Petersburg basketball team honored for historic win
· Yahoo Sports
Petersburg High School's state championship basketball team found itself on a different court April 22, feted by the Virginia General Assembly and Gov. Abigail Spanberger for capturing the school's first basketball title in more than a half-century.
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"On the evening of March 14, while we were still gathered in this chamber, these young men were inside the Siegel Center making history," Del. Kimberly Pope Adams, D-Dinwiddie County, said on the House floor.
Both she and Sen. Lashrecse Aird, D-Henrico County − who presented the team moments later to the state Senate − noted that while the Crimson Wave had come close in previous seasons, the 2026 title was its first since the Moses Malone-led teams in back-to-back years during the early 1970s.
"For the first time since [the Malone years], Petersburg basketball was back where it belonged," Pope Adams said. "On top."
Pope Adams said the victory was a "testament" to the leadership of veteran Coach Ty White, himself a PHS alumnus, "and to the discipline, grit and determination of every young man on this team."
Petersburg defeated Lake Taylor, of Virginia Beach, 56-35 to win the Class 3 state boys basketball title in White's first year as Wave coach. The victory was a familiar one for White, who won seven titles in 15 years − including four straight − at John Marshall High School in Richmond.
The title capped a 22-4 season for the Wave, as well as an 18-game winning streak. Since the glory years of Malone, the Wave had been to the title game five times, including hearbreaking losses of two points to Booker T, Washington in 1985, and one point to Norcom in 2010 and Cave Spring in 2022.
"Their championship has brought immense pride to the city of Petersburg and inspired an entire community who have waited over a generation for this moment," Pope Adams told her colleagues.
After Pope Adams finished, the delegates gave the Wave a rousing standing ovation.
Petersburg won title with 'honor and integrity'
Down the hall in the Senate, the team was also welcomed with cheers.
Aird noted the 52-year drought, saying it had been "defined by decades of 'amost-there,' but it was their turn now."
Lt. Gov. Ghazala Hashmi congratulated the team, saying everyone had heard from Aird "how remarkable this team is." She added the Wave worked "with honor and integrity" to bring the title to Petersburg.
"This championship just says so much about the commitment you have made to ensure that you and your teammates deserve this recognition," Hashmi said.
The Wave was also also honored earlier in the day by Spanberger during a private reception in the Governor's Mansion.
Petersburg was not the only scholastic sports team honored by the legislature. The Varina High School football team was celebrated for winning the Class 4 state championship last December, beating Loudoun County 47-0.
It was the second football title in five years for the Blue Devils, who finished the season 13-2.
Bill Atkinson (he/him/his) has won numerous awards during his 40-year journalism career. A Petersburg native, Bill is a 1984 graduate of Virginia Commonwealth University in Richmond with a degree in mass communications. He specializes in coverage of breaking news, crime, government, and local/state/national politics. He is an avid history buff and a lifelong Washington Commanders fan. Reach him at [email protected] with news tips and story suggestions.
This article originally appeared on The Progress-Index: Petersburg basketball team honored by Virginia