John Marshall, Petersburg face tough foes in semis

As much as Central Region fans would like to see Petersburg and John Marshall meet in the Virginia High School League Group AAA boys basketball tournament final Friday night, players and coaches at both schools know that won't happen without victories in the semifinals.

The Wave and Justices were in the same position last year and lost.

Today, John Marshall (26-4) and William Fleming (24-4) of Roanoke hook up at 3:45 p.m. in a semifinal at the Siegel Center in the last game of the morning/afternoon session.

The Siegel Center will be emptied of spectators, then re-opened for an evening session that features the Cosby-Princess Anne girls game (both teams are 29-1) at 7 p.m. and Petersburg (30-0) against King's Fork (29-1) of Suffolk in the nightcap at 9.

Be advised: Tickets cost $10 for the morning/afternoon session. If you want to see the evening session games, tickets cost 10 more bucks. Arrive early, a sellout (7,500) is a given.

John Marshall earned its semifinal opportunity last Saturday by scoring the last 11 points and eliminating T.C. Williams, last year's state champion.

"What we know is that we have to come out and play like we did [against T.C. Williams]. Come out and play as a team, play as a family," senior Maurice Johnson said.

The Justices have learned from last year's disappointing semifinal loss.

"We have some guys who have been here before. We know what it takes to come to the states and win it now," Johnson said. "Basically, everybody's on the same page."

Quantae Cooley wasn't involved in the state tournament last year. He transferred to John Marshall from Thomas Jefferson, and down the stretch, he has provided scoring and rebounding when defenses focus on All-Metro first-teamer Travis McKie.

"Over here at John Marshall, I just feel like I've been here all four years," Cooley said. He said he already knew his teammates outside of school, and "in school, they make me feel like I've been here. It's been an easy transition for me."

McKie and Cooley combined for 34 points and 23 rebounds against T.C. Williams.

"We have to get rebounds in order to run," JM coach Frank Threatts Jr. said. "When it was time to put the pedal down, they were able to do that."

Petersburg has far more tradition than 5-year-old King's Fork, but the Bulldogs will be a formidable foe. The Wave is about to face a team that's bigger at guard and equal in size and wider in the front court.

"It's going to be a physical game. Probably more physical than we've seen all year," Petersburg coach Bill Lawson III said. "We just have to come out and play and do a good job defensively. The key is to be consistent. Our guards have to do a better job on the perimeter offensively and defensively. I think they are up for the test this year."

Wave 6-9 center Cadarian Raines is looking forward to the paint battle with 6-8, 295-pound Bulldogs center Davante Gardner.

"During AAU ball, I like playing guys my size," Raines said. "I'm comfortable with that. I like that."

Contact Arthur Utley at (804) 649-6559 or .