Princeton senior Chandler Evans (1) drives past a McKinney Boyd defender and scores a layup. Evans scored 21 points in her final high school career game. Photo by Victor Tapia / C&S Media

By David Wolman

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When the Princeton girls basketball team went into the fourth quarter trailing McKinney Boyd by 19 points, head coach Six Smith had seen his squad dig itself into similar deficits over the course of the season. What made Smith feel optimistic, however, is Princeton’s knack for making a late-game run.

The Lady Panthers did just that, getting as close as eight points with 2:24 remaining after senior Chandler Evans converted a layup off a diagonal pass from sophomore point guard Jada Childress. However, Princeton was unable to fully overcome the large deficit in a 64-55 loss Feb. 10 at Princeton High School.

“When we went into the fourth quarter down 19, I told them that this is what we specialize in, which is to get ourselves out of big holes and find a way to get back into the game,” Smith said. “That comeback is what I expected because they’ve been doing it all year and they decided to play. I knew they were going to do that. If I can just get us to be consistent for 32 minutes, we’ll be a dangerous team.”

The Lady Panthers had additional opportunities to reduce their deficit after Evans’ basket.

After McKinney Boyd senior Kosi Agudiegwu made the second of two free throws just 15 seconds later, Princeton missed a 3-pointer that would have reduced the deficit to six points and later missed a layup attempt.

The Lady Broncos proceeded to put the game away at the free-throw line, going a perfect 4-for-4 over the final 1:26.

Princeton (7-23 overall, 2-14 District 6-6A) entered the contest looking to finish the season on a positive note while attempting to notch its third district win.

For as well as the Lady Panthers played at times, they were never able to fully recover from an early deficit. The Lady Broncos took a 6-0 lead just over two minutes into the game, all on layups by senior forward Kosi Agudiegwu. Agudiegwu punished Princeton near the basket throughout the evening and led all scorers with 30 points.

“That’s who we keyed on, in practice and in pregame,” Smith said. “If we could neutralize that kid, we would win the game. That kid had 14 points at halftime and more than 50 percent of their points. She beat us by herself.”

Princeton got on the scoreboard less than a minute later on a 3-pointer by sophomore guard Rayleigh Williams, cutting the deficit to 6-3.

Although the Lady Panthers trailed throughout the game, their dynamic duo of Williams and senior Chandler Evans gave Princeton a chance. Evans finished off a steal with a layup and an and-one opportunity after being fouled. Her ensuing free throw cut the deficit to 27-23 with 3:10 left in the first half.

Evans and Williams each scored 21 points.

“Prior to this year, Chandler had never been the main person to carry a team, so this was her year to try and carry us and get us into the playoffs,” Smith said. “I wish I had her for two more years. The sky is the limit with that kid.”

Although Princeton has big shoes to fill with Evans set to graduate, Smith said the Lady Panthers have a bright future.

“With Rayleigh, I’ve been trying to get her to be more of a three-level scorer, trying to get her to drive into the teeth of the defense and tell her what shots to take and what shots not to take,” Smith said. “Both she and Jada have grown a lot. With us losing Chandler, it’ll be hard to fill her shoes. But with those other ones, the sky is the limit.”