Petersburg Boys Basketball Ends 51-Year Title Drought as Virginia Crowns Six State Champions

When coach Ty White and star Latrell Almond left John Marshall for Petersburg during the offseason, anything other than a Virginia boys basketball state championship would be deemed a success.

Mission accomplished. The Crimson Wave, No. 4 in the High School on SI Virginia Top 25, captured the Class 3 state title at Virginia Commonwealth University’s Siegel Center.

No. 6 Westfield completed a near-perfect run with the Class 6 title while No. 9 Norview held off 15th-ranked Green Run in the Class 5 finale. No. 21 John Handley, Graham and Luray reached the championship mountaintop.

Here’s a recap of championship weekend in Richmond:

Petersburg Awaken Ghosts of Past

The last time Petersburg won a state championship, the Watergate scandal engulfed the country. The Pittsburgh Steelers won their first Super Bowl. All In The Family was the No. 1 show on television. Muhammad Ali defeated George Foreman for the heavyweight boxing title in the iconic “The Rumble in the Jungle.”

The year was 1974, and Petersburg High, led by Moses Malone, won the Class AAA championship. Petersburg returned to the high life Saturday with the Class 3 crown after knocking off No. 25 Lake Taylor, 56-35.

“It was an amazing feeling,” said Allmond to the Richmond Times-Dispatch. “It was a definitely a full circle moment.”

Allmond, a 6-foot-8 forward headed to Oklahoma State, gained a place in Petersburg’s lore alongside the late Malone, a Naismith Basketball Hall of Famer and one of the greatest centers in the history of the NBA. Allmond had 15 points and eight rebounds, adding a fourth state title to the three Class 2 championships he won at John Marshall.

Unlike at John Marshall, which dominance in the Class 2 finals the past several years had some opposing schools saying the school should be moved up in classification for competitive balance, Allmond and Petersburg (23-4) needed a fourth quarter burst to distance Lake Taylor (21-6).

White, who won seven 2A titles at John Marshall, left last spring for Petersburg, his alma-mater.

"I'm excited for this group of young men that wore the Petersburg uniform tonight," White said to the Richmond Times-Dispatch. "Those coaches in the locker room, and how hard they prepared and took advantage of this moment."

Westfield Takes Championship Step

With a veteran roster back, Westfield believed it was ready to ascend among Virginia’s elite programs.

A 29-game winning streak capped with a 48-44 win over No. 8 Landstown for the Class 6 title certified the Bulldogs Thursday. Senior forward William Robinson scored 22 points for Westfield (30-1).

Trailing 25-24 at halftime, Westfield went on a 16-8 run in the third quarter to grab control. Landstown (24-5), which got 15 points from sophomore guard Rashad Shaw, closed to within 43-40 with less than three minutes left in regulation before a basket from Malachi Lee quelled the comeback.

After a 87-44 loss to Washington Catholic Athletic Conference power and No. 1 Saint Paul VI Catholic in early December, Westfield won all but three of the final 29 decisions by double-digits.

“We got six seniors on this team, and it was our last game,” said senior guard and Mary Washington recruit Colin Stemberger to the Fairfax County Times. “We worked so hard to be here. Some guys have been here longer than me, and we worked so hard to be in this position, and to do it means the world to me.”

Will Adams Rises to the Occasion for Norview

Will Adams has been an unsung hero this season in Norview’s run to the Class 5 state final. He became a legend for the Norfolk school Thursday, hitting a 3-pointer with 2.2 seconds left in regulation, giving the Pilots (25-2) a 58-55 victory over defending champ and 20th-ranked Green Run.

“I’ve been wanting this since my freshman year. And I had an opportunity to win it my senior year,” said Adams to The Virginian-Pilot. “I’m very excited about this moment.”

After Green Run’s Kevin Whatley tied the game with a free throw with 28.8 seconds left, Norview put the ball in the hands of senior star Keon Mitchell. Mitchell lost the ball briefly as he drove into the paint.

He quickly turned and passed the ball to an open Adams behind the 3-point line. Adams, 5-8, calmly set and released a perfect left-handed rainbow.

“He’s a big-time player,” said Mitchell, who led all scorers with 19 points and pulled down nine rebounds. “When I saw it leave his hands, I was like, ‘That’s good.’ I knew it was in.”

Zaevion Cleveland finished with 17 points for Green Run (24-5). Zymarein Mitchell added 14 for Norview, which won its first outright title after sharing the 2020 title with Green Run after the tournament was cancelled for COVID-19.

Finally, a Championship for John Handley

After an uneven regular season tempered preseason expectations, John Handley found its groove in time for a historic run. The 21st-ranked Judges claimed the Class 4 title with an impressive 61-42 win over No. 10 Hampton in the Class 4 final.

It’s the first championship for the Winchester school, which first opened its doors in 1923.

“The guys did absolutely everything they needed to win this game,” said Handley coach Zach Harrell-Zook to The Winchester Star. “There’s no way for me to explain to you what this does for the city of Winchester.”

Four players - Christian Dinges (18), Isaiah Baxter (14) and Jaevon Brisco and Will Braun-Duin (both 13) scored in double figures as the Judges (25-5) led by as many as 17 points to shutter Hampton’s 26-game winning streak. Joshua Rice finished with 13 points for Hampton, which was held to its lowest point effort of the season.

The Judges, who lost to Varina in last year’s Class 4 state semifinals, returned a senior-laden cast with Brisco, who will play for Virginia Union next season and Dinges (Fork Union Military Academy). Handley played the likes of Oak Hill Academy and Roanoke Catholic (at Arby’s Classic), but suffered some puzzling setbacks.

The Judges put it all together when it mattered, closing the season with 14 straight victories.

"It's been a heck of a journey. I've been with these dudes since eighth grade,” said Baxter, a senior, to The Winchester Star. “I’m just proud of them."

Full Circle for Graham

What a difference a year makes for Graham. After giving up the most points in a state title game last year, Graham returned to Siegel Center Friday captured its first title since 1956 with a 65-58 decision over Central-Woodstock.

Sophomore Ty Martin had a game-high 25 points for Graham (23-4) and Channing Disibbio added 17. Dereck Batiz-Lugo finished with a game-best 25 points for Central-Woodstock (21-7).

The G-Men outscored Central-Woodstock, 40-30, in the second half. In last year’s final, John Marshall scored 107 points to win a fourth straight Class 2 crown.

Marshall, which lost longtime coach Ty White and standout Latrell Allmond to Petersburg during the summer, didn’t qualify for the region tournament. That opened the door for Graham, which returned Cambel Fix and Disibbio from last year’s starting five.

The groundbreaking season was also special for Graham coach Todd Baker, who was hospitalized for nearly three weeks last summer after suffering a stroke.

“These guys, what they did for me, not just sports, I’ll never forget,” said Baker.

Luray Survives Jackson’s Record Effort, Ends Title Drought

After a half-century, Luray won a state championship Friday. And, it probably felt like 50 years on the Siegel Center hardwood.

The Bulldogs (24-6) needed two overtimes as they outlasted a historic performance from Fort Chiswell’s Owen Jackson for an 84-82 win for the Class 1 title.

Jackson, a 6-5 sophomore guard, scored a state final record 53 points. Jackson hit a 3-pointer from top of the circle to force the first overtime for Fort Chiswell (24-6).

With two starters fouled out and trailing by four points in the extra session, sophomore Cole Hillard (3-pointer) and junior Will Judy hit clutch shots for Luray to send the match to a second overtime. The Bulldogs scored the first six points in the second overtime and never trailed.

“I couldn’t be more proud of this group, man,” Luray coach Mat Huff said to the Daily News-Record. “This group has done so much for Luray basketball, for myself — this is a special group and it’s a special night.”

Matthew Owens, a senior headed to James Madison University, led Luray with 21 points before fouling out. Connor Hilliard, a James Madison baseball recruit, finished with 18.

In 1976, Luray defeated Powell Valley, 59-55, for the Virginia Class A title.

“This hasn’t been done in 50 years,” Connor Hilliard said to the Daily News-Record. “It was really something special for us. We knew at the beginning of the season we wanted to win districts, region and states. It was the big three we wanted and we ended up getting it.”