Story by Will Simmons and photos by Dominic Baima
Charleston relied on a strong defensive effort in the second quarter to defeat Paris, 64-55, in boys basketball Tuesday evening at Baker gym.
The Trojans held the Tigers to two scoring opportunities in the second quarter – once in the paint and one free throw – to go ahead 29-19 at halftime. Caleb Oakley hit a 3-pointer and a field goal to lead five different CHS scorers during the quarter.
Charleston coach Cody Drone said staying motivated after the lopsided second quarter was not a problem.
“We’ve held teams to three points a quarter, two points a quarter,” Drone said, “but we’re trying to be everyday guys as much as we can. Every single quarter, every single possession, we want to play the exact same way.”
Charleston Junior Caleb Oakley takes a shot Tuesday at Baker Gym. Oakley scored seven points for the Trojans. (Photo/Dominic Baima) 
Charleston Senior Jaksen Braun takes a shot Tuesday at Baker Gym. Braun scored 11 points in the Charleston win. (Photo/Dominic Baima) 
Charleston Senior Grady Smitley shoots a three-pointer Tuesday at Baker Gym during Charleston’s 64-55 win over the Paris Tigers. Smitley led the Trojans in scoring with 24 points. (Photo/Dominic Baima) 
Charleston Senior Grady Smitley shoots a basket Tuesday at Baker Gym during Charleston’s 64-55 win over the Paris Tigers. Smitley led the Trojans in scoring with 24 points. (Photo/Dominic Baima)
Paris’ Conor Breneman have scored all except 15 of the team’s 44 points.
But Trojans guard Grady Smitley countered this output by scoring a team-high 24. The senior made three 3-pointers in the first three minutes of the second half and scored 11 of the team’s 15 points in a third quarter that extended Charleston’s lead to 11.
“The teammates did a great job just finding me,” Smitley said, “kicking it in the paint and it’d just kick out. So, it was good, it was a good little run, we needed that.”
Paris made a bit of a run in the fourth quarter by making three in a row from behind the arc, but it would not be enough since CHS also had its best offensive output of the night, scoring 20 points behind Jaksen Braun and Jackson Burgess, who had seven apiece. Plus, Smitley made five of seven free-throw attempts.
The Trojans next play host to Mattoon (14-15) on Thursday night.
Additional photos from the Varsity and JV games against Paris are available here.
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | F | |
| Charleston | 13 | 16 | 15 | 20 | 64 |
| Paris | 16 | 3 | 14 | 22 | 55 |
Charleston – Smitley 4 9-7 24, Pankey 1 0-0 2, Applegate 2 4-3 7, Burgess 2 3-3 13, Braun 4 7-3 11, Oakley 2 0-0 7. 3-pointers – Smitley 3, Burgess 2, Oakley 1.
Coles County Sports 