Panthers take care of business ahead of first place showdown

PORTSMOUTH — The Chesapeake Panthers got three players to hit double figures and the defense put the clamps down on the Portsmouth Trojans to earn a 70-49 win on Friday night an Ohio Valley Conference game at the Trojan Arena.

Of the three Panthers to hit double figures on the night, it was Karson Frecka who highlighted the Panthers with a huge double-double performance. The senior finished with 21 points and a game-high 13 rebounds. Maddox Kazee turned in another big offensive performance with 16 points and a pair of assists. Jon-Cooper Barker went for 10 and 2 assists.

Chesapeake controlled the paint all night, as they out-rebounded Portsmouth 30-22 and Phillip Thacker's 3 blocked shots added an extra layer of difficulty for the Trojans.

Panthers coach Steven Ater was glad to see Frecka have a huge performance, but he also credited the team's ability to be selfless and allow everyone to contribute.

"Karson had a great game. He finished very well and rebounded, which he's done all year."

"We keep emphasizing assists and keep moving the ball, because when the ball is moving everyone is involved and having more fun. We have multiple guys that can score. I thought Karson had a great game inside scoring. I thought Phillip got inside and got some key scores too."

Both teams played evenly through the first 5 minutes of the opening quarter. That is until the Panthers used a 15-2 run that spanned nearly a 6-minute stretch of the half to take control of the game.

The run started when Thacker took an inbounds pass from Kazee, split the defense and scored his first points of the night.

Frecka, Kazee and Andy Chapman each scored a bucket during the run, and Perkins had 4 points, including a triple at the buzzer to end the first quarter.

When Dennis Scarberry completed his 3-point play at the 5:43 mark of the second, Chesapeake held a 21-7 lead right before halftime.

Thomas finally put an end to the run when he pulled up and made a shot from the 3-point line on Portsmouth's ensuing possession.

The Trojans came out of halftime and strung together a quick 7-0 run to cut the Chesapeake lead down to 13. A steal for a layup by Daequan Woods capped off the run at the 5:44 mark of the third quarter.

But that would be as close as Portsmouth would get the rest of the way.

Chesapeake (17-1, 11-1 OVC) would eventually push its lead back out to 19 after a pair of made free throws from Kazee and a jumper at the buzzer from Thacker to close out the third.

In the fourth, the Panthers continued to pull away. A driving layup from Kazee and a 3-point play from Frecka highlighted the offensive output during the frame.

The Panthers got their largest lead of the game following a layup in transition by Barker to make the score 68-44 with about two minutes remaining.

Thomas headlined the Trojans (11-9, 7-5) with a game-high 23 points, 2 assists and 2 steals in the loss. Daequan Woods had 10 points and 8 rebounds.

The Panthers hit the road again on Saturday to face Paintsville, Ky. before heading home for their showdown with Ironton. The Panthers can clinch at least a share of the OVC title with a win on Tuesday night.

Chesapeake 15 18 17 20 = 70

Portsmouth 5 10 16 18 = 49

CHESAPEAKE (17-1, 11-1): Jon-Cooper Barker 4 0 2-2 10, Jonas Washington 0 0 0-0 0, Andrew Isaacs 0 1 0-0 3, Kaden Perkins 1 1 1-4 6, Dennis Scarberry 1 0 1-1 3, Maddox Kazee 5 1 3-4 16, Philip Thacker 2 0 3-4 7, Karson Frecka 9 0 3-3 21, Andy Chapman 2 0 0-0 4, Colten Huffman 2 0 0-0 4. Totals: 24 3 13-18 70. Rebounds: (O-11, D-19) 30 (Frecka 13, Perkins 5, Thacker 5). Assists: 8 (Barker 2, Kazee 2, Frecka 2). Steals: 4 (Frecka 2). Blocks: 3 (Thacker 3). Fouls: 14. Fouled out: None.

PORTSMOUTH (11-9, 7-5): Daequan Woods 5 0 0-0 10, Logan Adkins 1 1 1-2 6, Mekhi Berry 1 0 0-0 2, Jay Lofton 1 0 0-0 2, Connie Thomas 5 1 10-12 23, Joe Greene 0 2 0-0 6. Totals: 13 4 11-14 49. Rebounds: (O-9, D-13) 22 (Berry 8, Woods 8). Assists: 2 (Thomas 2). Steals: 5 (Thomas 2, Greene 2). Blocks: 1 (Adkins). Fouls: 18. Fouled out: Daequan Woods (4th, 4:54).