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Lanett’s girls basketball team put on a clinic in front of the home crowd as the Lady Panthers defeated Columbus 54-28. 

Lanett’s philosophy on the court is all about intensity and effort, and that effort showed on Tuesday night. In total, the Panthers came up with 11 steals on the defensive side. 

“Man, we played hard,” Lanett coach Charlie Williams said. “I love it. It was a great game for my girls tonight. They came out with a lot of energy. On nights like this, when there aren’t a lot of people in the gym and you’ve got to create energy, they created their own energy. I’m extremely proud of them.” 

Several players stepped up and filled a role for Lanett. Nakeriona Heard led the Panthers with 11 points, nine rebounds and six steals. Tyra Jackson followed Heard with 10 points, five rebounds and one steal. 

Christiana Brock followed with eight points and two rebounds. Triniti Abner came off the bench and poured in seven points and seven rebounds. 

Other contributors on the night for Lanett were Cameron Boozer and Zaniah Davidson. Boozer finished with six points and eight rebounds, and Davidson piled up six points and six rebounds. 

“Everyone stepped in and contributed,” Williams said. 

Both MaKiah White and Laila Lancaster sat out for the Panthers tonight. The two are the most dominant players on the inside for Lanett. Boozer, Abner and Jackson stepped up to fill those roles on Tuesday, and there was hardly a drop-off in play. 

“They needed a night off, so I gave them a night off,” Williams said. “That was huge. It was a great night for us to build some depth.” 

The win on Tuesday pushed the Panthers’ record to 6-2 on the season. Lanett travels to play in the Reindeer Classic in Auburn on Friday and Saturday. 

There were several improvements to be made after the dominant win over Columbus. Turnovers were an issue for the Panthers. Lanett finished the game with 24 turnovers. 

Shooting from the charity stripe and from behind the arc was a struggle on Tuesday. The Panthers connected on just 12 of their 24 free-throw attempts and just two of their 12 three-point attempts. 

The team’s identity has always been on the defensive side, and the rest will come along as the season progresses. 

“Continuing to build on defense,” Williams said. “If we’re going to win a state championship it’s going to be free throws and defense.”