Zoe Collins Rath
Feb 27, 2022
It was one of the worst starts for the Petersburg Crimson Wave the entire season starting down, 11-0 to the Phoebus Phantoms in the regional semifinals at the Norfolk Scope.
Throughout the season the Crimson Wave has shown people many things that they can do. But the one thing the Wave always shows when they need to win is resilience because without it they would not be in the state finals.
“We’re from Petersburg, it’s just in us,” said senior Tylik Lawerence.
Petersburg was able to get back in the game after a finger-roll and- one from Bernard Fuller which was followed by the efforts of Kaymeign Lundy who drove to the basket and get steals. Using his quickness Lundy stole balls to get fast breaks and pick the pockets of a Phantom to drive to the hole. If he missed the layup, then he made up for the points from the line.
“I told the guys at halftime, Lundy literally carried us the first half,” Head Coach Ryan Massenburg said.
If there was an open person on the court, it was Lundy used his speed to get open cuts to the basket. His fearlessness at the basket was invaluable as the Wave clawed their way back into the game.
They finished the first half down six points, 11-17. The Wave was close but they had a lot of work to do in order to overcome the deficit and ultimately win.
“We don’t want to go home,” Lawerence said.
Petersburg knows how to battle back and that they did at the start of the second quarter when they looked more focused. Lundy scored 12 points total, continued to drive, and bear all the contact that came with it. He scored from the line but someone else started to enter the ring and it was Chris Fields who had a quiet first quarter.
“My free- throws were hitting this game,” Chris Fields said.
Fields, who had 19 points on the night, did not have a strong start and missed an open finger-roll in the first quarter. But he battled on the block fighting double-teams, triple-teams, and hard fouls to score; even if he missed, Fields made a lot of points from the line. He was tired after scoring or getting the foul after the third or fourth jump but he fought hard for his team.
“He [Chris] played almost like Petersburg back in the day where he rebounded, going back, rebounding, going back and that’s what we needed,” explained Massenburg.
Trips to the free-throw line made the game in the second quarter a quick back and forth. Phoebus would shoot and hard drives to the basket, no matter what the consequence tied the game for the Wave. A hard Lundy drive to the basket from a steal was called for goal-tending to make it 23-22.
Lundy and Fields went to the line five times in the second quarter. Surprisingly, for a team that does not make free throws all the time, the Crimson Wave made them at the right moments.
That is how they were able to overcome the deficit to overtake the game at 23-22 at the half.
But the Wave still had a lot of fighting to do and it was time to dig deep.
It was battle after battle for the rest of the game with layups after layups, shots after shots. Jamari Garnett saved a layup to make it 34-33 Petersburg. But Petersburg played tighter defense on Phoebus forcing mistakes that proved to be costly because the turnovers allowed Petersburg to come back.
Swats at the ball forced a Phantom bobble that led to a diving Wave to get it and make it their ball. They capitalized from easy possessions or fast breakpoints. Fields would take his steal up the court to find Garnett wide open to make it 39-35. Petersburg was back at it and showed focus.
“My boy Chris ate,” Lundy said.
It was Petersburg basketball for the rest of the game and they did not let go of the lead without a fight. Everyone was involved with scoring because they found their groove
Petersburg's defense is about swarming the offense and being relentless, everywhere on the court because that is how they score. As a result, it gave the Wave more opportunities to score and take the game 59-50.
The Crimson Wave advanced to the regional finals, not because of their fancy shooting or their ability to score. But because they dug deep and played to their strengths to win the game. Fields battled many times to try and get a whistle, Lundy fought contact to get to the line, and every dove for the ball to make it a Wave possession.
Those things cannot be coached but can lead to victories.