New Kent Charles City Chronicle

News for New Kent County and Charles City County, Virginia | March 28, 2024

Surry guards overwhelm CC

By Alan Chamberlain | January 7, 2010 3:12 pm

With the guard tandem of twins Brittany and Whitney Johnson returning, Surry figured to be in the Tri-Rivers District and Region A girls’ basketball title hunts this season. But the addition of transfer guard Rashone Edwards has made the Cougars a more formidable entity.

The trio combined for 61 points on the way to a 77-34 Tri-Rivers win over Charles City’s host Lady Panthers. The Dec. 17 outcome lowered Charles City’s record to 0-2 in the district and 1-4 overall heading into the holiday break.

Just over one minute into the contest, Surry owned an 11-0 lead thanks to a furious press that kept the Lady Panther offense bottled up in backcourt and forced turnovers. The hosts, however, survived the opening onslaught, settled down, and didn’t back down, a fact that Lady Panther coach Andre’ Jones emphasized afterward.

“We were really shorthanded tonight, but our demeanor wasn’t shorthanded,” he said. “We’re starting to understand how to play to the level of our competition.”

Jones praised the effort of several players who had to pick up slack in the absence of point guard Toni Harris and center Shana Brown.

“I think we shot the ball well, and we were taking good shots,” he said. “Shana [Braxton] did a good job running the court and picked up her game. Jasmine [Binford] stepped up and I’m getting more and more out of her. Chayla [Swinson] was point guard on last year’s JV and is finally getting into the mode that she can do the job on the varsity level.”

But the hosts had no answer on defense for Surry’s shooters. The Cougars sank seven of eight shots from the floor in racing to a 16-2 advantage. After one quarter, the visitors were cruising 24-5.

Edwards scored 19 of her 24 points in the first half. Brittany Johnson took over after the break, tossing in 24 of her game-high 26. Whitney Johnson finished with 11.

For Charles City, Braxton scored a team-high 14 points. Swinson finished with seven followed by Allison Adkins’ five and four each from Binford and Kanesha Jones.

In the JV contest, Jessica Hill and Logan Madison combined for 31 points as Charles City whipped Surry 41-25. The hosts blanked the Cougars in the first quarter, taking a 14-0 lead.

Hill ended with 16 points while Madison tossed in 15. Myonka Boyd totaled six while Sara Whitehead and Kayla Otey contributed two apiece.