Second chance opportunities antagonize Charles City’s bid for win

Charles City's Kameron Johnson (left) uses a behind-the-back dribble to get around Colonial Beach's Mason Delane.

Andre' Jones photo

Charles City’s Panthers didn’t have a problem stopping the visiting Colonial Beach Drifters on their initial shot attempt in the Dec. 5 non-district basketball contest. The problem for the Panthers was allowing for multiple opportunities at the basket.

Colonial Beach dominated the offensive glass, leading to easy baskets en route to a 70-48 thrashing of Charles City in the Panthers’ home opener.
Charles City’s only lead of the night came in the early stages of the contest with Tanner Grubbs’ conventional three-point play to put the hosts up 5-2. But the Drifters methodical offense and second chances orchestrated an 8-0 run for the guests before settling in with a 16-10 lead after the first quarter.

The visitors’ decided to slow down the Panthers’ fast pace with a 2-2-1 half-court trap. The ploy worked by forcing the Panthers into errant passes and easy buckets for the guests.

Then, there was the problem with Charles City trying to slow down Colonial Beach’s outside marksman in Jace Jett. Jett’s jumper followed by a corner trifecta bestowed the visitors their first double digit lead of the night (29-17) and forced the Panthers to take a timeout. After Charles City’s Rashad Williams converted a free throw and subsequent lay-up, Jace struck again from long range. Drifter teammate Corvion Davis also connected from behind the arch as the guests cruised to a 37-24 advantage at the halftime break.

Leo Charity’s basket from Kameron Johnson’s assist cut the lead back to 11 at the beginning of the third quarter (37-26). But that would be as close as the Panthers would get for the remainder of the contest as Colonial Beach put together a 17-6 run thanks to putbacks and second chance opportunities to run away for the win.

First year Panther Head Coach Terrell Brooks stressed his concerns over the multiple chances his team provided to the visitors.

“We gave up way too many offensive rebounds,” he said. “You got to want the rebound.

“Also, we can’t turn the ball over so may times,” Brooks added, referencing the 2-2-1 trap his team encountered. “We have to have better basketball IQ and need to play more. We’re behind the learning curve with basic fundamentals and when we do those things right, we will have success.”

Charity’s 18 led the Panthers, who remain winless at 0-3 on the season. Johnson also finished in double figures with 12 points. Christian Stewart tossed in eight, Williams finished with six, and Grubbs rounded the scoring with four.

Jett was the leading scorer for Colonial Beach with 18 points.