By Jim Walker

jim.walker@irontontribune.com

CHESAPEAKE — Baby steps. Baby steps.

The Chesapeake Panthers were faced with a young and inexperienced team going into the season, but they’ve learned some lessons and how to win since the start of their schedule.

They showed some maturity late in the game as they downed the Portsmouth Trojans 56-41 in an Ohio Valley Conference game on Friday.

“We’re growing up. I tiki’s we’re just tarting to learn from our mistakes a little bit,” said Panthers’ coach Steven After.

The game was tied at 17-all when Braxton Oldaker scored to give the Panthers the lead and a putback by Jacob Skeens just before the buzzer put the lead at 21-17.,

Chesapeake (7-9, 4-5) came out of the locker room and went on a 10-2 run and surge ahead 31-19, but the Trojans closed the third quarter as Devon Lattimore scored 7 unanswered points and it was 31-26.

Leading 40-36 with just under 4 minutes to play, Dannie Maynard converted a 3-point play only to have the Trojans’ Levaugh Cobb hit a 3-pointer and it was 43-39.

But Chesapeake finished the game with a 10-0 run to seal the win.

“(Portsmouth) came out and kind of hit us in the mouth there in the third quarter after we pulled away and started with some of our old habits,” said Ater. “I felt like at the start of the fourth quarter we started settling down.”

Maynard scored a game-high 25 points for Chesapeake while Caleb Cox added 9.

Portsmouth (4-9, 2-7) was led by Lattimore and Berry with 12 points each.s

Portsmouth    7 10 9 15 = 41

Chesapeake 11 10 10 25 = 56

PORTSMOUTH (4-9, 2-7): Devon Lattimore 4 1 1-2 12, Tyler Duncan 0 0 0-0 0, Kenny Sanderlin 3 0 0-4 6, Deandre Berry 3 2 0-0 12, Donavon Breech 0 1 2-2 5, Levaughn Cobb 1 1 0-0 5, Luke Stine 0 0 1-2 1, Noah Livingston 0 0 0-0 0, Isaiah Lewis 0 0 0-0 0. Totals: 11 5 4-10 41.

CHESAPEAKE (7-9, 4-5): Caleb Cox 3 1 0-0 9, Dannie Maynard 5 4 3-6 25, Braxton Oldaker 2 0 2-4 6, Philip Thacker 0 0 2-2 2, Camron Shockley 2 0 0-0 4, Kaden Perkins 0 1 2-2 5, Jacob Skeens 2 0 1-2 5. Totals: 14 6 10-16 56.