Role players take spotlight as Charles City topples Rappahannock 66-52

Charles City's Taylor Bey finds his way to the basket for an easy score.

Robb Johnson photo

With many teams’ strategy aimed at stopping Charles City all-state guard Kameron Johnson, Panthers Head Coach Terrell Brooks knows that it will take a contribution from role players to keep them competitive in every game leading up to postseason play. He received a glimpse of those contributions Saturday afternoon.

Sparked by the defensive energy of senior Keondre Barnes and a double-double from freshman Taylor Bey, Charles City overcame a seven-point deficit to upend the visiting Rappahannock Raiders 66-52 to increase their winning streak to three games.

The Raiders used their strategy of slowing the game down on the offensive end to near perfection. Jack Dooley’s turnaround jumper along with a drive by guard Demetrius Parker, Rappahannock orchestrated a 10-2 run to double up the Panthers (16-8) early on. Bey was able to pump in four points for the Panthers to end the first quarter. His scores sparked a 10-0 run that spilled into the second quarter and provided the Panthers a two-point advantage.

But that momentum came to a screeching halt when Barnes fouled Parker on a jump shot. Barnes’ reaction drew a technical foul, sending the Panther defender to the bench. While the Raiders were unable to capitalize on the bonus shots from the foul line, they strung together an 11-3 run to take a seven-point advantage (28-21). Barnes was quickly reinserted into the game and immediately paid dividends with a tip-in on an offensive rebound and an assist to Johnson on a three-pointer as part of a Charles City 9-0 run. Only a Jayden Darden three-pointer in front of the Panthers’ bench as time expired proved to be the one-point difference as Charles City trailed at the half 33-32.

Rappahannock was able to regain control in the third quarter, once again slowing the pace of the game down to frustrate the hosts. With the combination of ball possession and forcing Charles City into a pace that was too fast and led to turnovers, Rappahannock controlled the contest 42-37 before Brooks was forced to take a timeout.

The motivation emerging from the 30-second break appeared to work as Charles City employed a full-court man-to-man defense. Combined with trapping in corners and taking away subsequent passes, Charles City reeled off 13 straight points in only two minutes to take a 50-42 advantage heading into the final frame. The Raiders were unable to get within five points the rest of the way as Charles City emerged with the home victory.

After the game, Brooks talked about the halftime adjustments he employed his team to make to turn the game around.

“We made the adjustment not to trap but to stay solid once they picked up the ball,” the victorious head coach said. “We also limited them to second chance points in the second half and that allowed us to rebound to run.”

The coach also talked about the contributions he received from Bey and Barnes.

“I talked to Taylor [Bey] the last game about setting personal goals and I believe he set a rebounding goal this game,” Brooks continued. “Keondre knows what I expect out of him and he put a complete game together. I put him on the ball to handle it and this is the second game he has played doing that and he did a great job making those decisions.”

Johnson’s 31 points led Charles City (6-4) in the scoring column. Bey finished with a double-double by dropping in 12 points and hauling in 10 rebounds, while teammate Tayvion Harris also finished in double figures with 10 points. Barnes pumped in eight, Kobie Trull tossed in three, and DeShaun Greene chipped in with two.