Zoe Collins Rath
Feb 24, 2022
It was a scrum with multiple bodies jumping to try and get the loose ball in the first quarter and Petersburg's Chris Fields had to come out due to an injury.
With Fields not protecting the paint, the Eagles made it 9-2 with a simple shot. Something had to change as Fields was getting his fingers tapped.
"I've got to hurry up and take over for things that are out of hand," Fields joked.
Things did get out of hand because the Wave came back, recapture the lead and win the game 55-39. While everyone contributed to the game and the success, Fields stood out the most.
Shots were not dropping for the Wave so work in the paint had to compensate for the lack of splash. In terms of field goal shooting, Petersburg shot 51 percent from the field. But Fields was putting in work under the basket which got him 23 points.
"We've been trying to get him more active around the basketball playing on the block," Head Coach Ryan Massenburg explains.
While the Wave would run their offense, the guards would feed fields the ball where he was double or triple-teamed. But Fields just powered through them and he'd battle anyone on York to get the ball back in his hands.
Even if a teammate missed a shot Fields battled for the rebound and to get second-chance points. His rebounding total for the evening was 13.
For the rest of the first half, the game would remain tight with Petersburg making careless mistakes by not securing the ball. Fileds would battle to try and put the game away, as would Bernard Fuller. However, with Petersburg not securing the ball, the 14 turnovers racked up quickly and the game would stay close.
"We just didn't score the basketball like we wanted to. It was ugly...," Massenburg concluded.
But Petersburg was able to win the game by playing intense defense that generated their own scoring opportunities. Kaymeign Lundy stole the ball for an easy layup to make it 34-19 in the third quarter.
CJ Claiborne even got in on the fast break and scoring action. After resting due to an injury to the upper body, Claiborne was ready to lead the team and as a leader, he brought the gym to its feet.
After generating his own steal, Claiborne drove through the lane. He has been talking about when he was going to dunk the ball, according to Massenburg. Tonight, against York was the night Claiborne finally got a slam to make it 42-23 in the closing minutes of the third quarter.
The fourth quarter opened with a steal from Fields for his own dunk. It was 44-23 and the Wave was back playing Petersburg basketball with Fields making a big splash as the game started to come to a close.
Petersburg basketball has relied on Fields a lot throughout the season to score, especially since he is a big presence on the block. Few teams have been able to stop him because he constantly battles and has grown into the role since the beginning of the season.
At first as a junior at the start of the season Fields got a lot of advice and coaching on what to do one the block since he would be an important part. It can be a lot of pressure for a junior but that does not seem to affect him that much anymore.
"I've grown into and this is natural now," Fields explains.
Fields has grown confident in the season as well as everyone else on the team. It is time for the confidence to be center stage as games become more intense because it is the playoffs and everyone can be more involved in the scoring.
At first as a junior at the start of the season Fields got a lot of advice and coaching on what to do one the block since he would be an important part. It can be a lot of pressure for a junior but that does not seem to affect him that much anymore.
"I've grown into and this is natural now," Fields explains.
Fields has grown confident in the season as well as everyone else on the team. It is time for the confidence to be center stage as games become more intense because it is the playoffs and everyone can be more involved in the scoring.