Written by: Danny Talbert
Teamwork and great shooting has the Panthers cruising past Piedmont 79-69 in an away CCS matchup (Jan. 5). Zyhia Johnson shined tonight with an incredible 26-point game.
First half details
Both teams started the game shooting the ball really well. After the first quarter, LC was shooting 54% from the field and 57% from three, while the Lions shot 40% and 33.3%. The Panthers led 27-16 at the break and Zyhia Johnson had a team-high seven points, followed by Britney Chavez with six. LC continued to shoot the ball well and demonstrate great teamwork in the second quarter. Early in the second, Taylor Smith made a crisp pass to Annika Bonds for Bonds to score a layup past her defenders. On the next play, Annika Bonds returned the favor by hitting open Smith for her to sink a jump shot. These plays had the LC bench on their feet and cheering. At the half, the Panthers led 45-27.
LC shot 50% from the field and 42% from beyond the arc. During the second, the Lions took a bigger step back in shooting, finishing the half hitting 31% in field goals and 20% from three. Zyhia Johnson led LC with 11 points, shooting an outstanding 63% from the field and 33% from three. Taylor Smith led in both rebounds with five and also two outstanding blocks.
Second half details
Piedmont began the second half going on a short run but the Panthers responded by scoring 11 points in a row. With four minutes remaining in the third, LC led 61-36. In the last four minutes of the quarter, the Lions cut the Panther lead to 61-46 by taking advantage of the LC missed shots. The best play of the half happened when Ema Turner found Taylor Smith cutting to the basket for her to hit a layup. This play was not only smooth, but it also broke a Piedmont scoring run. Following this, the Panthers shots began to fall again. LC held on to win 79-69.
Top Panther performance
Zyhia Johnson stamped another outstanding performance in the record books tonight. Johnson had a team-high 26 points, shooting 61% from the field and 50% from three. She also grabbed five defensive rebounds and added a steal.
Next game details
The Panthers stay on the road to face Covenant tomorrow (Jan. 6), at 2 p.m.
