Early, late runs lift Lady Panthers over Middlesex

Lady Panther Ke'Ara Jones uses a pump fake and is able to draw a foul on Middlesex's Monica Ward.

Andre Jones photo

If the old adage “sharing means caring” was mentioned by Charles City Lady Panthers head coach VaShaun Otey before the game, the hosts took it to heart.

Converting 20 field goals from 11 assists, the Lady Panthers put together two huge runs en route to a 52-34 victory over the Middlesex Lady Chargers during the Feb. 10 senior night celebration.

Up 6-4 with two minutes to go in the first quarter, the hosts staged their first big run of the night. An Adrienne Miles’ steal paired with a senior connection hookup from Jessica Hill to Ke’Ara Jones pass kicked off a 12-0 run for the Lady Panthers. Jones’ layup at the buzzer gave the hosts an 18-4 lead to end the quarter.

Transitioning into the second, Middlesex’s pressure and aggressive play style frustrated the hosts. Lady Panther guard Hailey Holmes received a technical foul midway through the frame. The visitors used the momentum from the Lady Panthers’ mental errors and compiled a 10-0 run of their own to close out the second quarter, ending the half trailing only by seven (22-15).

Charles City managed to stretch the lead to nine by the end of the third frame before Middlesex made another run at the hosts. Down by 10 (37-27), Lady Charger Gabby Hopkins dropped in a close range bucket and guard Avis Keeling knocked down the guests’ only three-pointer of the night to halve the gap (37-32).

But that would be the closest the visitors would get for the remainder of the night. Cheyenne Davis converted a jumper from the corner and Hill converted back-to-back layups on assists from Jones and Miles to push the margin to 11 (43-32). The Lady Panthers ended the contest on a 15-2 run to put the game out of reach.

After the game, Otey spoke about the surprise defense they threw at the visitors.

“Every now and then, we throw a 2-3 trap at the other team to throw them off balance,” said the victorious coach. “We wanted to take their opportunities in the paint away from them.”

Otey also added comments on how the Lady Panthers worked as a cohesive unit on the court as they dished out assists during the game’s big runs.

“This team takes pride making each other look better,” he continued. “We have been working on sharing the ball and we did a good job of that tonight.”

Otey added his team is working hard to round into form, pointing to upcoming matchups in the conference tournament, a potential third meeting with the Chargers, and a potential contest with Tidewater District leader West Point.

Miles led Charles City (12-7, 5-2 Tidewater) with 16 points, while senior teammates Davis and Hill joined her in double figures with 11 and 10, respectively. Jones pumped in eight, Holmes added five, and Taylor Bradby chipped in with two.

Keeling’s 14 led Middlesex in defeat.