Hopewell News

RICHMOND — For a brief moment in time, it appeared as if Thomas Dale had finally gotten over the hump. After suffering through cold shooting in the first half that led to a nine-point disadvantage at the half, a spark of offense had brought the Knights back to life.
Trailing Petersburg 44-33 with 1:28 left in the third quarter, Thomas Dale went on an 11-0 run to even the score in the fourth, but the Crimson Wave countered with a 9-2 run of its own to come up with a 69-61 victory in the Central Region final on Monday night.
“We just didn’t shoot the ball [well],” said Thomas Dale head coach Eddie Goss. “We worked hard, we played hard, it just wasn’t good enough.”

First-half shooting woes: Thomas Dale jumped out to a quick 4-0 lead, but it all went downhill from there in the first half. The Knights went long stretches without scoring points, going over five minutes in between scoring points 10 and 11. That wasn’t the worst of it, as they also went nearly a quarter without registering a field goal. After being held to four free throws through 6:30 of the second quarter, Ariek Green scored a basket with 1:24 to break the drought. Thomas Dale shot 25 percent in the first half and found itself behind 27-18. Luckily for the visitors, the top-seeded Crimson Wave only shot 30 percent.

Second-half comeback: Behind 10 points from senior Malcolm King, the Knights were able to close the Petersburg lead to five after three quarters. King finished the game with 16 points and 11 rebounds. However, all momentum he helped create was thwarted when he fouled out with 5:08 remaining in the game. Petersburg had retaken the lead at this point, 48-46, but the Knights were never able to get it any closer the rest of the way.

How the stars fared: King’s double-double was the most impressive performance on the stat sheet for Thomas Dale. Green’s 18 points led the team. He also added four rebounds. Junior wing Andrew White felt the cold shooting performance more than anybody, finishing with 13 points on 5-of-22 shooting, including 1 of 12 in the first half. For Petersburg, point guard Frank Mason scored a game-high 20 points, including a 13-of-16 performance from the free throw line. Du’Vaughn Maxwell scored 19 points, grabbed 12 rebounds and blocked three shots in the victory.

What it means: By advancing to the Central Region final, both teams qualified for the state tournament. The win allows Petersburg to play its games in the Stuart C. Siegel Center throughout. To get back to the Siegel Center, Thomas Dale must defeat Eastern Region champion I.C. Norcom, Saturday at William & Mary. The game tips off at 6:30 p.m.

Box Score

Thomas Dale 10 8 21 22 61
Petersburg.. 14 13 17 26 70
Thomas Dale: Jordan 2, White 13, Turner 4, King 16, Green 18, Mason 4, Eaton 2, Williams 2
Petersburg: Green 9, Desmore 12, Mason 20, D. Maxwell 19, Spain 5, Hoosier 2, Holmes 0, E. Maxwell 3