Lady Panthers competitive, but big second half lifts Northampton to win

Charles City's Jaelah Wyatt (1) looks to get a shot over the outstretched arm of Northampton's Shaniah Robinson.

Andre' Jones photo

For nearly one half, Charles City’s Lady Panthers played stride for stride against Northampton’s Lady Yellow Jackets, even holding the lead after the first quarter. But an inability to rebound and make stops on the defensive end added up to another loss for the hosting Lady Panthers.

Northampton outscored Charles City 14-5 in the third quarter in propelling to a 54-34 triumph over the Lady Panthers as part of Senior Night festivities on Jan. 26.

Both teams played on even terms in the first quarter. Charles City’s Skye Bradby free throws along with her three-pointer to end the frame provided the hosts a 9-6 lead heading into the second quarter.

Northampton attempted to pull away from the Lady Panthers early on in the frame. A Jada Giddens turnaround jumper paired with back-to-back close-range baskets by Maeyanna Delk gave the visitors a three-point lead (12-9). That advantage grew to seven before Alexis Williams free throw cut it to six. A Tessa Young putback for Charles City had narrowed the deficit to four (21-17) heading into halftime.

But the third quarter saw Giddens rise to the forefront for the Lady Yellow Jackets. Giddens scored the first eight points for her team to push the visitors lead to nine (29-20). Delk would account for the next four points as Northampton’s 13-point margin (35-22) carried over in the fourth.

As Charles City trailed 42-26 midway through the final stanza, the hosts made one final run at Northampton. Two Williams free throws along with a Bradby lay-in cut the lead to a dozen. The lead became ten with Williams wing jumper (42-32), forcing the guests to take a timeout. That momentary break for the Lady Yellow Jackets was vital, as they outscored Charles City 12-2 in the final 4:48 of the contest to notch the win.

Afterwards, Lady Panthers head coach Antoine King commented about the first half intensity and how it backfired in the second half.

“In the first half we played aggressive and the girls thought they had them,” the coach said. “However, we came out in the second half and it backfired because we were making too many mistakes.

“We had to go man-to-man and it was hard explaining that everybody must guard the person they were assigned,” King continued. “The girls don’t know how to properly switch, and Northampton kept finding the open player and that eventually became the difference in the game.”

Young and Bradby finished in double figures with 13 and 11 for Charles City (0-11). Williams finished with seven while Jaelah Wyatt tossed in three.

Northampton’s Giddens led all scorers in the game with 24 points.