Stellar second half propels Panthers by King & Queen

Charles City’s Tyshawn Dennis (11) skies over King & Queen’s Jordyn Nelson (0) for a lay-up as part of a three-point play. He would convert the free throw to give the Panthers their first lead of the night.

Robb Johnson photo

Charles City’s Panthers did something they haven’t done in a long time during a Dec. 13 boys’ basketball contest against the King & Queen Tigers; put together a strong second half.

The hosts outscored King & Queen 22-9 in the third quarter as they pulled away to a 65-56 victory in the Tidewater District battle.

The start of the game was sluggish for the Panthers, mostly due to a win the night before. Charles City would miss their first 19 shots from the field. And while King & Queen didn’t perform that much better, they still did enough to pull out to a 10-1 lead. It wasn’t until Tyshawn Dennis’ three-pointer from the corner snapped that streak, eventually launching a small run that brought the Panthers to within four (11-7) at the end of one.

Charles City battled for most of the second quarter with the Tigers, pulling within one after Mitchell Whitehead’s win trifecta (20-19). But a late turnover by Whitehead lead to an easy lay-up by King & Queen’s Malik Holmes, extending the visitors’ advantage to three as they entered into the halftime break.

King & Queen’s Gerald Hill’s jumper extended the guests’ lead to five (24-19) after the break, but Charles City found the rhythm it needed to make the game competitive. Taequan Williams’ top of the key three-pointer cut the Tigers’ lead to two. That lead was erased moments later when teammate Tyshawn Dennis converted a three-point play on a lay-up and foul shot, bestowing the lead to the Panthers for the first time in the game (25-24).

Both teams traded baskets, with the game becoming a deadlock at 30 apiece. After King & Queen sank a free throw to take a one-point lead, long distance connections by Williams and Whitehead sparked an 11-0 run, providing the hosts a 51-41 lead as they took the double-digit advantage into the final frame.

King & Queen’s attempts to ramp up the pressure and force Charles City to turn the ball over didn’t work quite as well. Instead, the Tigers ended up fouling the hosts. The Panthers would convert nine consecutive free throws, using it as part of a 14-2 run to distance themselves in the game and hold onto the win.

After the contest, Charles City Head Coach De’Quantae Mason praised his team’s effort, but also emphasized that they need to understand situational play.

“I am proud of this group. They are playing like a team as well as using their help defense,” the coach said. “However, we are slowing things down on offense and by doing that, they are realizing that they have more control of the ball. When we do that, we are communicating.”

Williams topped scoring honors with 24 for the Panthers, who improve to 4-5 on the season. Whitehead and Dennis also finished in double figures with 14 and 11, respectively. Randy Brown Jr. tossed in seven, Sherod Barnes pitched in with five, and Messiyah Greene chipped in with one.