Despite 90-77 loss, Charles City sends message to foes

Charles City’s Lady Panthers scored the game’s first six points and never trailed in handing Amelia’s visiting Raiders a 40-33 non-district basketball setback.

The Jan. 8 victory marked the hosts’ second in three games and upped their overall record to 3-8.

“Our girls matured tonight,” Charles City coach Andre’ Jones said afterward. “We took their best player out of the game and did a phenomenal job. If [Amelia] was going to beat us tonight, they would have to beat us with somebody else.

“We stole the ball a lot and sometimes didn’t finish, but we converted enough,” he said. “We played game situations tonight, and our defense did a good job stopping [the Raiders] from doing what they wanted to do.”

In a low scoring first half, Amelia never got closer than two (8-6) after Charles City grabbed its early 6-0 lead. By halftime, the hosts were on top 16-11, thanks in part to Hilary Wynn’s seven points and five free throws from Shana Braxton.

The Lady Panthers surged to start the third quarter as Braxton dropped in another pair of free throws and Wynn scored at the end of a fast break to open a 20-11 advantage. Braxton, Charles City’s leading scorer, never recorded a field goal until the 3:53 mark when her three-pointer created a 25-16 lead.

Amelia, however, refused to fold. The Raiders pulled back within three at 34-31 on a Tarae Branch field goal with 2:22 left in the game. But Charles City answered with Toni Harris’ basket off dribble penetration, a Braxton score off an inbounds play, and free throws from Wynn and Jasmine Binford to complete a 6-0 run that put the contest out of reach.

Braxton scored 12 of her game-high 17 points in the second half. Wynn also finished in double figures with 12. Shana Brown tossed in six while Harris finished with four and Binford chipped in one.

Branch’s 11 points led Amelia.

In the JV contest, Charles City held Amelia to a mere two points in the first half, outscoring the Raiders 25-2 on the way to a 42-19 triumph.

Logan Madison pumped in 15 points to lead Charles City and all scorers. Jessica Hill ended with nine and Sara Whitehead tossed in eight followed by four each from Cheyenne Davis and Kayla Otey and Ke’Ara Jones’ two.