Zach Joachim
Mar 2, 2022
Petersburg boys basketball coach Ryan Massenburg gives senior point guard Clarence Claiborne Jr. grief about his free throw shooting at practice all the time.
But as Claiborne stepped to the line with .6 seconds on the clock and the game tied at 40 in Tuesday's Region 3A championship against Central District rival Hopewell at Scope Arena in Norfolk, Massenburg said nothing to Claiborne.
"I said 'Today, I'm not saying nothing to him.' I didn't bother him, I didn't look at him, I did not say a word," Massenburg said with a chuckle following his Crimson Wave's 41-40 victory in a nip and tuck defensive struggle.
"He said he was a little nervous standing up there. This is something he'll remember."
Claiborne was the inbound passer under the basket as Petersburg sought the winning bucket with 3.4 seconds remaining. He found star forward Chris Fields Jr. open at the top of the key. Three defenders stepped to Fields, who rifled a pass back down low to Claiborne, forgotten under the hoop.
Claiborne went up strong and was fouled, with the whistle sounding a split second before the buzzer. His first free throw hit the rim twice and rattled out. The crimson section of the stands took a sharp intake of breath, and a hush came over it. The blue and gold faction filled the arena with jeers.
Claiborne took a moment, composed himself, and drilled the second attempt. A full-court Hail Mary pass by Hopewell went begging to end the game.
Petersburg has struggled at the free throw line all season, and Massenburg has harped on the importance of converting at the charity stripe come playoff time.
"I've been telling the guys, down the road in the playoffs, free throws were going to bite us. And tonight, we came through," he said.
Claiborne, called CJ by his coaches and teammates, got to hold the region championship trophy first.
"I'd better knock it down or the season was going to be on my head," Claiborne said with a laugh of what went through his head before taking the second free throw.
Claiborne (6 points) added that his Crimson Wave knew the Blue Devils would make a second-half push behind star guards Cameron Mise (10 points) and Tyheim Love (12 points).
So they had to "stay the course and continue to play defense."
That they did indeed, as did Hopewell in a rugged contest of which the fourth quarter could be considered a microcosm with the teams combining for 9 points. Bodies flew left and right as the neighboring programs, all too accustomed to one another, traded body blows with neither able to string together a knockout run.
Petersburg played its best basketball through Fields in the first quarter. A menace in the post with standout footwork and touch around the basket, the 6-5 junior scored 10 of his 15 in the first period as the Crimson Wave jumped out to a 17-6 lead, the largest advantage of the game for either side.
But Mise and Love strung together some elusive drives through the lane and timely shooting, and Hopewell clamped down defensively to claw back into it. Junior forward Sincere James finished with 15 points, 8 of them coming in the second quarter to help the Blue Devils close the gap to 26-22 by halftime.
Hopewell fought back to lead at multiple points during the third and fourth quarters, but never by more than 1 or 2 points.
"Hats off to coach [Elvin] Edmonds and that team, we knew they were going to make a run," Massenburg said. "The game went back and forth. We just had to buckle down defensively and get stops. Defense is what's going to take us over the hump. Defense wins championships."
Hopewell started double and triple-teaming Fields after the first quarter, and Claiborne said the rest of his team knew it had to step up to the challenge.
"Playing team basketball, moving the ball around," he said of how the Crimson Wave generated offense outside of its star big man.
Claiborne emphasized the contribution from senior 6-6 forward Bernard Fuller (8 points), who stepped up to handle some of the post touches when Hopewell started denying entry passes to Fields.
"When the time presented itself, he stepped up," Claiborne said of Fuller.
As his teammates ran down the tunnel hooting and hollering behind him, Claiborne said winning a region title is sweet. But winning it to complete a three-game sweep of your fiercest rival?
Even sweeter.
"It's big because we swept them in the regular season, it's tough to beat to beat a team three times in a row," Claiborne said.
"We came here and we did it."
Massenburg said regional supremacy over his program's Central District and neighboring foes was "a long time coming." Tradition-rich Hopewell won the Class 3 boys basketball title last season, defeating Petersburg along the way.
"This is big. I'm just so happy for the guys, the school and the city. These guys work hard, they're a great group of guys and they deserve this," Massenburg said.
"We finally got a region championship. And all these kids wanted to put a banner up in the gym so that when they come back after graduation and bring their kids back, they've got something to talk about."
Petersburg will host Region 3B runner-up William Monroe (Stanardsville) in Friday's state quarterfinals, while Hopewell travels to 3B champs Skyline (Front Royal).
If they both win, it would set up a fourth meeting of the season between the Blue Devils and Crimson Wave, this time with a berth in the Class 3 title game on the line.
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Hopewell 6 16 13 5 - 40
Petersburg 17 9 11 4 - 41
HOPE - Tinch 3, Mise 10, Love 12, James 15. Totals: 15 7-8 40
PBG - Claiborne Jr. 6, Lawrence 2, Garnett 5, Lundy 5, Fields Jr. 15, Fuller 8. Totals: 15 8-13 41
3-point goals - PBG: Claiborne; HOPE: Mise, Love, James