Quarterfinals: Top bracket, Midlothian (17-3) at Deep Run (17-2), 7 p.m.; Thomas Dale (17-3) at Atlee (12-5), 7; Lower bracket, Mills Godwin (12-7) at Cosby (19-3), 5; Lee-Davis (16-4) at Prince George (17-4), 7
  Semifinals: Thursday at Hanover High, 5 and 7 p.m.
  Final: Friday at Hanover High,
7 p.m.

Chris Evans’ soaring dunk late in the first quarter brought the house down. Travis McKie’s thunder jam just before the first-half buzzer raised the roof. From the start of Wednesday night’s Central Region tournament final at the Siegel Center, Petersburg and John Marshall kept the overflow crowd estimated at 8,500 entertained and in the game.

With the stakes as high as they are in the Central Region girls basketball tournament, it’s good to have backup. That’s what the top seeds in this week’s tourney know, and depth within the starting five can keep each of them from getting into trouble at crunch time. Cosby, the top team in the Dominion District, has heard from coach Rachel Mead how important it will be to perform in the one-and-done situation. The Titans have a handful of players capable of taking charge on any given night.

Coming through the regular-season and Central District tournament undefeated is a fine statistic for which the Petersburg Crimson Wave can be proud. The glowing 25-0 mark means nothing now. The Central Region boys basketball tournament starts tonight. “Everybody’s zero and zero,“ Petersburg coach Bill Lawson Jr. said. “If you lose now, you go home. We are working on the present and the future.“