Basketball Game Preview: Chester Yellowjackets vs. Sparta Bulldogs

Chester is 8-2 against Sparta since February of 2022 and they'll have a chance to extend that dominance on Thursday. The Chester Yellowjackets will challenge the Sparta Bulldogs at 7:30 p.m. The teams are on pretty different trajectories at the moment (Chester has three straight wins, Sparta has four straight losses), but none of that matters once you're on the court.

Chester is headed into the matchup having just posted their closest victory since January 16, 2024 on Tuesday. They skirted past Trico 37-34.

Chester got their win on the backs of several key players, but it was Lillian Diskey out in front who posted eight points and six rebounds. Another player making a difference was Rylie Conley, who put up ten points and five boards.

Chester smashed the offensive glass and finished the game with 22 offensive boards. That's the most offensive rebounds they've posted since back in January of 2024.

Meanwhile, Sparta played a tough contest on Thursday in which they were outscored in every quarter. They had to suffer through a 66-26 loss at the hands of Okawville. While losing is never fun, the Bulldogs can't take it too hard given the team's big disadvantage in MaxPreps' Illinois basketball rankings (they are ranked 460th, while the Rockets are ranked 106th).

Despite the defeat, Sparta saw an underclassman step up: freshman Sierra Starr went 6-for-11 on her way to 13 points and six rebounds.

Sparta's loss dropped their record down to 7-15. As for Chester, their victory bumped their record up to 12-16.

Chester strolled past Sparta when the teams last played back in December of 2024 by a score of 59-42. The rematch might be a little tougher for Chester since the squad won't have the home-court advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.