Lady Panthers’ offense sputters, King & Queen spoils Senior Night celebration

Charles City’s Sha’Ryan Paige (center) snatches the ball on a rebound from King & Queen’s Janiya Brown (10) and KyJuana Hence.

Robb Johnson photo

A Feb. 8 home finale for Charles City’s Lady Panthers seemed promising after one session. But the offensive touch for the home team left for the remainder of the game, resulting in a win for the visiting King & Queen Lady Tigers.

Charles City only mustered points after the first quarter, while King & Queen methodically used balance scoring in each quarter as the visiting Lady Tigers pulled away for a 49-37 win, putting a damper on Senior Night festivities for the hosts.

Charles City’s offense started out on fire, with three pointers from Jaela Smith and Nyla Brown. A basket by teammate Teonna Bey and another Smith trifecta was accompanied by a close basket by Bryana Lewis, resulting in Charles City building a 13-3 lead early on. King & Queen was able to chip down the deficit, but still trailed by six (17-11) at the end of the first.

But from there, it was all King & Queen on the offensive side. Janiya Brown’s three-pointer along with one from KyJuana Hence’s long distance connection started a second quarter surge for the Lady Tigers. Charles City only produced three points in the second quarter and trailed 27-20 in the half.

In the third quarter, Charles City’s offense continued to be non-existent. Meanwhile, the visitors made all the moves on the offensive end, highlighted by Brown’s buzzer-beating three-pointer. From there, Charles City’s last gasp offense was too late as time expired.

Smith’s 22 points led Charles City (9-12) in scoring. Bey pumped in eight, Brown finished with three, and the duo of Lewis and Sha’Ryan Paige ended with two apiece.