CC seniors shine in second half to top Lady Trojans 51-33

Charles City's Kiandra Randall (20) boxes out New Kent's Brynne Jones for one of her 16 rebounds as teammate Alizae Carter (3) screens off Kelsey Yates.

Andre' Jones photos

Only up by two on senior night and hosting rival New Kent, Charles City’s Lady Panthers searched for one more push from top scorers Adrienne Miles and Hailey Holmes to close out the regular season. They obliged.

The senior duo combined for 32 of Charles City’s 38 second half points as the host Panthers pulled away from the visiting Lady Trojans 51-33 in Friday night’s season finale for both teams.

After an abysmal first quarter of shooting by both teams, Charles City found themselves up 10-5 at the 5:11 mark of period two. But New Kent’s Peyton Slater took it upon her offensive prowess to keep the guests within striking distance. Her first three of the second quarter cut the Lady Panther lead to a mere two points (10-8). After Charles City bumped the lead back to five, her second trifecta cut the lead once again to a single basket right before the halftime intermission, with the Lady Trojans within striking distance (13-11). Slater accounted for 10 of her team’s 11 points in the first half, something head coach Vann Baker said the guard has worked on all week.

“As a team, we’ve been working on using jabs and pump fakes,” Baker said. “She took everything we have been practicing and applied it to the game.”

Unfortunately for the visitors, Charles City emerged from the break on a hot streak. A Taylor Bradby jumper was followed by a Miles’ three-pointer and a Hailey Holmes layup, forcing New Kent to time out trailing by nine (20-11). Slater’s third triple of the night reduced the margin to six, and a couple of moments after a few exchanges, Lady Trojan Kelsey Yates nailed a three-pointer in front of her team’s bench and followed it up with a mid-range jumper to close the gap to five (24-19). That five-point margin, however, would be the closest the visitors would get for the remainder of the night.

Holmes and Miles converted on back-to-back long balls that sparked a 12-0 run that rolled over into the fourth quarter. After a Slater jumper, Charles City ran off seven more consecutive points, stretching the lead to 20 points (43-23). New Kent never got closer than 18 points the rest of the way as the hosts clinched a winning season on a successful senior night celebration.

After the game, Baker commented that the inability for shots to fall continued in the contest against the Lady Panthers.

“We executed beautifully tonight and our fundamentals were sound,” the Lady Trojan coach commented. “We rushed our shots tonight and right now, we’re not at the point of pulling the trigger and making them fall consistently.

Baker, however, has high hopes for her returning cast, including Slater who finished with a team-high 19 points.

“We’re young but we are going to work hard in the offseason,” she continued. “I’m hoping Peyton and Kelsey will become our ‘diamonds in the rough’ and work on building this team up.”

For victorious Lady Panther head coach Vashaun Otey, he spoke about the ability for his team to survive a horrible first half that saw his team shoot 17 percent from the field and convert only three of 15 free throws.

“We didn’t take bad shots, but the ball wasn’t falling,” he said. “I told them at the break that they had to concentrate more and their shots will begin to fall.”

Probably a key reason why the Lady Panthers stayed ahead in the game was the defensive play of junior Kiandra Randall. The 5’10” forward had an unconventional double-double, hauling in 16 rebounds and recording 11 blocks, gaining praise from Otey.

“Kiandra’s defensive play has been a real reason our season has turned around,” Otey said. “Her ability to defend the paint allows out wing players to float out a little bit more because she has earned their trust.”

Slater’s 19 points led New Kent (0-19) for the night. Yates finished with eight, Brittany LaPrade tossed in three, and Brynne Jones chipped in with one.

Miles’ topped the scoring column for Charles City (11-9) with 25 points. Classmate Holmes also finished in double figures with 17, Bradby tossed in four, Randall added three, and Meryah Bates chipped in with two.

Both teams will continue postseason play on Tuesday night. New Kent is scheduled to travel to Warhill in the Conference 25 tournament, while Charles City is scheduled to host King & Queen in the Conference 42 tournament. Both games are expected to begin at 6 p.m.

Lady Trojan Kelsey Yates elevates for an easy basket over the outstretched hand of Lady Panther Sydney Richard.