Lady Panthers inaccuracy leads to West Point rout

Lady Panther Cheyenne Davis tries to maneuver herself around West Point defenders T.T. Harris and Taty Gresham.

Andre' Jones photo

With the score tied at six apiece after two Hailey Holmes’ free throws in the first quarter, the Charles City Lady Panthers and host West Point Lady Pointers appeared to be in a tight battle of two of the top teams in the Tidewater District. That was until the Lady Pointers employed a 1-3-1 zone.

The hosts used a stifling defense to hold Charles City to three second quarter points and Lady Pointer Jesse Booker sank five three-pointers as West Point cruised to a 48-29 victory over the visiting Lady Panthers.

West Point’s change in defense keyed in on the visitors’ perimeter shooting, slowing down the three-point attack of the Lady Panthers. For the night, the Lady Panthers shot six for 42 from the field, a miserable 14 percent, spurning frustration from Lady Panther head coach VaShaun Otey.

“We were just stagnant on offense,” said the disappointed head coach. “We just stood around staring on offense.

“When we did take decent shots, we missed them,” he continued, referencing his team’s failure to convert free throws and lay-ups. “Being down by 10 with those shots is a lot different than being up; those shots are more difficult when we are trailing.”

Not helping the cause was Booker, who opened the scoring for the Lady Pointers with a trifecta. By the end of the first quarter, she accounted for nine of the team’s 15 points. By the half, Booker had outscored the Lady Panthers by herself (15-12).

Charles City pulled within 10 to start the second half (23-13) thanks to a Cheyenne Davis free throw. But the hosts would run off eight straight points to put the game out of reach.

Holmes and Davis led the Panthers with eight points apiece. Adrienne Miles tossed in seven, Jessica Hill added four, and Taylor Bradby chipped in two.

Booker earned game high scoring honors with 24 points.