Woes at free throw line haunt Panthers in home opener, Amelia escapes with 57-54 win

Charles City's Bryan Lewis Jr. (left) drives around Amelia's Peyton Vaught as he makes his way to the basket.

Robb Johnson photo

With a majority of their players back from the 2021-22 campaign along with a new coach, Charles City’s Panthers looked to rectify last year’s season miscues in their Dec. 1 home opener against the visiting Amelia County Raiders. And while the game came down to the wire, it was woes from the free throw line that ultimately played into the downfall of the hosts.

Charles City converted only 13 of 31 free throws on the night, allowing the Amelia County Raiders to do just enough to escape with a 57-54 win in front of a raucous crowd.

Right out the gate though, the Panthers found themselves trailing thanks to Raider guard Justin Perry scoring the first eight points of the game, most by transition lay-ups. After Bryan Lewis Jr.’s lay-up halted the run, the Raiders continued to take advantage of a Charles City team that failed to run the floor in transition defense. The end result was a 19-9 Amelia lead as quarter number two began.

Charles City’s Mitchell Whitehead followed by a Lewis lay-in cut the lead down to six (19-13) before the visitors made their biggest move of the night. A three-pointer by Raider guard Jaiden Squire sparked an 8-3 run, leading to a 14-point Raider lead (30-16).

But unlike previous iterations of Panther squads, this one bounced back. A Tyshawn Dennis lay-in through double-team traffic was followed by Whitehead’s wing trifecta. Tack on a Randy Brown Jr. jumper from the free throw line and three more points, Charles City orchestrated a 10-2 run and found themselves trailing Amelia by six (32-26) at the halftime intermission.

A three-pointer by Panther guard Taequan Williams cut the lead to four (38-34) before Amelia began pushing the tempo again. This time, it was the Raiders Todd Spurlock who converted a pair of free throws and a floater in the lane against Charles City, with the end result seeing the Raiders lead extended to nine (46-37) as quarter four approached.

For much of the final frame, Amelia held the Panthers in check, holding what seemed to be a comfortable nine-point margin (55-46) with 1:33 in the game. But with the Raiders in foul trouble, Charles City wiggled its way back into the contest. After converting three free throws, an offensive rebound by Brown saw him kick the ball out to teammate Williams, who banked a three-pointer from the top of the key to make the game into a one-score affair (55-52) with 47.1 ticks showing on the clock.

A free throw by Amelia’s Spurlock bumped the lead back up to four for the guests, but a lay-up down the center of the court by Williams cut the gap to two (56-54), with Charles City calling a timeout after the score with 9.6 seconds remaining on the clock. On the inbound, the Panthers fouled Perry, sending him to the line on the double-bonus situation with 7.3 remaining.

After calmly sinking the first free throw, Perry’s second one rattled off the rim, with Charles City’s Williams snatching the rebound. Williams threw a long pass to Whitehead, who was caught underneath the rim. But Whitehead dribbled down the baseline and kicked it back out to Williams, who was spotted at the three-point line at the wing. Williams’ shot attempt hit the front of the rim, falling short as time expired on the clock.

After the contest, first-year Panthers Head Coach De’Quantae Mason spoke about how turnovers and the performance at the free throw line were key factors in the game.

“We have to work on our free throws,” the coach said. “I believe we were moving a little too fast with the crowd.

“I know it’s been a while since they won a game here, so I am just trying to humble them and get them back,” Mason added. “We are so eager to score, I am trying to get them to slow down. I believe that as we get more disciplined, we should be fine.”

Williams’ 16 points led Charles City (1-2) in the scoring column. Lewis (13), Brown (10), and Whitehead (10) also finished in double figures, while Aidan Stewart tossed in three, and Dennis chipped in with two.

Amelia’s (1-0) Perry led all scorers in the contest with 28 points.