King & Queen pounds boards, Panthers in 64-47 thrashing

Charles City's Devante Johnson (center) tries to fit into a tight space while being converged on by King & Queen's Tony Holmes (3) and Lamont Robinson (13).

Andre' Jones photo

Two years ago, Charles City’s Panthers defeated the invading King & Queen Tigers 64-61 in overtime. That win marked the last victory for the Panthers. A Jan. 20 encounter with the aforementioned foe who had only won two games prior to entering Charles City presented an opportunity for the home team to snag a win, something that eluded the Panthers in their 73-71 loss at King & Queen earlier in the season.

But as the game played out, the more aggressive Tigers outhustled the Panthers and more recognizably, outrebounded Charles City 62-24 as they walked away with a 64-47 win.

“You’re not going to win any game getting outrebounded 62-24,” said head coach Wayne Keys. “You have to win phases of the game and that starts with free throws and rebounding.”

The contest opened up as a low-scoring affair as each team exchanged baskets and ended the first quarter at an 8-8 deadlock. A basket by Tiger forward Zach Creech accompanied a free throw by Amante Hill gave the visitors a three-point lead before Charles City’s Kyle Jones converted on a traditional three-point play to tie the game.

But the Tigers began to distance themselves behind the shooting of Gerald Hill. A free throw and subsequent three-pointer propelled King & Queen on a 7-2 run. After Charles City’s Ray Crump converted a pair from the charity stripe, the visitors initiated another run of 9-4 to jump out to a double-digit lead (29-19). Only Jones’ banked three-pointer at the buzzer prevented the Tigers from entering halftime by that ten-point margin (29-22).

But Gerald Hill immediately went on the offensive attack after the intermission break, crashing the glass and following a teammate’s miss. On the next series, the forward penetrated before knocking down a step back jumper. And despite the Panthers’ Jones scoring at the rim, the Tigers second chance opportunities gave the visitors their largest lead of the contest at the end of the third quarter (53-36).

Jones became aggressive for the hosts, driving to the rim and connecting with back to back lay-ins. A Crump free throw and Conner Robbins close range score played vital in a 7-0 Panther run. Two free throws by Panther freshman Justis Crawley at the 4:11 mark cut the lead to under ten for the first time since the beginning of the half (54-45).

But energy exerted in the Charles City effort overwhelmed the hosts, as Jatwan Hence and Lamont Robinson easily got to the rims with uncontested lay-ups. Gerald Hill would score five of the last seven points of the contest to put the win in the visitors’ column.

Keys emphasized that the up-and-down efforts throughout the season boggled him.

“It’s like the first quarter tonight; we looked okay but then we take 25 steps back,” the coach said. “We take a step forward and then take one back.

“We got to keep plugging and working at it,” Keys added. “We have a lot left in the tank but we aren’t leaving it out on the floor like we need to.”

Charles City (0-12) received a team high 18 from Jones. Crawley tossed in eight and Crump finished with seven. Derome Chretien, who moved up from junior varsity, finished with six, Devante Johnson tossed in four, Steven Crewe added three, and Robbins chipped in with two.

King & Queen’s Gerald Hill led all scorers in the game, finishing with 25 points.