In battle of Johnsons, Carver’s Darius out-duels Panthers’ Kameron in 83-73 tournament win

Charles City's Christian Stewart (left) uses a Euro-step to get by Carver Academy's Darius Johnson for a second half basket.

Robb Johnson photo

Twice this season, Carver Academy’s Wolverines have been able to upend Charles City’s Panthers on the hardwood. A Valentine’s Day rematch pitted both teams against each other, this time in the Tidewater District semifinals. And when the game was over, it was Charles City head coach Terrell Brooks who summarized the game better than any story possibly could.

“To allow one player to dictate the outcome of the game with his three’s and timely three’s, it’s a lack of defense and lack of focus,” he said.

Brooks referenced Carver’s Darius Johnson, whose monstrous 39 points, including 17 in the final frame, rallied Carver Academy to a win over Charles City’s Panthers 83-73 Friday night.

Early on, Carver came out the game as Johnson scored at will in the first quarter. After Charles City had battled back from an early 8-1 deficit to take the lead at 13-12, Johnson drained a three-pointer that sparked a run that would provide the hosting Carver Academy Wolverines a 26-17 lead after one.

But with Darius Johnson on the bench for most of the second quarter, it was time for Charles City’s Kameron Johnson to shine. A corner three by Kameron Johnson followed by a subsequent drive tied the game at 33 apiece. His free throw and additional score returned the lead to Charles City. Teammate De’Rome Chretien’s only three-pointer of the night accompanied another Kameron Johnson trifecta as the Panthers ended the quarter on a 7-1 run to take a 44-36 lead into halftime.

Panther forward Leo Charity’s lay-in to start the third frame provided the visitors its largest lead of the night at 10, but a lack of focus resulted in Carver’s Isaac Lee scoring four points in three seconds, to cut the lead to six. Wolverine center Rome Hudson used his size for an easy basket while Darius Johnson’s drive cut the Panther lead to two, forcing Brooks to call a timeout.

The battle between both Johnsons continued for the remainder of the quarter. As Darius Johnson scored with 4.9 seconds on the clock for the hosts, Kameron Johnson returned the favor and scored at the buzzer for the Panthers to give Charles City a half-dozen lead (63-57) heading into the final frame.

But the fourth quarter saw the defensive breakdowns for the Panthers, as Darius Johnson’s offensive outburst swung momentum to the second-seeded Wolverines. Darius Johnson drained a pair of threes from the wing and had his personal 12-2 run against the Panthers. His one-handed slam towards at the latter part of the quarter squeezed the life out of Charles City, sealing the win for the Wolverines and eliminating them from the Tidewater District tournament.

Kameron Johnson scored 35 points for the Panthers in the loss. Christian Stewart dropped in 12, Charity contributed nine, Rashad Williams pumped in eight, Chretien tossed in five, and the duo of Justis Crawley and Justin Bradby chipped in with two apiece.

While Charles City’s district tournament run has come to an end, the team now prepares for regional play that will begin on Feb. 24. Charles City is expected to host a first-round contest against an opponent in the tournament.