Chamois played well through the first half of Friday’s game against St. Elizabeth but couldn’t hold it in the second half, falling to the visiting Hornets, 54-32.

“We came out really well and executed the shots we wanted,” said Coach Parker Jett. “We weren’t really getting shots to fall, but we dictated the pace and found a way to keep it close.”

Chamois trailed 26-18 at the half, and had plans for a surge in the third, but Jett noted that turnovers really dug a hole the Pirates couldn’t escape. “Coach Heckemeyer said to me after the game, ‘They were ready to play, and they play hard,’ and that is the best compliment I can ever receive. No matter the circumstance, all year, this group has responded, and the results haven’t been there, but they play hard and fight every minute they are out there. I can’t rave enough about how proud I am of them.”

Chamois shot 23.8% overall and finished with three treys to go with a 9-15 mark at the stripe.

Kaden Wuelling led the Pirates with a pair of three-pointers on his way to 10 points, as Grayson Gerloff added seven, Max McKague (trey, 3-4 FT) posted seven, Jaxon Wuelling (5-7 FT) scored five, and Oliver Carter finished with four. J. Wuelling’s four assists paced the team, and McKague added two.

Carter had a good night around the rim with seven rebounds as J. Wuelling grabbed six, Gerloff posted five, McKague had three, and K. Wuelling snagged two.

On Thursday, the Pirates lost to Missouri Military Academy (MMA), 46-42.

“We let this game slip away and just couldn’t get it back,” said Jett. “We fought and fought and fought, but we just couldn’t get over the hump. All credit to MMA; they are a gritty bunch, and we did not play our best game. We turned it over too much and allowed ourselves to speed up, which is not the pace we like to play. It cost us in the end, but as I say all the time, with this group, the effort is always there, and they always leave 100% out in the floor night in and night out.”

J. Wuelling led all scorers with 18 points, including three three-pointers and a 5-7 FT performance. K. Wuelling (2 treys) added six, McKague (trey) and Carter scored five apiece, and Gerloff finished with four. McKague and Carter shared the lead with three assists apiece.

On the glass, Carter posted a team-leading 10 rebounds, and McKague added six, followed by Gerloff and J. Wuelling (4 each), Levi Weed (3), Victor Slack (2), and K. Wuelling (1).

Defensively, K Wuelling and Gerloff counted two steals each.

Last week on Tuesday, the Pirates lost to Christian Fellowship, 70-38.

“We played a great three quarters and had the lead at half,” said Jett, the Pirates holding a 28-27 edge at intermission. “We were really finding our spots and defended really well! Fellowship has a lot of talented guards, and they really turned it on to end the game.”

In the second half, the separation began in the third as CF won the frame 25-9, followed by a 19-1 advantage in the final eight minutes.

J. Wuelling led the attack with 19 points (3 treys, 4-7 FT), as Kaden Wuelling went 4-7 from long range with his best shooting night of the season to score 13. Carter added six points.

On the rebounding front, K. Wuelling’s seven grabs paced the Pirates, as J. Wuelling grabbed four, followed by Gerloff (3), Slack and Carter (2 each), and Weed and McKague (1 apiece).

“I’m proud of these boys for the way they respond to the challenge against good teams,” said Jett. “They never quit fighting.”