Sean Jones
Feb 6, 2022
Having been second best to its bitter rivals for several years, Petersburg’s Crimson Wave Boys' Basketball overcame a first half gridlock to defeat the Hopewell Blue Devils 71-58.
The win was Head Coach Ryan Massenberg’s first over the team “from just around the corner” since he first took over in 2017.
“We’ve very excited,” Massenberg said. “It’s like a monkey off your back, Petersburg Hopewell has been a rivalry for many years and that’s all you hear from the fans. ‘When are you going to beat Hopewell?’ We were finally able to pull it off. It was a great feeling.”
A beaming smile was visible from the edges of his black mask.
“I’ve got a lot of confidence in this team,” he said.
The two halves of this bitter rivalry know each other well, playing against each other at least twice a year and sometimes more with tournaments and post-season play. Hopewell knocked Petersburg out of the regional tournament last year and one Blue Devil, Tyheim Love, is a transfer from Petersburg.
The Crimson Wave is now 14-3 after the win and undefeated in Central District play at 8-0. Petersburg is currently cruising on a nine-game win streak.
Saturday night’s game at Virginia State University’s Multipurpose Center was part of the 10th annual Coaches for the Cure. The five-game basketball showcase and indoor walk benefited cancer research at the Massey Cancer Center.
Petersburg honored a long-time bookkeeper, Sharon Crowder, who retired last year after receiving a cancer diagnosis. Crowder is now in recovery after receiving chemotherapy and has been a close friend to the school’s players and coaches across all sports. She was unable to attend as she was out of town with her daughters marking off her bucket list.
The game itself kicked off to a stalemate between both teams. Petersburg drew blood to take a three-point lead, only to have the Blue Devils storm down at the other end of the court with a five-point run. The teams traded points for most of the first half.
It looked like the Wave might have edged its way to an advantage just before the break, until Hopewell finished off the half with a 5-point swing. A Petersburg giveaway in the middle of the court just after Hopewell scored, led to a 3-point shot to end the half. It ended 30-28 Hopewell.
“At halftime we just talked about playing better defense. We had guys scoring from the end that don’t normally score,” Massenburg said. “We had to really clamp down on our defense and get stops.”
Massenburg talked about the teams need to handle Hopewell’s two prolific scorers, Love and Cameron Mise, who average around 20 points a game and have been dominant against the Crimson Wave before.
Petersburg usually likes to build its game off of defensive stops, which turn into fast break attempts at the other end of the court. Without those stops, points at the other end were suffering.
The Crimson Wave reversed that trend within the first few minutes of the third quarter. It stuck tighter to players under the rim and played aggressively at the baseline.
Offensive opportunities opened up at the other end. Chris Fields, CJ Claiborne, Bernard Fuller and George Wilson drove through the heart of the Hopewell defense, picking up buckets and free throws along the way.
Petersburg shot 74% from its 38 shots from the foul line. Twenty-eight of those attempts came in the second half from powerful play inside the key.
Petersburg wrestled back the lead with a 6-point run about three minutes into the third quarter to make it 40-37. Wilson was fouled while tiptoeing the baseline and made both free-throws.
When asked which players made the difference during the period, Massenburg pointed to two of his bigger guys, Fields and Fuller. The pair combined for 34 points, while Fields pulled in 20 rebounds under the rim.
“They complement each other so well going inside,” Massenburg said. “They played really well together.”
Kaymeign Lundy wasn’t far behind the pair in the scoring with 15 points, going 6 of 5 from the free-throw line.
After taking the lead the Crimson Wave didn’t look back. The team kept up its dominance on defense while the free-throws and short buckets added up at the other end. Petersburg outscored Hopewell 43-27 in the second half on its way to the 13-point victory.
The Wave held Hopewell’s Love to 14 points, while Mise led his team with 23 points.
Petersburg's next game is against Prince George. The two teams last met earlier this season. That game ended with a narrow 67-66 win to Petersburg.