Ball fails to fall for Charles City, Red Devils scorch Panthers 79-31
Lancaster's Jahlil Nickens attempts to squeeze through defensive pressure applied by Charles City's Conner Robbins (15) and Steven Crewe (22).Andre' Jones photo
Calling Charles City’s Panthers shooting performance horrific in a Dec. 16 contest against visiting Lancaster would be an understatement. A huge understatement.
The hosts opened the contest missing their first 19 shots from the field and added 11 misses to start the second quarter as the Group 1A fifth-ranked Lancaster Red Devils topped Charles City 79-31.
From lay-ups to close range shots to three-pointers, nothing fell for the Panthers to start the contest. And while Lancaster didn’t exactly scorch the net with their shooting, the ability to get offensive rebounds and second chance opportunities was vital. Lancaster guard Jay Dillon’s three-pointer and subsequent steal and lay-up put the visitors up 9-0 to open the game.
The hosts finally found the scoring column at the 4:43 mark with a Mason Jefferson free throw, but it wasn’t until Noah Ragland’s lay-up with just over a minute left in the quarter marked the first shot made from the floor for Panthers. By the time the quarter ended, the Panthers trailed 20-6.
Second quarter futility saw the Panthers miss their first 11 shot attempts. In the meantime, Montez Davis propelled Lancaster to a 10-0 run. Conner Robbins wing jumper snapped the Panthers drought with 3:25 remaining on the clock, but the hosts found themselves down 38-16 at the halftime break.
Exchanging rims didn’t provide relief for the hosts. After Tyler Allen’s steal and lay-in to start the third returned the deficit to 20 (38-18), the Red Devils outscored the hosts 19-4 for the remainder of the frame. A 10-0 run to start the fourth pushed Lancaster’s lead beyond the 40-point barrier (66-22) as the Panthers only sank 10 baskets in the contest.
Interim head coach Avery Jones talked about the defensive ploy against Lancaster, making initial stops but failing to seal up the possession.
“We did fine on the first stop but when Lancaster got the offensive rebound, we weren’t locking down,” Jones commented. “Add to the fact that we weren’t making shots we normally make, the guys started losing confidence.
“It kills momentum when we have our post players bigs work to box out but our guards can’t get to the ball in time,” he added. “We have to crash down harder and get everybody involved.”
Jones added the team will have to bond together during this rough patch as the Panthers remain winless at 0-8.
“I hope they understand that they are going to have to want to do things to help each other out,” Jones commented. “It’s about doing the little things to push us in the right direction such as making free throws, especially after making only seven shots out of 23 attempts.”
Robbins’ 11 led the Panthers in scoring. Brian Hicks pumped in eight while Allen and Ragland tossed in three apiece, Kyle Jones and Ray Crump both added two, and Jefferson and Steven Crewe chipped in with one apiece.
Davis’ 19 points led all scorers in the game and paced three Red Devils who finished in double figures.