Charles City’s Panthers sank several three-pointers during Friday night’s boys’ basketball game against the visiting Essex Trojans. But it was the lone make from beyond the arc for the Trojans that proved to be the difference in the game’s outcome.
Arek Ashlock’s three-pointer with 9.2 seconds remaining gave the visitors their final lead of the night as Essex escaped with a 60-55 victory over the Panthers to kick off 2025.
After Charles City held a one-point lead after the first quarter (14-13), the Panthers started knocking down a plethora of three-pointers. Damian Barnes wing three-pointer along with one from the corner by Gavin Stewart quickly increased the home team’s lead. From there, it was Shane Jones who drained all three of his three-point attempts, as Charles City settled in with an eight-point lead (34-26) by the halftime intermission…