By Matthew Hatfield

Correspondent

For the first time since 2013, the boys’ basketball team at Nansemond River will be playing in the regional tournament.

The Warriors secured their regional berth and took a major step toward securing one of the top four seeds when they won on the road on senior night for King’s Fork, beating their rival 79-69 in front of a capacity crowd at The Kennel.

“This was very important to us, getting to the playoffs. We preached it all season long, and as long as we stay together, we knew we could do it,” said Warriors senior forward Jeremiah Lewis, who filled the stat sheet with 14 points, 12 rebounds, five blocks and four assists. “We just had to come out and play hard.”

The first quarter set the tone for a back-and-forth affair, as there were four lead changes before Tyshawn Allen split a pair of free throws on the final possession for the visiting Warriors to knot the score at eight apiece.

King’s Fork followed an 8-0 run by Nansemond River in the second period with a 9-0 run of their own, taking a 33-26 lead to the locker room at halftime on freshman George Beale’s jumper at the buzzer.

The third quarter was similar to the opening period, with each team exchanging blows, the final one coming on a three-pointer from senior guard Tre Bailey with 17 seconds left, putting King’s Fork in front 51-50. Yet, Nansemond River would dominate the fourth period to the tune of 29-18, often turning defense into instant offense.

In the fourth quarter, King’s Fork committed seven of their 14 turnovers as senior guards Rayshawn Murray and Rashaad Williams pounced.

“Over at Nansemond River the first time we played them, Keontae Boyette had 28 and this time he only had eight, so that was a big difference,” pointed out Williams, who banked in a three-pointer to give the Warriors a 57-55 lead with 5:22 to play that they wouldn’t relinquish.

“They key was to try to stop him from getting the ball. We tried to get the ball in the hands of people who couldn’t handle the rock,” added Murray. “Also, the crowd got more into it and it was a bigger crowd than it was the first time at Nansemond River. They came over and supported us and gave us energy.”

Nansemond River used pinpoint accuracy at the foul line, hitting 25 of their first 26 attempts and 31-for-36 on the night, to salt away the win.

“The kids really answered the bell in the second half. Any time you beat a rival and a team as good as King’s Fork, that’s always nice,” stated Warriors coach Ed Young, lauding his players for adapting well as they switched different defenses throughout the second half to gain momentum.

“We had to get some type of pressure going and get some easy buckets. We didn’t press the first half by design. That was on me. I wanted to wait until later to spring it on them. When we went to the pressure, we got some steals.”

Justin Fatherly bunched 21 of his game-high 22 points for the Warriors in the second half, including a dunk in the final minute. In Young’s eyes, it was maybe their best collective performance of the season.

“A lot of kids stepped up — Justin, Jeremiah, Jalil Langston,” he noted. “Rayshawn actually played a lot of point, which he doesn’t normally do. Bryce Parker gave us great minutes and so did Tyshawn, our sophomore inside.”

Nansemond River moved to 14-7 overall, whereas King’s Fork suffered its third loss in four games to drop to 15-6 overall. What did Bulldogs Coach Rick Hite attribute the defeat to?

“Their toughness,” he answered. “They played tougher. You could see the urgency in those guys, and I thought we didn’t have any urgency. In the first half, I think we used the atmosphere being Senior Night, to our advantage. When it became a game, their effort and hustle plays showed. We got down four, and we responded as if we got down 40.

“In playoff basketball, you’re going to meet adversity. The good teams find a way to handle it and overcome that. It’s not encouraging right now, but hopefully we’ll use these situations to be better.”

King’s Fork visits Lakeland on Tuesday, while Nansemond River hosts its Senior Night against Hickory. Both the Bulldogs and Warriors wait to see who they’ll draw in the playoffs, though King’s Fork is the No. 2 seed for Region 4A and Nansemond River will likely be the No. 4 seed in Region 5.

“The key is we’re in the playoffs now. That’s a nice taste,” Young noted. “It used to be old hat for us, but we haven’t done it in six years. The kids earned it, and I’m very proud of them.”