turnovers.  Chariton had 11 assists, four steals and three blocks.  Davis County had six assists, seven steals and two blocks.

Blong had seven points.  Emily Grismore had four points.  Carley Arnold had two points and seven rebounds  Alexis Curran had two points and four assists.  Sarah Fuhs had two points.
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JV Girls Fall to Davis County

The Chariton JV girls lost to Davis County, 46-36, January 31st.
Davis County led 32-15 at halftime.  Chariton outscored Davis County 21-14 in the second half but it wasn't quite enough.
Emily Seuferer led Chariton with eight points, four rebounds, three steals and one block.  Kendall Hardie had seven points, one rebound and two steals.  Saydee Terrell had six points, two rebounds, one steal and one assist.  Sarah Fuhs had four points, four rebounds, one steal and one block.  Maria Blong had four points and two rebounds.  Riley Rector had three points, two rebounds and one assist.  Carlie Schaeffer had two points and one assist.  Mackenzie Curran had two points.  Tiffany Dale had three rebounds and Abby Storm and Allison Summerfield each had one.
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9th Girls Beat DC for Second Straight Win

9th girls have 31 boards to win.  The Chariton freshmen girls won their second game in a row with a 36-23 win over Davis County at Bloomfield January 31st.
Kendall Hardie led Chariton with 10 points, one rebound and two steals.
"I thought we played better in some parts of this game, compared to the last three or four games.  Our press was very effective with 16 steals and we shot 34 percent from the field as a team.  Our rebounding continues to be solid with 31 boards and we only turned the ball over 12 times.  We still only made 10 of 20 free throws, and this is something that must improve," Chariton Head Coach Bill Brown said.
Saydee Terrell had nine points, three rebounds, four steals and one assist.  Carlie Schaeffer had seven points, two rebounds, two steals and two assists.  Mackenzie Curran had five points, a team-high 10 rebounds, five steals and one assist.  Abby Storm had two points, three rebounds, one steal and one assist.  Riley Rector had two points and one rebound.  Sophia DeMaria had one point, four rebounds, two steals and one assist.  Tiffany Dale had four rebounds.  Allison Summerfield had three rebounds.

8th Red Girls Beat EBF and 7th A Boys lose to EBF

Chariton Leader, February 4, 2014

Bill Howes, Associate Editor

The Chariton eighth grade girls A (Red) team won at Eddyville-Blakesburg-Fremont, 37-29 on January 30th.  Luci Swarthout had 14 points, two rebounds, two steals and two assists.

Chariton led 19-16 at halftime and outscored the Rockets 18-13 in the second half.

"This was a great competitive game.  The girls played excellent and ran an great offense," Chariton Head Coach Jeanna Snook said.

Aubrie Richards had 10 points, eight rebounds, one steal and three blocks.  Ivy Swarthout had eight points, one rebound, two steals and two assists.

Abbie Peterson had five points, four rebounds, one steal and four assists.  Autumn Gwinn had three rebounds and Tressa Shore had two.  Jacklynn Johnson had one.

The White team lost 10-7.  Taytum Bacus had five points, one rebound and one assist.  Taheton Decker had two points and three rebounds.  Megan Schultz had one rebound, one steal and one assist.  Ashley Pfrimmer, Kelsey Chester and Shelby Jensen each had one rebound.  

"This was a hard loss.  The girls played hard but couldn't get our offense going," Coach Snook said.

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Turnovers, Stagnant Offense Hurt 7th A Boys in Loss to Eddyville
The Chariton seventh grade A boys struggled with turnovers in a 42-31 loss against Eddyville-Blakesburg-Fremont, January 30th.  Nathan Blong led Chariton with 15 points and six rebounds.
"Turnovers and a stagnant offense were our downfall today.  We committed 15 turnovers in the first half allowing Eddyville to jump to a 22-10 lead.  That's a very large hole to dig out of.  We took care of the ball a little better in the second half, but we were very inpatient and not aggressive against EBF's zone defense," Chariton Head Coach Mike Jones said.
Royce Stewart had five points and four rebounds.  Brady Hamilton had four points and three rebounds.  Cameron McDonald had three points.  Nathan Weaver had two points and one rebound.  Colbie Werts had two points.  Brodey Johnson had three rebounds.
B Team Loses Close Game
The B team lost a close game, 10-8.  Jimmy Graham had two points and one rebound.  Ben Lahart, Tyler Gookin and Payton Schaffer had two points apiece.
Chance Anderson had four rebounds.  Aaron Sullenger had two rebounds.  Payton Lane had one rebound.
"Missed opportunities could be the theme for this game.  We missed a few layup chances in this game and also missed extra opportunities on offensive rebounds, but the bright side is that we are finally making those second opportunities for ourselves.  The kids are improving, especially at attacking the offensive boards and are also making progress at running a fast break and attacking the basket," Coach Jones said.

Slow Start Hurts JV Boys in Loss at PCM

Chariton Herald-Patriot, February 13, 2014

Bill Howes, Associate Editor

After a slow start the Chariton JV boys couldn't quite get over the hump in a 56-44 loss at PCM January 30th.  The JV Chargers gave up 25 points in the first quarter and trailed by 12 at halftime.  They were able to cut the lead to single digits int he second half, but couldn't quite tie it up or take the lead.  Quinn Storm led Chariton with nine points, 11 rebounds, three steals, one assist and one block.

PCM got off to a fast start and led 25-12 after the first period.  Chariton outscored the Mustangs, 11-10 in the second and trailed 35-23 at halftime.  Chariton was outscored 11-8 in the third and trailed 46-31 heading into the final period.  The Chargers chipped away and cut the lead to eight, but then failed to rebound and gave up two easy baskets.  Each team scored 10 points int the fourth.

The game was about even after the first period as PCM outscored Chariton by two, 31-29, over the final three periods.  "This was a good game for us against good competition.  We still need to work on our defense.  We are still struggling guarding," Chariton JV Head Coach jay Pierschbacher said.

For the game Chariton shot 13-34, 38 percent, from inside the arc and 4-19, 21 percent, from the three-point range.  The Chargers shot 3-4, 75 percent from the line.  Chariton pulled down 37 rebounds, including 13 offensive boards.  The Chargers committed 14 fouls and 19 turnovers.  Chariton dished out 10 assists and had six steals and three blocks.

Aaron Cain had eight points, five rebounds and two assist.  Sawyer Dow had eight points, three rebounds, one steal and one assist.  Spencer Sherrick had four points, six rebounds and one block.  Chase Altenhofen had four points and one rebound.  Eduard Rodygin had three points and two assists.  Ethan Curnutte had three points and one steal.  Bradley Krutsinger had two points, eight rebounds, four assists and one block.  Carter Riechmann had three rebounds.  Adam Kaska had one steal.

9th Girls Beat Newton for First Win of Season

Chariton Herald-Patriot, February 13, 2014

Bill Howes, Associate Editor

CHS Holds Newton to 23 Shots

The Chariton freshman girls basketball team got their first win of the year with a 22-20 win over Newton at Chariton on January 30th.  Kendall Hardie led the team with 11 points, five rebounds and two steals.

Chariton won despite shooting just 18 percent from the field and 30 percent from the line.  "We won because we played some of the best defense we've played all year.  Newton had good size in the post and had two or three good athletes on the perimeter," Chariton Head Coach Bill Brown said.

Chariton limited Newton to only 23 shots.  They out-rebounded the Cardinals, 21-15 and had 14 steals while Newton had five.

Saydee Terrell had seven points, five rebounds and four steals.  Tiffany Dale had three points, two rebounds and one steal.  Riley Rector had one point, four rebounds, two steals and one assist.  Mackenzie Curran had three rebounds, three steals and one assist.  Carlie Schaeffer had two steals.  Abby Storm and Sophia DeMaria each had a rebound.

7th and 8th Boys and Girls Beat Davis County

Chariton Herald-Patriot, January 30, 2014
Bill Howes, Associate Editor

8th Red Team

A great team effort lifted the Chariton eighth grade girls Red team to a 44-27 win over Davis County at Chariton January 27th.  Chariton led 26-8 at halftime and held on to win convincingly.  Nine players scored for the Red team, who moved to 9-1 with the win.  Ivy Swarthout led the team with 11 points, two rebounds, two steals and three assists.  Aubrie Richards had six points, 10 rebounds, two steals, two assists and four blocks.

"It was great to see almost all the girls who got in this game contribute.  We had a great first half but struggled with turnovers during the second half," Chariton Head Coach Jeanna Snook said.

Taytum Bacus had three points, one steal and one block.  Luci Swarthout had six points, four rebounds, four steals and two assists.  Abbie Peterson had one point, two rebounds, two steals and one assist.  Autumn Gwinn had four points, four rebounds and one steal.  Tressa Shore had five points, seven rebounds, two steals and one assist.  Ashley Pfrimmer had four points and two rebounds.  Jacklynn Johnson had four points, two rebounds and two steals.  Megan Schultz had four rebounds.

White Team edges DC

The White team also edged Davis County, 16-14.  Bacus had six points and one assist.  Taheton Decker had four points, one rebound and one steal.

"This is one of our toughest competitors and these girls stepped up and played well.  I was very happy to see Shelby get more rebounds and Kelsey Chester score."  Coach Snook said.

Jensen had two points, four rebounds and one steal.  Pfrimmer had two points and one rebound.  Chester had two points.  Natalie Baird had one rebound and one steal.  Schultz had one rebound.  Johnson had one steal and one assist.  Danica Derringer had one rebound.  Trinity Kemper had one steal and one assist.
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7th Girls Red and White Teams Beat Davis County at Home

The Chariton seventh grade girls Red team beat Davis County, 22-20, at Chariton January 27th.  The win avenged a loss to the Mustangs earlier this season.  With the win, the Red team improved to 5-4-1.

Chariton came out playing hard, getting the opening tip and having the first chance to score.  But there was a lid on the basket as Chariton got numerous shots in the first quarter but trailed 4-0 after one period.  Chariton scored six points in the second period.and trailed 9-6 at halftime.  The Red team shot a little better in the second half and outscored the Mustangs 16-11 to win by two.  Chariton's defense and their ability to work the boards and get many put backs on a night when the shots just weren't falling were keys in their victory.

The Red team went 11-55 from the field, 20 percent.  They  struggled from the free throw line going 0-14.  Shayla Holoban was hard to stop down low and led the Red team in scoring with eight points.  She also had five rebounds and a steal.  Grace Bengtson had another nice floor game running the offense.  She committed only four turnovers and played good position defense.  She had four points and four steals.

Paige Burgett had four points, one rebound and three steals.  Erin Payton had four points and two steals.  "Paige played her usual high energy game.  Erin continues to play hard when she gets minutes and her shooting has really improved as the season has progressed," Chariton Head Coach Bruce Taylor said.

Natalie Ilyenko had two points and two rebounds.  Shelby Dobberthein had one rebound.  Breanna Ellis had two steals.  Alysha Shutt had one steal.

"This was a nice win to get us above 500 for the season and beat a team we lost to in early December," Coach Taylor said.

White Team Moves to  7-3

The White team also won, 14-7, to move to 7-3 on the season.  They also avenged a loss to Davis County in early December.

The White team shot well from the field going 7-21, 33 percent.  They trailed 5-4 at halftime but held Davis County to just two points in the second half to get the win.

Payton led the team in scoring with six points.  She made two shots from beyond the three-point line and also had one steal.  Macy Johnston had a nice game with four points, four rebounds and one steal.  "Macy continues to get better with her release point on her shot attempts," Coach Taylor said.

Natalie Ilyenko had two points, four rebounds and one steal.  Shutt had two points and one rebound.  Baylee Pollard had a nice floor game with two steals.  Leilani Plank had two steals and put a lot of pressure on defense from the point position.  Macey Beaty had one steal.  Mikenzy Beaty had one steal and ran the offense from the point.  Emily Shelton handled most of the team's out of bounds plays committing only one turnover.

"The team had less than 10 turnovers for the game and continues to improve on the little things we stress in practice," Coach Taylor said.
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7th Boys Come From Behind to Defeat Davis County

The Chariton seventh grade boys scored a come from behind 36-34 win over Davis County in overtime at Bloomfield.
Chariton was down 22-16 at the half but they battled back with some defensive stops in the third quarter and held the Mustangs to just three points in the third period.  Nathan Blong had a double-double for Chariton with 20 points and 10 rebounds.
"Our kids actually had a three-point lead with about two and a half minutes to go, but we made some poor passes and forced shots we didn't need to take and allowed DC to tie the game at the end of regulation.  In the extra session, our kids really made some nice hard cuts on offense and did a better job of working for each other to take better care of the ball," Chariton Head Coach Mike Jones said.
"We did a poor job of identifying shooters early in the game and did a much better job of this in the second half.  Our kids rebounded well, not allowing Davis County to have many second and third opportunities.  Brady Hamilton did a very good job of being in good position to handle rebounds against taller opponents.  Nathan really brought us back early in the second half in being very aggressive in attacking the basket offensively," Coach Jones said.
Royce Stuart had 11 points and four rebounds.  Brady Hamilton had two points and five rebounds.  Nathan Weaver had two points and seven rebounds.
Brodey Johnson had one point and two rebounds.  Cameron McDonald had four rebounds.  Peyton Lane had two rebounds.
"I continue to be proud of how hard these kids are working and the progress they make," Coach Jones said.
B Team Falls to DC
The Chariton B team lost to Davis County, 25-10.  Micah Thatcher, Aaron Sullenger, Peyton Schafer, Colbie Werts and Matthew Stout each led the team with two points apiece.  Ty White and Chance Anderson had three rebounds apiece.  Jimmy Graham and Peyton Schaeffer had one rebound apiece.
"Once again, our lack of an offense hurt us.  We didn't handle Davis County's aggressive defense very well.  We didn't screen and we didn't make back door cuts.  I wasn't very pleased with our defensive effort or our rebounding tonight either.  We allowed quite a few DC layups without anyone being in position to help stop the attack.  Davis County out-rebounded us by a 3-1 margin, many of these on their offensive end, giving them extra attempts at the basket," Coach Jones said.

Varsity Chargers, Boys and Girls Play Central Decatur - Varsity boys have Eighth Straight Win

Chariton Herald-Patriot, January 30, 2014
Bill Howes, Associate Editor

A strong offensive performance lifted the Chariton varsity boys basketball team to a 77-64 win over Central Decatur at Chariton January 27th.  The Chargers shot over 60 percent from inside the arc and scored at least 16 points in every quarter to get the win.  It was the eighth straight win for the Chargers, who improved to 11-3.

Daric Laing shot 34-19, 68 percent, from inside the arc and finished with a team high 30 points to go along with five rebounds, three assists and two steals.  Willie Felderman also had a great game with 25 points, 11 rebounds, three blocks, two steals and one assist.  TJ Hockenson also had a double-double with 18 points, a team-high 12 rebounds and two steals.

Christian Bengtson didn't score but had a great game distributing the ball with 10 assists.  He also had four rebounds and one steal.  Ben Morrett also had a great passing game with seven assists, one rebound and one steal and two points.  Brett Braida had one rebound and four assists.  Quinn Storm had two points.

The game was tight in the first half with Chariton leading 17-16 after one period.  The Chargers outscored the Cardinals 22-19 in the second to lead 39-35 at halftime.  The Chargers outscored the Cardinals 22-15 in the third to extend their lead to 61-50 heading into the final period.  Chariton was strong offensively again in the fourth, outscoring the Cardinals 16-14 to get the win.

"We were really good offensively all night.  We moved the ball well and were able to get good shots.  I thought we did a nice job of crashing the offensive glass and getting a lot of second chance points.  We were also able to get out in transition and get some easy baskets.  We did struggle a little shooting from the three-point line and this wasn't our best game defensively.  We gave up too many open shots but to their credit, they have some nice offensive players and guys that can really score." Chariton Head Coach Ben Schooley said.

Chariton shot 53-64, 64 percent, from inside the arc.  They had an off night from beyond the arc shooting just 1-13, eight percent.  Chariton shot 6-10, 60 percent, from the line.  The Chargers had over a 2-1 assist to turnover ration with 25 assists and 12 turnovers.  They also pulled down 34 rebounds including 12 offensive boards.  Chariton committed nine fouls.  They also had eight steals and three blocks.

"We just need to keep improving at the defensive end.  We were able to get the stops when we needed them in the second half and that was good to see,"  Coach Schooley said.
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JV Boys Score Season High

The Chariton JV boys scored a season high 64 points in a 64-31 win over Central Decatur at Chariton January 27th.  The JV Chargers scored 30 poiints in the first half and 34 in the second to coast to the win.  With the victory the JV boys moved to 6-6 overall.
Aaron Cain had a team-high 17 points, three rebounds, three assists and one steal.  Chase Altenhofen had 11 points, four rebounds, one steal and one block.
Chariton started out well and led 14-8 after one period.  The JV Chargers outscored the Cardinals 16-2 in the second to extend their lead to 30-10 at halftime.  Chariton outscored the Cardinals 14-11 in the third to lead 44-21 after three periods.  Chariton outscored the Cardinals 20-10 in the fourth to win by 33.
"We were able to score tonight because we got out in transition.  Our defense was really good in the second period.  The second group of players really did a nice job.  They played hard," Chariton JV Head Coach Jay Pierschbacher said.
Carter Riechmann had six points, a team-high seven rebounds and one steal.  Ethan Curnutte had six points, three rebounds, one steal and two assists.  Eduard Rodygin had five points, three rebounds, three steals and four assists.
Adam Kaska had five points, one rebound, one steal and three assists.  Spencer Sherrick had three points, two rebounds, four steals and one assist.  Mathias Plank had three points and one assist.  Ethan Payton and Sam Lerner had two points apiece.  Sawyer Dow had two points, two rebounds and one steal.  Bradley Krutsinger had three rebounds, six steals and three assists.  Cody Evans had one rebound.
For the game, Chariton shot 20-45, 44 percent, from inside the arc.  Chariton shot 5-16, 31 percent, from three-point range.  The JV Chargers shot 12-20, 60 percent, from the line.  Chariton pulled down 33 rebounds, including 16 offensive boards.  Chariton committed just six fouls and 19 turnovers.  The Chargers had 18 assists, 22 steals and three blocks.

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Showers has 27 points 17 Rebounds in Varsity Girls' Loss to Central Decatur

Despite a valiant effort, the Chariton varsity girls fell at home to Central Decatur, 63-60,  on January 27th.  The Lady Chargers fell despite a great game from Allyson Showers, who had 27 points and 17 rebounds.
"It was a great effort on our part and our kids played extremely hard.  We received a good game out of Carley Arnold as well.  She's been playing really solid since she was moved into the starting lineup.  We did a great job of attacking Central Decatur's press.  We just couldn't stop their three-point shooters.  If we played man-to-man on them, they were too quick,"  Chariton Head Coach Lee Sandy said.
Central Decatur entered the game at 11-3 overall.  They made 10 three-pointers on the night going 10-31 from beyond the arc.  Central Decatur's Lydia Martin had 21 points, seven rebounds, five assists and two steals.  Hallie Lahart had 18 points, six rebounds, six assists and three steals.
Chariton led 11-9 after one period.  Central Decatur outscored the Lady Chargers 15-13 in the second to tie the game at 24 apiece at halftime.  Each team scored 19 in the third to tie the game at 43 apiece heading into the fourth.  The game was tied at 60 apiece in the final minute but Chariton fouled and Central Decatur made free throws to help seal the win.  For the game, Chartion shot 23-50 from the field and 13-20 from the arc.  Central Decatur shot 17-50 from the field and 19-26 from the line.  Both teams took good care of the ball with Chariton committing 13 turnovers and Central Decatur 11.  Chariton out-rebounded the Cardinals, 33-23.  Chariton had their most assists all season with 14.  They also had four steals and five blocks.  Central Decatur had three assists, six steals and two blocks.
Arnold had seven points, five rebounds and two blocks.  Curran had seven points and three steals.  Emma Fuhs had seven points and three blocks.  Saydee Terrell had four points.  Emily Grismore had seven assists.








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JV Girls Edged by Central Decatur at Home
The Chariton JV girls lost a close game to Central Decatur, 36-35, at Chariton.  Chariton led 21-13 at halftime but was outscored 23-14 in the second half.  Saydee Terrell led the team with 11 points, one rebound, one steal, two assists and one block.  Carlie Schaeffer had 10 points, two rebounds, four steals, one assist and one block.  Kendall Hardie had five points, one rebound and one steal.  Emily Seuferer had three points, two rebounds and one steal.  Riley Rector had two points, five rebounds and two steals.  Sarah Fuhs had two points, four rebounds and one steal.  Maria Blong had two points, two rebounds and one assist.

Boys Win and Girls Lose at Knoxville, January 25th

Varsity Charger Boys Outlast Knoxville for Seventh Straight Win

After a hard fought, emotional win the night before against Albia, the Chariton varsity boys came up with a gutsy effort to beat Knoxville, 73-65, at Knoxville on January 25th.   The Chargers had five players score in double figures and they were led by Daric Laing, who went 4-5 from three-point range and finished with a team high 21 points, eight rebounds, three blocks and two steals.  It was the seventh straight win for the Chargers, who improved to 103 overall
TJ Hockenson was ferocious on the boards with a team high 18 rebounds including six offensive boards.  He had a double-double with 14 points, 18 rebounds, two steals and three assists.  Willie Felderman had 14 points, five rebounds, four assists and two steals.  Brett Braida went 4-7 from three point range and had 12 points, one rebound and five assists.  Christian Bengtson had 10 points, six rebounds, seven assists and three steals.  Ben Morrett had two points, one rebound and two assists.
Chariton led 11-10 after one period.  The Chargers outscored the Panthers 23-19 in the second to take a 34-29 lead into halftime.  Knoxville kept battling and outscored the Chargers 16-13 in the third to cut the lead to 47-45 heading into the final period.  However, the Chargers responded with their biggest point output of the night outscoring the Panthers 26-20 to win by eight.
"I was really proud of the way the guys fought in this game.  We showed a lot of fatigue in this game from playing the night before, but the guys just gave everything they had and were able to pull it out.  We didn't play our best defensive game.  We gave them way too many open looks but we just kept battling and that was the key," Chariton head Coach Ben Schooley said.
The bench was also a factor in winning the game.  "We got key contributions from our bench and some guys knocked down some key shots for us when we needed them.  Knoxville is a much improved team and took us down to the very end.  I thought the guys did a nice job of playing as a team and getting the ball to the open guy on offense.  We also did a nice job of crashing the offensive glass and that gave us a bunch of second chance points," Coac Schooley said.
Chariton made nine three pointers on the night and went 9-21, 43 percent, from beyond the arc.  The Chargers shot 14-34, 41 percent from inside the arc.  Chariton shot 18-24, 75 percent from the charity stripe.
The Chargers pulled down 39 rebounds, nine of which were offensive boards.  They also committed just 13 turnovers and 12 fouls.  Chariton dished out 21 assists, swiped nine steals and had three blocks.

7-0 Run in FInal Minute lefts Knoxville to Win Over Lady Chargers

For the second straight night, the Chariton varsity girls played very hard and led until the fourth quyarter but weren't able to hold on in a 48-41 loss at Knoxville January 25th.

The game was tied 41-41 with one minute left but the Panthers scored seven points in the final minute to get the win.  With the loss Chariton is now 4-9 overall.

Allyson Showers had a team high 21 points, nine rebounds and one steal.  Emily Grismore had 10 points, four assists and one steal.  Alexis Curran had six points, four assists and one steal.  Carley Arnold had four points, six rebounds, one block and one steal.  Emma Fuhs had one block and one steal.

Chariton Head Coach Lee Sandy was pleased with his team's effort.  "Our kids tried very hard.  We just had some mental mistakes down the stretch and couldn't finish it.  We didn't shoot it as well as we could have and we were getting beat up and down the court in the fourth quarter.  We just have to start finishing games," Chariton Head Coach Lee Sandy said.

For the second straight night, the opponent also had a player hit several three-pointers.  After holding her scoreless in the first half, Knoxville's Emily Wallace hit three three-pointers in the second half, which helped Knoxville get the win.

Like on the night before, Chariton started very well and led after three periods.  They led 11-6 after one period and 20-14 at halftime.  Knoxville outscored them 12-10 in the third to cut the lead to 30-26 heading into the final period.

Knoxville outscored Chariton 22-11 in the fourth including 7-0 in the final minute of the game.  For the game, Chariton shot 13-49 from the field and 14-21 from the line.

Chariton pulled down 32 re-bounds.  The Lady Chargers had 15 turnovers.  Chariton had 10 assist and two blocks.  Knoxville made 15 field goals and shot 14-26 from the line.  They committed 18 fouls.  "Knoxville pressed us all night and we did a good job just committing 15 turnovers," Coach Sandy said.

Knoxville Wins over Lady Chargers

After a hard fought, emotional win the night before against Albia, the Chariton varsity boys came up with a gutty effort to beat Knoxville at knoxville on January 25th.

7-0 Run in FInal Minute lefts Knoxville to Win Over Lady Chargers

For the second straight night, the Chariton varsity girls played very hard and led until the fourth quyarter but weren't able to hold on in a 48-41 loss at Knoxville January 25th.

The game was tied 41-41 with one minute left but the Panthers scored seven points in the final minute to get the win.  With the loss Chariton is now 4-9 overall.

Allyson Showers had a team high 21 points, nine rebounds and one steal.  Emily Grismore had 10 points, four assists and one steal.  Alexis Curran had six points, four assists and one steal.  Carley Arnold had four points, six rebounds, one block and one steal.  Emma Fuhs had one block and one steal.

Chariton Head Coach Lee Sandy was pleased with his team's effort.  "Our kids tried very hard.  We just had some mental mistakes down the stretch and couldn't finish it.  We didn't shoot it as well as we could have and we were getting beat up and down the court in the fourth quarter.  We just have to start finishing games," Chariton Head Coach Lee Sandy said.

For the second straight night, the opponent also had a player hit several three-pointers.  After holding her scoreless in the first half, Knoxville's Emily Wallace hit three three-pointers in the second half, which helped Knoxville get the win.

Like on the night before, Chariton started very well and led after three periods.  They led 11-6 after one period and 20-14 at halftime.  Knoxville outscored them 12-10 in the third to cut the lead to 30-26 heading into the final period.

Knoxville outscored Chariton 22-11 in the fourth including 7-0 in the final minute of the game.  For the game, Chariton shot 13-49 from the field and 14-21 from the line.

Chariton pulled down 32 re-bounds.  The Lady Chargers had 15 turnovers.  Chariton had 10 assist and two blocks.  Knoxville made 15 field goals and shot 14-26 from the line.  They committed 18 fouls.  "Knoxville pressed us all night and we did a good job just committing 15 turnovers," Coach Sandy said.

Boys and Girls Basketball Teams at SCC Rival, Albia

Chariton Leader, January 28, 2014
Bill Howes, Associate Editor

Varsity Boys Edge Albia in OT For Sixth Straight Win

The Chariton varsity boys avenged an earlier season loss with a thrilling 65-60 overtime win over Albia at Albia on January 24th.  Chariton led by one at half and outscored the Blue Demons by five in the extra period to get the win.  The victory was the sixth in a row for the Chargers and moved them to 5-1 in the conference.

Chariton had four players score all 65 points.  TJ Hockenson and Christian Bengtson led the team offensively.  Hockenson went 6-7 from the line and finished with 22 points, 12 rebounds, one steal and one assist.  Bengtson was red hot from three point range going 6-10 and finished with 22 points, five rebounds, four assists and one steal.

Daric Laing had 15 points, three rebounds, six assists and two steals.  Willie Felderman had six points, six rebounds, three assists, two steals and one block.  Ben Morrett had two rebounds, three assists and one steal.

The game was tightly contested throughout and was tied 17-17 after one period.  Chariton outscored Albia 16-15 in the second to lead 33-32 at halftime.  The Chargers outscored Albia 12-8 in the third to open up a five point lead heading into the final period.  Chariton led most of the final period but Albia rallied to tie it with about a second left at 54 apiece.  In overtime Chariton came out and made some big shots to win the game.

"This was a hard fought game throughout and went back and forth all night.  I thought both teams played extremely hard in this game.  We did a nice job all night of playing defense and didn't give them very many easy looks.  I was so proud of the way the guys competed in the game.  There were a lot of opportunities to let this game slip away but the boys just kept playing hard and were rewarded in the end with a win.  We had guys step up when we needed to and that is nice to see.  The whole team has been working extremely hard and its nice to see their hard work pay off," Chariton Head Coach Ben Schooley said.

For the game Chariton shot 14-29, 48 percent, from inside the arc and 8-19, 42 percent, from trifecta land.  The Chargers shot 13-17, 76 percent from the line.  Chariton pulled down 28 rebounds including eight offensive boards.  Chariton committed 13 turnovers and 11 fouls.  The Chargers dished out 17 assists and had seven steals and one block.

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JV Boys Fall At Albia

A tough second and third period where they were outscored 23-8 proved to be the difference for the Chariton JV boys in a 35-26 loss at Albia January 24th.  Aaron Cain led Chariton with seven points, four rebounds, two assists and four steals.

Chariton led 8-7 after one period.  Albia outscored them 10-4 in the second and led 17-12 at halftime.  Albia outscored them 13-4 in the third to take a 30-16 lead into the final period.  Chariton turned it up defensively in the fourth and outscored Albia 10-5 but it wasn't quite enough.

"Our problems was that we turned the ball over too much and couldn't make plays throughout three quarters of the game.  The kids are working hard but are just unable to execute,"  Chariton JV Head Coach Jay Pierschbacher said.

Chariton struggled shooting from inside and beyond the arc as well as the line in this game.  The JV Chargers shot 9-36, 25 percent, from inside the arc and 2-9, 22 percent, from three-point range.  The Chargers also shot 2-7, 29 percent, from the line.

Chariton pulled down 45 rebounds for the second straight game.  Of this amount, 18 were offensive boards.  Chariton committed 20 turnovers and 14 fouls.  The Chargers had eight assists, nine steals and three blocks.

Quinn Storm had six points, 11 rebounds, one assist and one block.  Bradley Krutsinger had six points, nine rebounds, one assist and one steal.  Spencer Sherrick had five points and four rebounds.  Eduard Rodygin had two points, four rebounds, two assists and one steal.

Sawyer Dow had two rebounds, two assists and three steals.  Chase Altenhofen had three rebounds and two blocks.  Carter Riechmann had six rebounds.  Adam Kaska and Ethan Curnutte each had one rebound.

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CHS Varsity Girls Lose Tough, Hard Fought Game at SCC Rival Albia

Showers, Fuhs Have Strong Games in Loss

The Chariton varsity girls lost a tough, hard fought game at Albia on January 24th.  Chariton led until the fourth period and trailed by just two with a minute left but couldn't pull it out.  They lost by a 47-43 score to the SCC leading Lady Dees.

Both games between Chariton and Albia went down to the wire with Albia winning 47-45 at Chariton earlier this season.  With the loss Chariton moved to 4-8 overall and 2-4 in the SCC.

Allyson Showers led Chariton in scoring with 12 points to go along with nine rebounds, one block and three steals.  Emma Fuhs also had a solid game with nine points, a team-high 10 rebounds and one block.

One difference in the game was that Albia hit six three-point shots and scored nine more points from the line thatn Chariton did.  Chariton shot 5-12 from the line while Albia shot 14-26.

Albia's Makenzie Griffin hit four three pointers and hit five free throws down the stretch to help seal the win.  She finished with 19 points and eight rebounds.  Albia's Brooke Bettis had 14 points and 10 rebounds.

"We played extremely hard tonight.  Albia is undefeated in conference play and they've been playing pretty well.  I thought Emma played one of her better games this year,"  Chariton Head Coach Lee Sandy said.

Chariotn led 15-13 after one period.  They outscored Albia 15-13 in the second to lead 30-24 at halftime.  After scoring 30 points in the first half, Chariton scored only 13 in the second  Albia outscored Chariton 9-5 in the third to cut the lead 35-33 going into the final period.  Chariton led until there was five minutes left in the game but couldn't quite hold on to seal the deal.  Albia outscored Chariton 44-8 in the fourth to get the win.

For the game, Chariton shot 19-54 from the field and Albia shot 16-41.  Chariton out-rebounded Albia 31-26 and the Lady Chargers committed only 12 turnovers while Albia had 18.  Chariton committed 18 fouls.  They had 10 assists, seven steals and two blocks.  Albia had three assists, five steals and one block.

Maria Blong and Alexis Curran had six points apiece.  Carley Arnold had five points.  Emily Grismore had three points and five assists.  Emily Seuferer had two points.

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JV Girls Rout Albia to Move to 8-1

A big second half lifted the Chariton JV girls to a 44-16 win over Albia, January 24th.  Chariton led 16-12 at halftime and outscored Albia 28-4 in the second half.  With the win, the JV girls moved to 5-0 in conference play and 8-1 overall.

Saydee Terrell had 13 points, four rebounds, two steals and one assist.  Emily Seuferer had eight points and three rebounds.  Maria Blong had eight points, one rebound, three steals and two assists.  Kendal  Hardie had eight points, one rebound and one steal.  Carlie Schaeffer had six points, five steals and one assist.  Madison Showers had one point, one rebound and one steal.  Sarah Fuhs had three rebounds, one steal and two blocks.

CMS Boys and Girls Basketball Teams at Centerville

Chariton Herald-Patriot, January 30, 2014
Bill Howes, Associate Editor

8th Boys Fall to Centerville

The Chariton eighth grade A boys basketball team lost to Centerville, 39-26, at Chariton, January 23rd.  Dylan Stites led the Chargers with 18 points and one rebound.  With the loss Chariton is now 1-8 overall.

Tyler Anderson had six points, one rebound and one assist.  Isaiah Tuigong had two points, seven rebounds, one assist and four steals.  Connor Lundy had three rebounds, one assist and two steals.  Tanner Stephens had one rebound and one assist.  Bradley Owens had one rebound.

Chariton lost the B game, 25-14.  Kurt Showers had six points and six rebounds.  Riley Voss had six points, one assist and four steals.  Alex Dobyden had two points, two rebounds and three steals.  Will Exline had one rebound and two steals.  Owens had two rebounds.

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8th Girls Red Team Beat Centerville

The Chariton eighth grade girls Red team bounced back from their first loss with a 44-10 rout of Centerville at Centerville January 23rd.  Chariton stormed out to a 27-4 lead at halftime and outscored the Redettes 17-6 in the second half.  Ivy Swarthout had 14 points, one rebound, five steals and three assists.  Aubrie Richards had 10 points, six rebounds, one steal, one assist and two blocks.  With the win the Red team moved to 8-1 overall.

"The girls played great tonight.  I was happy to see us come together as a team.  Abbie Peterson played much more aggressively and Jacklynn Johnson really stepped up and gave us some great minutes," Chariton Head Coach Jeanna Snook said.

Johnson had eight points, one rebound and five steals.  Luci Swarthout had six points, and three rebounds.  Peterson had four points, three rebounds, four steals and two assists.  Autumn Gwinn had one point and three rebounds.  Ashley Pfrimmer had one point, two rebounds and one steal.  Tressa Shore had three rebounds and two steals.  Megan Schultz had two rebounds.  Taytum Bacus had one steal and one block.

White Team Wins

The White team also won, 20-4.  Pfrimmer had eight points, one rebound, two steals and two assists.  Bacus had three points, one rebound and one steal.  Schultz had three points.  Taheton Decker had two points, three rebounds and one assist.  Natalie Baird had two points and three rebounds.  Danica Derringer had two points and two rebounds.  Shelby Jensen had two rebounds.  Trinity Kemper had one rebound and two steals.  Johnson had one rebound.

"These girls keep getting better and better.  I was very happy with how the girls tried to run the offense.  Danica had a perfect pass and Ashley did a great job running the point most of the game," Coach Snook said.
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Coach Taylor Gets First Tie of Coaching Career Against Centerville

Chariton Seventh Grade Girls Head Coach Bruce Taylor had a first (a tie) in his coaching career when his team played Centerville recently.  His seventh grade girls Red team and Centerville played to a 30-30 tie in overtime at Centerville January 23rd.  With the tie the team moved to 4-4-1 for the season.
"I've never had a tie before,"  Coach Taylor said.  "The State Girls Athletic Association doesn't permit 7-8 grades to play more than one overtime in a given game.  We were huddled and ready to keep playing when everyone realized the rule.
Chariton jumped out to an early 6-1 lead and led 17-13 at halftime.  Chariton led 26-23 with two minutes left in the game and missed a couple of opportunities to go up by more with some missed put backs on offensive rebounds.  With the game winding down, Centerville drained a three-pointer to tie the game at 26 apiece to send it into overtime.  Both teams scored four points in the over-time to end it in a 30-30 tie.
"We played with poise down the stretch and in overtime.  We kept pushing the ball and came close to having some success in transition during the end of regulation and overtime.  Maybe slowing down the ball would have worked, but we kept doing what we are comfortable with, which was pushing the ball in transition.  Again, I was proud of the game we played against a team that had only one loss all season.  We probably could have won with a little better shooting," Coach Taylor said.
Chariton took 55 shots, but could only make 12 for a percentage of 22  percent.  Shayla Holohan went 6-14 from the field and 2-4 from the charity stripe for a total of 14 points.  She also did a stellar job on the boards pulling down 14 rebounds.  She also swiped one steal.
Grace Bengtson ran the offense and did a good job of handling the ball with only three turnovers.  She had two points, two rebounds and two steals.  Paige Burgett had two points, one rebound and one steal.  "Paige brings non-stop energy every game," Coach Taylor said.
Shelby Dobberthein had one point.  "Creation of more touches on offense is what we need for Shelby,." Coach Taylor said.  Breanna Ellis had two points, one rebound and three steals.  "Breanna is playing better defense by anticipating much better on defense," Coach Taylor said.  Erin Payton had two points and one rebound.  "Erin is shooting the ball better along with being more aggressive on defense," Coach Taylor said.
Alysha Shutt came in and provided some spark with four points, one rebound and one steal.  "Macy Johnson also came in and gave the team some steady play when it was needed,"  Coach Taylor said.
"This was a good effort game and we created many more shots than Centerville, but couldn't quite get the shots to fall.  Hopefully we finish the season playing like we are now, with a little more success on our shots and we will have a winning record," Coach Taylor said.

Big Second Half Lifts White Team

The White team beat Centerville 13-5.  They trailed by one at halftime, but rallied to outscore Centerville 10-1 in the second half.  With the win the White team improved to 6-3 overall.
For the game, the White team shot 6-22 from the field, 27 percent, and 1-6 from the line, 17 percent.  Natalie Ilyenko went 3-4 from the field and had six points along with two rebounds and one steal.  Shut had five points, one rebound and one steal.  Johnson had two points, two rebounds and one steal.  Macy Beaty had one steal.  Crystal Milam had one rebound and one steal.  Payton had a team-high four steals.  Leilani Plank had three rebounds and one steal.  Mikenzy Beaty played very good defense, creating five alternate possessions against Centerville's point guard.
"The girls continue to give maximum effort and show improvement each game," Coach Taylor said.
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Dynamite "D" Lifts 7th Boys over Reds
A dynamite defensive effort propelled the Chariton seventh grade A boys to a 38-8 win over Centerville at Chariton January 23rd.  Chariton held Centerville to just two points in the first half.  Royce Stewart led Chariton with 15 points and six rebounds.  Nathan Blong had nine pints and 10 rebounds.
"What a defensive effort today.  The kids played with intensity and communication.  They took advantage of some mismatches on offense to put up some points.  Royce really did a great job of posting his kid up and calling for the ball today.  The other kids played really unselfishly too, to get him the ball.  We shot the ball much better today but that was due to running our fast break better and taking lay ups instead of settling for perimeter shots," Chariton Head Coach Mike Jones said.
Brady Hamilton had four points and five rebounds.  Noah Weaver had two points and four rebounds.  Colbie Wertz had two points and three rebounds.  Brodey Johnson, Cameron McDonald and Nathan Weaver each had two points and two rebounds.  Peyton Lane and Cooper Shelton had two rebounds apiece.
Chariton Wins B game, too
Chariton also won the B game, 21-8.  Payton Schaeffer had four points and one rebound.  Garrett Roach had four points and two rebounds.  Ty White had two points and two rebounds.  Chance Anderson had two points and one rebound.  Ben Lahart, Tyler Gookin, Micah Thatcher, Jimmy Graham and Gus Ghormley had two points apiece.  Luke Lahart and Mathew Stout each had a rebound.
"What a really good offensive performance for this group.  We have really been working on our offense and moving without the ball in practice.  Today it paid off.  The kids moved well and passed the ball to the open cutter.  We also ran our fast break well for the first time this season.  This group has been giving up quite a few offensive rebounds to other teams too and we have put some time in on this lately in practice too.  They did a great job of only giving up two offensive rebounds to a taller team," Coach Jones said.

Boys and Girls JV Chargers at Knoxville

Chariton Leader, January 28, 2014
Bill Howes, Associate Editor

Tough Fourth Quarter Defensively Costs JV Chargers at Knoxville

A bad fourth quarter defensively hurt the Chariton JV boys in a 57-40 loss at Knoxville on January 20th.

The JV Chargers played very good defense over the first three quarters giving up just 31 points and they led 39-31 heading into the final period.  However, Knoxville outscored them 26-7 in the fourth and that proved to be the difference.  With the loss, the JV Chargers moved to 5-5 overall.

"We only played about 10 players in this game.  We tried to do some different things with each group.  The kids played really hard, we just couldn't get stops in the fourth quarter.  You aren't going to win very many JV games giving up 26-points in the fourth period.  We have to give the Knoxville kids credit, that's a lot of points to score in one quarter and only five of them were from the free throw line," Chariton JV Head Coach Jay Pierschbacher said.

Chariton led 14-9 after one period.  Knoxville outscored them 13-8 in the second to tie the game at 27 apiece heading into halftime.  Chariton outscored Knoxville 17-9 in the third period to open up an eight point lead but couldn't hold on in the fourth.

For the game, Chariton shot 14-49, 29 percent, from inside the arc and 4-12, 33 percent, from trifecta land.  The JV Chargers shot 6-12, 50 percent, from the line.  Chariton pulled down 45 rebounds including 14 offensive boards.  The Chargers committed 20 turnovers and 18 fouls.  Chariton had 11 assists, nine steals and one block.

Quinn Storm had a double-double with 14 points, 14 rebounds, two assists and two steals.  Aaron Cain had nine points, five rebounds, two assists and two steals.  Bradley Krutsinger had seven points, seven rebounds, one assist and one block.  Spencer Sherrick had six points, three rebounds and one steal.  Chase Altenhofen had six points and one rebound.  Sawyer Dow had two points, two rebounds, two assists and three steals.  Carter Riechmann had two points and four rebounds.  Eduard Rodygin had six rebounds and one assist.  Adam Kaska had one rebound and three assists.  Ethan Curnutte had two rebounds and one steal.

JV Girls Move to 8-1 with win over Knoxville

The Chariton JV girls posted an impressive 39-26 win over Knoxville at Knoxville January 20th.  Chariton stormed out of the gates quickly and led 23-7 at halftime.
Knoxville outscored them 19-16 in the second half but it wasn't enough.  With the win Chariton improved to 8-1 overall.  They are also 7-0 in SCC play.
Saydee Terrell led Chariton with 10 points, one rebound and two steals.  Maria Blong had eight points, four rebounds, one steal and two blocks.  Emily Seuferer had seven points, six rebounds and three steals.  Kendall Hardie had senve points, seven rebounds and one steal.  Carlie Schaffer had six points, two rebounds, two steals and one assist.  Carley Arnold had one point, a team-high 11 rebounds, two steals and five blocks.

Craig Spiker Named Assistant Coach of the Year for Southeast District

The Iowa High School Baseball Coaches Association held its 46th annual Awards Banquet at the Marriott Hotel Banquet room in Cedar Rapids January 18th.  Chariton High School Assistant Baseball Coach, Craig Spiker, was named the Assistant Coach of the Year for the Southeast District.  Coach Spiker has been an assistant to Head Coach Jake Schroeder for three years out of his career
as an assistant coach.  Coach Schroeder said that Spiker is an assistant coach first and foremost and he is also the hitting coach.
Last year the Chargers led Class 3A in hitting and Coach Spiker was a big reason for that.  He also helped guide the Chargers to a state tournament appearance, their first one since 2009.
Coach Spiker has been a member of the Iowa High School Baseball Coaches Association for three years.  He is also a member of the State Softball Hall of Fame.

Varsity Girls Struggle in SCC Road Loss at Clarke

Chariton Leader, January 21, 2014
Bill Howes, Associate Editor

Varsity Girls win 61-34

A subpar performance hurt the Chariton varsity girls in a 61-34 conference loss at Clarke January 17th.  The Lady Chargers trailed by seven at halftime and were outscored 38-18 in the second half by a team that had beaten them earlier this season.  Allyson Showers led Chariton with 20 points, seven rebounds and two steals.

Chariton beat Clarke in overtime, 42-40, at Chariton on December 9th.  With the loss Friday night Chariton fell to 2-3 in the SCC and 4-6 overall.

Chariton Head Coach Lee Sandy was displeased with his team's effort.

Chariton led by 14-6 early but Clarke ended the first period on an 8-0 run to tie the game at 14-14 at the end of the period.  Clarke outscored the Lady Chargers 9-2 in the second to take a 23-16 lead into halftime.  Things got worse in the second half for Chariton as Clarke outscore them 21-7 in the third period to lead 44-23 after three periods.  Chariton was unable to get a rally going in the fourth and was outscored 17-11 in the final period.

For the game, Chariton shot 14-47 from the field and 6-10 from the line.  Clarke shot 21-51 from the field and 13-17 from the line.  One bright spot was that Chariton out-rebounded Clarke, 34-23.  Chariton also had six blocks, six steals and seven assists.  Clarke had six steals and six assists.  Chariton committed 17 turnovers while Clarke had eight.

Seventh A and B Boys Teams - Games Against Clarke

Chariton Leader, February 4, 2014
Bill Howes, Associate Editor

Seventh A and B Boys Teams Play Stellar, Avenge Earlier Season Losses to Clarke

The Chariton A and B seventh grade boys teams both avenged earlier season losses to Clarke with wins against the Indians at Osceola January 17th.  The A team beat Clarke, 38-16, and was led by Nathan Blong, who had 12 points and 11 rebounds.  Royce Stewart had nine points and two rebounds.
"What a great outing for these kids.  Our kids ran the floor well, rebounded and really attacked the basket.  We are averaging just over 30 shots in the first half.  Earlier this season we lost to Clarke at home by eight.  I'm inspired by today's turnaround changing and eight-point loss into a 22-point win.  I've been trying to tell these kids all year that if they forget about stats and learn to play hard every time they are on the floor, they can beat most teams and compete with anyone," Chariton Head Coach Mike Jones said.
Jackson Fisher had four points and eight rebounds.  Nathan Weaver had four points and six rebounds.  Brodey Johnson had four points.  Brady Hamilton had two points and three rebounds.  Colbie Werts had two points and three rebounds.  Cameron McDonald had one point.  Noah Weaver had five rebounds.  Peyton Lane had two rebounds.  Cooper Shelton had one rebound.
B Team Beats Clarke
The B team beat Clarke, 13-8.  Chance Anderson had two points and four rebounds.  Ben Lahart had two points and two rebounds.
Ty White had one point and a team-high six rebounds.  Gus Ghormley had three rebounds.  Micah Thatcher had two rebounds and Luke Lahart had two rebounds.  Aaron Sullenger, Jimmy Graham, Tyler Gookin and Payton Schaeffer each had one rebound.
"These kids are also showing progress and it's really fun to see.  We ran our offense better today than we have all year.  I was really pleased with the way Jimmy and Chance took advantage of back door cuts against some pressure by Clarke defensive players.  Ty was a force on the boards today and he made good decisions to outlet the ball to try to get our fast break moving," Coach Jones said.

(The following games occurred earlier this season)

7th A and B Teams Fall to Clarke at Home 

Blong has 16 points and 10 rebounds in A Team Loss

The A Team Lost
The Chariton A and B boys basketball teams both lost to Clarke in their first matchup at Chariton earlier this season.  The A team lost to the Indians 34-26, despite a double-double from Nathan Blong, who had 16 points and 10 rebounds.
"I was disappointed in our effort today.  It seemed as if we were playing either tired or without any passion or intensity today.  Defensively, we had many, many breakdowns.  We were often in position to help our teammate but chose to not stop the ball or committed a foul because of reaching instead of moving our feet.  We allowed Clarke's three-point shooters to spot up and shoot without hustling to close out on them," Chariton Head Coach Mike Jones said.
Jackson Fisher had four points and three rebounds.  Royce Stuart had two points and four rebounds.  Cameron McDonald had two points.  Nathan Weaver had two points and two rebounds.  Colbie Werts had three rebounds and Noah Weaver had two.
Brodey Johnson and Brady Hamilton each had one rebound.
The B Team Also Lost
The B team also lost, 8-4.  Ty White had two points and two rebounds.  Gus Ghormley had two points and one rebound.  Micah Thatcher had five rebounds.  Chance Anderson and Aaron Sullenger had three rebounds apiece.  Luke Lahart had one rebound.
"This was very much like the A game, the B team started slowly.  We are still having trouble getting into an offensive set, but it seemed like we made more of an effort to do so today.  Our kids had quite a few shots at the basket today, but just struggled to make them.  Micah and Aaron did an outstanding job rebounding and continue to improve each week," Coach Jones said.

Varsity Boys Get Fourth Win 65-41, Against Clarke and JV Boys also Win

Chariton Herald-Patriot, January 23, 2014
Bill Howes, Associate Editor

Strong Second Half Lifts Varsity Boys to their Fourth Straight Win

Chargers outscore Clarke 41-17 in Second Half

A strong second half performance was the key for the Chariton varsity boys in a 65-41 win over Clarke at Chariton Friday night, January 17th.  The game was tied 24-24 at halftime but Chariton's defense forced the Indians into mistakes in the second half and turned the game into a convincing win for the Chargers.  With the win, Chariton moved to 4-1 in the conference and 7-3 overall.

Willie Felderman went 8-11 from the field and finished with a team-high 18 points and 12 rebounds along with four assists and five blocks.  Daric Laing had 14 points, five rebounds, four assists and three steals.  TJ Hockenson had 10 points, eight rebounds, five steals, one assist and one block.

Chariton led 13-17 after one period.  The Indians played tough defense and outscored the Chargers 17-11 into second to tie the game 24-24 at halftime.  The Chargers came out strong following the break and outscored the Indians 24-7 in the third to open up a 48-31 lead after the third period.  Chariton kept it up in the fourth outscoring the Indians, 17-10, to win going away.

"We got off to a slow start offensively in this game.  We missed some shots we normally make and were just a little out of sync.  We turned the ball over way too much in the first half as well.  I give Clarke a lot of credit, they did a nice job of guarding us in the first half and making it hard on us.  I was proud of the way the guys played defensively the whole game," Chariton Head Coach Ben Schooley said.

Coach Schooley told about how his defense helped turn the tide in the second half.  "We were able to use our defense to turn them over in the second half and this allowed us to get some easy baskets in transition and we were able to build up a lead.  It's nice to see the improvement this team is making at the defensive end.  We have become a much better defensive team and that was the key in this game.  Sometimes you need your defense to get your offense going and that's what happened  in this game," he said.

Joey Krutsinger had four points and three rebounds.  Ben Morrett had three points, one rebound, two steals and two assists.  Brett Braida had two points, three rebounds  and one steal.  Hunter Storm had two points and one rebound.  Aaron Cain had two points.  Alec Reynolds had three rebounds and one assist.
For the game, Chariton shot 23-45, 51 percent, from inside the arc and 3-8, 38 percent, from trifecta land,.  The Chargers shot 10-16, 63 percent, from the line.  Chariton pulled down 39 rebounds including eight offensive boards.  The Chargers committed 21 turnovers and 10 fouls.  Chariton dished out 19 assists, swiped 16 steals and had seven blocks.

Strong D Lifts JV Boys over Clarke

A strong first half defensively was key for the Chariton JV boys in a 43-29 win against Clarke at Chariton January 17th.  Chariton held the Indians to just nine points in the first half.  Quinn Storm had a double double with 15 points, 11 rebounds including six offensive boards, one assist and one steal.  With the win, the JV Chargers improved to 5-3 overall.
Chariton started out slow offensively but still led 9-5 after the first period.  The Chargers picked it up offensively in the second outscoring the Indians, 18-4, to lead 27-9 at halftime.  Clarke outscored the JV Chargers 13-10 in the third to cut the lead to 37-22 after three periods.  Clarke wasn't really able to cut into Chariton's lead as they outscored the Chargers just 7-6 in the fourth.
"We started out slow in the first quarter.  Quinn had a nice game offensively and on the boards.  We did struggle a little defensively in the third period.  It was nice to be able to play a lot of players in this game," Chariton Head Coach Jay Pierschbacher said.
Nine players scored for the Chargers.  Aaron Cain had seven pints, five rebounds, five assists and one steal.  Sawyer Dow had seven points, three rebounds and one steal.  Bradley Krutsinger had three points, four rebounds, three steals and two assists.  Chase Altenhofen had three points, two rebounds and one steal.
Carter Riechmann had two points, eight rebounds and one block.  Spencer Sherrick had two points and one steal.  Mathias Plank had two points.  Ethan Payton had one point and two rebounds.  Eduard Rodygin had two rebounds, one block and one assist.  Adam Kaska had one block and two steals.  Ethan Curnutte had three rebounds, a steal and an assist.  Sam Lerner had two rebounds.
For the game, Chariton shot 16-45, 36 percent, from inside the arc and 2-7,  29 percent, from three-point range.  The JV Chargers shot 4-14, 29 percent, from the line.  Chariton pulled down 42 rebounds including an impressive 20 offensive boards.  The Chargers committed 17 turnovers and 13 fouls.  Chariton dished out 10 assists, had 11 steals and three blocks.

Tyler Pearson with VEX robotics tank

Tyler Pearson shows a VEX robotics tank created piece by piece by the students from the middle school's Automation & Robotics class.

Middle School Boys and Girls Teams at Albia

Chariton Leader, January 28 and Herald-Patriot, January 27, 2014

Bill Howes, Associate Editor

CMS 8th Boys Fall to Albia

The Chariton eighth grade A boys fell to Albia, 61-27, at Chariton January 16th.  Tyler Anderson led the team in scoring with 11 points.  With the loss Chariton moved to 1-7 overall.

Tanner Stephens had eight points and two rebounds.  Dylan Stites had four points, three rebounds, one assist and one steal.  Bradley Owens had two points and nine rebounds.  Connor Lundy had two points and three rebounds. 

Chariton also lost the B game, 33-4.  Alex Dobryden had two points and seven rebounds.  Riley Voss had two points.  Will Exline had two rebounds and one steal.  Owens had two rebounds.

7th Boys Teams fall to Albia

The Chariton seventh grade boys A team came within a whisker of beating Albia with a 39-37 loss at Chariton January 16th.The Chargers led by five at halftime, but missed a lot of free throws and couldn't quite seal the deal.  Trailing by two with eight seconds left, Chariton had three shots at the basket to tie the game but couldn't make the tying shot.

It was quite a turnaround for Chariton, who lost to Albia 53-18 earlier this season.  Nathan Blong led the Chargers with 12 points while Royce Stewart had 10.

"Wow, what a fun game to be a part of.  Our kids are really playing at another level right now.  We took a lead to the locker room but have got to continue to make progress on the mental as well as the physical part of the game.  We need to learn how to play from ahead as well as behind.  We were forcing too many passes in the second half that we just didn't need to try," Chariton Head Coach Mike Jones said.

Chariotn shot 13-17 from the line.  "We did miss too many free throws during the game, but we had other opportunities too.  We gave Albia too many second chances late in the game by not taking care of rebound and loose balls.  When these kids get a handle on all parts of the game, they will be a team that can play with and beat anyone they step on the court to play," Coach Jones said.

Jackson Fisher had eight points.  Payton Lane had four points and Nathan Weaver had two.  Cameron McDonald had one point.  "Nathan continues to be a big force on offense as well as the boards.  Payton came off the bench and really showed his improvement by giving us some quality time," Coach Jones said.

Chariton loses close B game

The B game was also close with Chariton falling, 16-12.  Cooper Shelton led the team with four points.  Luke Lahart, Tyler Gookin, Ty White, Micah Thatcher and Jimmy Graham had two points apiece.

"Like the A team, these kids keep making some progress.  I was disappointed in the lack of offense today.  We are looking for some leadership on the floor to get people in position and run what is beneficial for us.  We have made an effort to work on rebounding each day in practice recently and it's good to see some of the kids putting it to use.  We did a little better job of controlling their second chances today and this allowed us to keep the game a little closer.  Ty White and Micah again did a great job on the boards today," Coach Jones said.

The game was an improvement for the B team, who lost to Albia earlier this season, 23-10.

7th Red Girls Team Uses Fast Start to Beat Albia, Eve Their Record at 4-4

The Chariton 7th grade girls Red team jumped out to a fast start on route to a 30-13 victory at Albia January 16th.  Chariton led 11-4 at halftime and and outscored Albia 19-9 in the second half to get the win.  With the victory the Red girls are now 4-4 overall.
Chariton shot 13-48, 27 percent, from the field and 4-13, 31 percent from the line.  "We are getting to the free throw line much more lately and any time we can score with the clock not running is a plus.  The girls are starting to look for open space and taking the ball off the dribble when the opportunity presents itself, which is something we have emphasized all season," Chariton Head Coach Bruce Taylor said.
Shayla Holohan led Chariton in scoring with nine points and was a force in rebounding collecting six boards, "She played her best game to date," Coach Taylor said.
Grace Bengtson had six points and one rebound.  Natalie Ilyenko had four points, four rebounds and two steals, "Natalie did a nice job as our sixth man tonight," Coach Taylor said.
Breanna Ellis scored three points and had one steal.  Paige Burgett had two points, one rebound and one steal.  Shelby Dobberthein had two points, one rebound and one steal.
Erin Payton had two points, one rebound and three steals.  "This was Erin's most aggressive game played from a defensive standpoint this season," Coach Taylor said.  Macy Johnston had three rebounds.  Mikenzy Beaty contribued minutes, along with Alysha Shutt who had two steals.
White Team Losses Close Game
The White Team lost a close game, 15-12, to move to 5-3 overall.  For the game they shot 5-24, 21 percent, from the field and 2-4, 50 percent, from the line.
Albia had 8-6 at halftime and the game remained close in the second half.  Albia's one three-point shot in the game proved to be the margin of victory.
The White team had five players score.  Shutt led the team with three points, two rebounds and one steal.  Ilyendo had three points, one rebound and three steals.  Beaty had a nice floor game and scored two points.  Johnston had two points and two rebounds.  Leilani Plank had two points and two steals.  Crystal Milam had one rebound.  Baylee Pollard had one rebound.  Emily Shelton had two steals.  Payton had two steals.
"Macey Beaty got some open shots and has started to realize that a quicker release sometimes gets you shot attempts.  In tonight's two games, this was the first time all four point guards have scored and also did a good job of running our offense," Coach Taylor said.

8th Red Girls Lose To Albia

The Chariton eighth grade girls Red Team suffered their first loss of the season with a 43-30 loss at Albia January 16th.

Luci Swarthout had 12 rebounds, eight steals and one assist.  

Albia led 18-10 at halftime and outscored Chariton 25-20 in the second half

"Tonight was one of those nights that things just didn't go our way.  I know these girls will learn from this and move on," Chariton Head Coach Jeanna Snook said.

Abbie Peterson had six points, two rebounds and two steals.  Tressa Shore had four points, six rebounds and five steals.  Autumn Gwinn had two points, five rebounds, four steals and one block.  Aubrie Richards had two points, three rebounds and two blocks.  Ivy Swarthout had two points and rebound.

The White team won, 20-6,  Ashley Pfrimmer had four points and three steals.  Jacklynn Johnson had four points and one steal.  Natalie Baird had four points and one rebound.  Shelby Jensen had three points and two rebounds.  Taheton Decker had two points and three rebounds.  Trinity Kemper had two points.  Megan Schultz had one point and one rebound.  Danica Derringer had one rebound.

Varsity Boys and Girls at Grinnell

Chariton Leader, January 21, 2014 and Herald-Patriot, January 23, 2014
Bill Howes, Associate Editor

Five in a row!  Varsity boys beat Grinnell for fifth straight win

The Chariton varsity boys pulled off a huge win with a 64-60 win at Grinnell on January 18th.  The Chargers led by seven at halftime and trailed by two entering the fourth but outscored the Tigers by six in the final period to get the win.

The win was the fifth in a row for the varsity Chargers, who moved to 8-3 overall.

Grinnell entered the game on a four-game winning streak and was 8-2 overall.  They have posted impressive wins so far this season including beating Pella by 14, Dallas Center Grimes by three, and Norwalk by 20.

"The guys played an excellent game to get this win.  Grinnell was one of the best 3A teams in the state and we played a great game against them.  We were really good in the first half offensively, getting the shots we wanted and knocking them down.  We were able to build a small lead early and I think that gave us some confidence,"  Chariton Head Coach Ben Schooley said.

Only four players scored in the whole game for Chariton.  Both Daric Laing and TJ Hockenson had big games offensively to help get the win.  Hockenson went 11-17 from the field and 5-5 from the line to finish with a team high 27 points, eight rebounds, two assists and one steal.  Laing went 4-6 from three point range and 8-9 from the line to finish with 26 points, five rebounds, four assists and three steals.

Christian Bengtson had seven points, three rebounds, five steals, seven assists and one block.  Willie Felderman had four points, six rebounds, three assists, one block and one steal.  Ben Morrett had one rebound, one steal and four assists.

Chariton started out well and led 21-15 after one period.  The Chargers outscored the Tigers 15-14 in the second to take a 36-29 lead into halftime.  Grinnell came back in the third and outscored the Chargers 18-9 to take a 46-45 lead heading into the final period.  The Chargers responded however and outscored the Tigers 19-13 to come out victorious.

"I was proud of the composure the boys showed and were able to answer back and win this game.  We battled them defensively all night.  They were a much bigger team than we were and the guys just kept fighting at the defensive end.  The boys have been practicing well lately and it showed in the game.  We had to make some key free throws down the stretch in this game.  We turned the ball over too much and that's something we need to work on, but overall the guys played an amazing game and I am happy to see that they were able to pull this one out." Coach Schooley said.

For the game Chariton shot 16-32, 50 percent, from inside the arc and a sizzling 5-9, 56 percent, from trifecta land.  The Chargers shot 17-20, 85 percent, from the charity stripe.

The Chargers pulled down 23 rebounds including four offensive boards.  Chariton committed 21 turnovers and nine fouls.  The Chargers had 20 assists,11 steals and two blocks.

Bad first half hurts Chariton JV boys in non-conference loss at Grinnell

A bad first half proved to be too much to overcome for the Chariton JV boys in a 49-23 loss at Grinnell Saturday, January 18th.  The JV Chargers managed just three points in the first quarter and four in the second and trailed 33-7 at halftime.  Carter Riechmann led the Chargers with eight points, six rebounds and one steal.
"We got off to a terrible start in this game.  We just weren't able to guard and were terrible on the offensive end.  The Tigers did an excellent job of defending and making it tough to score.  We have to get better against this type of defense," Chariton JV Head Coach Jay Pierschbacher said.
Chariton played Grinnell evenly in the second half, with both teams scoring 16 points apiece.  Chariton struggled from the field going 10-40, 25 percent, from inside the arc, and 0-6 from three point range.  The Chargers shot 3-12, 25 percent from the charity stripe.  Chariton had 28 rebounds including 11 offensive boards.  The JV Chargers committed 17 turnovers and 13 fouls.  Chariton had eight assists, eight steals and three blocks.
Sawyer Dow had four points, four rebounds and one assist.  Aaron Cain had four points, one rebound and one assist.  Quinn Storm had three points, four rebounds, three steals and one block.  Bradley Krutsinger had two points, six rebounds, two steals, two blocks and one assist.  Spencer Sherrick had two points, one rebound, two steals and two assists.  Chase Altenhofen had four rebounds.  Adam Kaska had one rebound and one assist  Sam Lerner had one rebound.

Varsity Girls Give Great Effort in Loss to Grinnell

The Chariton Varsity girls played much better in a 57-41 loss at Grinnell Saturday, January 18th.  Facing a tough Tiger team, Chariton gave a valiant effort but just came up short against a team that could scorch the nets.  With the loss Chariton moved to 4-7 overall.

Allyson Showers had 16 points, six rebounds, one block and two steals.  Alexis Curran had 13 points, two assists, one block and two steals.  Emily Grismore had six points, two assists ans two steals.  Kendall Hardie had three points, and two steals.  Carley Arnold had two points, five rebounds and one block.  Maria Blong had one point and two steals.

Chariton Head Coach Lee Sandy was much more pleased with his team's effort against Grinnell than against Clarke the night before.  "We gave a really good effort tonight.  If we played with that kind of effort every night, we'd have a chance to win every game.  Grinnell is a really good team with four girls who can shoot from three-point range.  We were in their face, they just made shots,"  Coach Sandy said.

Chariton has been plying short-handed with four players out with injuries including Micaela Folkerts, Meredith Davis, Delaney Richards and Sarah Fuhs..  Emma Fuhs also didn't play against Grinnell due to another commitment.  Coach Sandy has been pleased with the effort of the players filling in and hopes to have Sarah Fuhs back this week.

Grinnell started out strong and led 19-6 after one period.  However Chariton was only outscored 13-12 in the second period to trail 32-18 at halftime.  Chariton outscored the Tigers 15-13 in the third and trailed 45-33 with one period left.  In a low scoring fourth period, Grinnel outscored Chariton 12-8.  For the game, Chariton shot 14-36 from the field and 12-17 from the line.  Grinnell shot 19-48 from the field and 10-15 from the line.  Grinnell out-rebounded Chariotn 26-24.  Chariton committed 18 turnovers and Grinnell had 15.

Chariton had 11 steals, seven assists and three blocks and Grinnell had eight steals, five assists and one block.