Lady Panthers snap 31-game skid with home-and-home sweep of King & Queen
Charles City's Bryshia Lewis (22) finds herself in a rebound battle with King & Queen's Angel Jackson (1) and Minajadore Redd (23).Andre' Jones photo
It’s been nearly two years since Charles City Lady Panthers found the win column. But a home-and-home sweep of King & Queen Tigers not only snapped their 31-game losing skid but upped the Lady Panthers winning streak to two.
Behind 13 points from Skye Bradby, Charles City defeated King & Queen 36-28 on the back half of the home-and-home series to celebrate a successful Winter homecoming. The Lady Panthers defeated King & Queen 39-31 the night before on the Lady Tigers home floor. Prior to the Thursday night, the last time Charles City saw the win column was Jan. 27, 2017 at Chincoteague and their last home win was Dec. 13, 2016 against King & Queen.
Early on the visitors looked like they would extract revenge against the Lady Panthers. King & Queen’s Angel Jackson accounted for all seven points in the first quarter. Her three-pointer at the beginning of the second frame tied the game at 10 apiece.
But Charles City’s sophomore Cheyanne Marshall emerged as a catalyst for the Lady Panthers’ offense. Marshall found Bradby for an easy basket before she followed a missed shot with a putback. Moments later, her offense rebound and kick out to teammate Alexis Williams who connected with a perimeter shot propelled the hosts to an 18-12 lead at halftime.
Marisa Greenhow’s followed and William’s steal and lay provided Charles City the hosts its first double-digit advantage in contest (22-12). Meanwhile on the defensive end, Bradby drew the assignment of guarding Jackson on the defensive side of the ball as Charles City transitioned into a box-and-one defense. The frustration set in as Jackson drew her fourth foul with 5:48 in the third period, forcing her to the bench. Meanwhile, Lady Panther Jaelah Wyatt’s three-point play and follow at the end of the quarter provided the hosts with a 29-18 lead heading into the fourth.
When Jackson re-entered the game in the fourth, the Lady Panther defense forced her to drive baseline. The result saw Williams take a charge against the Lady Tiger, resulting in her fifth foul and a disqualification in the contest. Meanwhile, two other King & Queen Lady Tigers and a third going down to injury resulting in the hosts playing five on two for the remainder of the game as the visitors only dressed six players. With a comfortable lead, the hosts moved the ball around and elected not to shoot the ball, burning four minutes off the clock and settling with the 36-28 victory.
After the game, Lady Panther head coach VaShaun Otey spoke about the unselfishness his team showed in the contest, emphasizing one of his points of emphasis during the season.
“Tonight, our ball movement was better, and we made a lot of better plays during our transition,” he said. “We still have some things to clean up.
“We toyed with the box and one the night before and after we did that, all we had to do is get the rebounds,” Otey continued. “Tonight, we showed some maturity and sportsmanship as we moved the ball around with King & Queen was down players and I commend my girls for that.”
Along with Bradby’s scoring to lead Charles City, now 2-11, Wyatt finished the night with nine points. Marshall and Williams each finished with five, while Greenhow and Nijah Johnson each chipped in with two apiece.
Jackson’s 13 points were the team high for King & Queen.