Zoe Collins Rath
Dec 19, 2021
It was almost deja vu as Petersburg boys basketball took the court against Varina.
Petersburg girls basketball lost a close game to Varina before them, 52-49, but for the boys, it was very similar.
Varina came out a bit behind the Wave who missed a few early layups, as did the Blue Devils. Some Petersburg layups put them up 4-0 but a quick three from Varina cut the lead to one.
It would be another back-and-forth game for the Wave and Blue Devils to start. Petersburg was in control of the game and would have to get used to swinging the ball around the zone.
Dumping the ball at the elbow to junior Chris Fields, who scored 15, was the best option. He would drive or pass the ball out to reset the offense. The game started slowly at first but the short baskets from both teams had Petersburg up by three at the end of the first quarter, 10-7.
In the second quarter, like the game before, the Wave took over. Senior guard, Tylik Lawerence drains his regular three-point shot from the corner to extend the lead. Fields would go to work down low and if he was not there Garnett was right there for the putback.
"He had 10 points at halftime... so that helped a lot," said Head Coach Ryan Massenburg.
Petersburg would be on a roll for scoring and generating turnovers. Senior Kaymeign Lundy would steal when a Blue Devil picked up their dribble and made the game 19-13 in the second quarter. Lundy would have 12 points on the night.
The Crimson Wave has found success attacking the paint and junior Jamar Hodges took full advantage. Driving and the occasional skyhook would score Petersburg a point or two.
But Varina was not too far behind. They did not have to score from driving to the basket because they had the shooters to do the work for them. A few buckets would close the point gap but Petersburg was still upfront.
Lundy would go coast-to-coast.
Fields would have a good reverse.
Garnett would go up through three Blue Devils and get the and-one to make it 28-20.
Petersburg's offense was fighting another zone and the Wave had to be more disciplined for scoring opportunities. Shooting is inconsistent so dumping it low to Fields or Garnett was how their offense worked.
Fields would get the ball low and is fouled. At the line, he makes both free throws to put the Wave up by six. But Varina would respond in the final seconds with a definitive forearm push on Garnett to close out the first half 31-26.
At the start of the second half, Petersburg allowed Varina a few back door cuts for easy baskets. While the Wave was able to get the turnovers and go coast-to-coast they could not stop Varina from heating up.
From the corner, the Wave could not stop the three-point shot. Even from the top of the key, with senior Bernard Fuller in someone's face, they drained the shot from downtown.
But the Wave would still drive to the basket. Whether it was Lawerence or Lundy, they would create scoring opportunities for the Wave by the continual drives. But if they missed, they had to score from the free-throw line.
Senior CJ Claiborne droves to the basket and get's fouled on the shot. He goes to the free-throw line, he does this in practice many times. Takes his time and when he releases it the ball rolls down... then rolls out.
He stands at the line in his follow-through thinking about how to adjust because he has to make the next one. Which he misses.
Petersburg missed 12 of 20 free throws on the night.
Throughout the second half, Petersburg would attack the basket but they could do nothing to stop the shooters. They would close out, but not get there soon enough because of a miscommunication on defense.
"That's our bread and butter... being on the take," said Massenburg.
It would continue as there would be a Blue Devil wide open twice on an inbound pass for an open look. That would be the difference-maker as the Wave could not make their free throws and would have 20 turnovers.
Sometimes to get something going on offense Petersburg would force passes into the paint. But it would be a turnover.
"They [Varina] don't pressure you much on defense... they use their length," explained Massenburg.
Varina would shoot and use their length on their way to victory with a final score of 62-55 at home.
"We just gotta get back to the drawing board," Massenburg said.