CHARLESTON -- From the get-go, Charleston let visiting Paris know it wasn't just a one-man show.
Four Tigers scored in double figures Friday night as Charleston held off Race Taylor and the Eagles, 67-58. Chase Ewing and Phillip Hampton each added a game-high 17 points and Jackson Rowland added 12 in the win.
Class 3A District 5
Boys
Charleston 67, Paris 58
Paris^13^19^13^13^–^58
Charleston^23^12^13^19^–^67
Paris (12-4): Taylor 15, Robinson 14, Atchison 11, Graham 9, Drewry 4, Trusty 3, Davidson 2.
Charleston (11-5): Ewing 17, Hampton 17, Rowland 12, Green 10, Fenner 9, Caudle 2.
Girls
Charleston 47, Paris 44
Paris^7^8^15^14^–^44
Charleston^9^7^16^15^–^47
Paris (13-6): Robinson 15, Peevy 13, Stark 9, Hurt 7.
Charleston (12-4): Long 17, Newhart 16, Jones 7, McDowell 5, McKenzie 2.
"I'm gonna say that balance is the sign of a really good team," Charleston coach B.J. Ross said. "At the half, I just said, 'We're off a step.' To be able to do that with (Brandon) Fenner off a little bit ... he took off a lot of help and that opened up others. I was proud of the way they stepped up."
Fenner finished his night with nine points, the lone Tigers starter not to finish with 10 points or more. He was, though, involved in the the game's turning point. Late in the third quarter, Paris' Kris Graham knocked down a corner 3 to give the Eagles a 45-44 lead. Fenner was intentionally fouled on Charleston's next possession.
The senior sharpshooter knocked down two free throws, Hampton added another bucket before the end of the third, and Charleston never trailed again. The Tigers led by as many as nine twice in the fourth as Ewing iced the game from the free throw line.
Paris kept fighting late, and had a chance to cut Charleston's lead to a one-possession game. Hampton, who took a charge to seal the teams' first meeting this season in Paris, stepped in front of a driving Tyler Atchison and took the contact with one minute, 37 seconds to play.
"That was the biggest play of the night," Ross said.
Rowland was vital for Charleston early, scoring all 12 of his points on a barrage of 3-pointers that sent the Tigers into the second quarter up 23-13. Ross says Rowland has a knack for hot starts. In Charleston's previous game, the senior sunk five in the opening minutes.
"This was probably our best team effort of the year," Ross said.
Tigers guard Michael Green also chipped in 10 points. Taylor scored a team-high 15 for Paris and Talik Robinson added 14. Atchison finished with 11.
Girls: Charleston 47, Paris 44
Despite shooting 2 of 15 from beyond the 3-point line in the first half Friday, Charleston took a narrow one-point lead into halftime. After the break, the Lady Tigers' shot selection improved drastically, moving them to 12-4 on the season.
Charleston shot 11 of 17 in the second half after a 7-for-26 effort in the first half and was led by Emma Long's 17 points and Hattie Newhart's 16. The duo combined for 19 points after halftime.
Newhart perhaps delivered the play of the game on the defensive end with a strip of Paris' Lycia Peevy with 40 seconds left as Charleston clung to a 44-40 lead. Peevy scored 13 points for the Lady Eagles, seven in the fourth. Sophomore Kieli Robinson scored a team-high 15 for Paris, all coming after the first quarter.
Sports on 01/14/2017