PETERSBURG – Championship caliber teams find a way to win. Sometimes it’s a blow out, sometimes it’s a battle, and sometimes it’s just plain ugly. 

     The Petersburg Cavaliers led the game with their Conference foe North Carolina Capitals by double digits early on. But that category wasn’t the score, it was turnovers. The CAVS’ play throughout the evening was uncharacteristically out of sync. Passes weren’t sharp, ball handling loose, and overall play appeared sluggish. 

     North Carolina took control early pushing the action as the Cavs struggled. Finding the open man, clearing the glass, and applying a tenacious man-to-man defense, the Capitals were in the driver’s seat and looked set to run away with the first quarter.

     Enter Walter Williams. At the 5:11 mark in the first quarter, it was Williams that sparked Petersburg. A rim rocking throwdown lead off a three-minute spurt featuring Williams. Aided by his teammates feeding him the rock, Williams also creating his own opportunities. On a breakaway Williams threw down a monster two-handed dunk. He followed that up with a 3-ball, two shots from the charity line and another ten-foot jumper. That quick burst created a 9-2 run for the Cavs pushing them out to their first commanding lead in the game, finishing the first quarter ahead 23-13.

     Turnovers plagued the Cavs again in the opening of the second. The Capitals took full advantage of that nearly eroding the Cavs lead with a 9-0 run to start off the second quarter. The Caps took the lead midway through the period. But just as it appeared they were about to pull away, they found stiff Cav resistance. This time the Cavs duo of Anthony Lundy and Williams combined to stop the charging Capital offense. Williams dished to Lunday only to get the rock right back on a strong cut to the basket. In the next possession Lundy drove the lane with a basket and one to keep the Cavs within three at the end of the second, Caps 47, Cavs 44. And while the duo’s efforts did not put the CAVS on top it kept them in striking distance, an effort that would prove invaluable in the last minutes of the game. 

     Off two back-to-back threes by Kane Ma opening the third, the Caps found themselves pushing out to an eleven-point lead, 60-49. This time the Cavs momentum came from a familiar number, 32. Elijah Moore, held relatively silent in the first half of the game dropped six unanswered points, drawing the Cavs within six of the lead. Williams followed by ripping down a rebound going coast-to-coast for two. Two possessions and a steal later and the Cavs had tied the game with a orchestrating a 10-0 run. By the 4:58 mark in the third the Cavs had regained the lead 64-62. But the Capitals weren’t going away, eventually taking charge again to end the third up 75-71.

     Turnovers continued in the fourth as the CAVS saw three of theirs create an 8-0 Capital’s run midway through the fourth. Now facing an 88-79 deficit with  6:41 left in the game, the Cavs applied an intense defensive pressure. That effort combined with solid team ball on offense found the Cavs clawing back into the game and eventually tying the match up at 92 all with 3:30 left.

     By the two-minute mark, the Cavs had taken the lead 94-92. Enter Mr. Clutch. Holding on to a one possession lead the Cavs would need the foul line to secure the game. That had proved a bit of a struggle in the first half as they had only managed two of eight (25%). That would drastically change in the second half. With under two minutes to play, Moore went to the charity stripe dropping two for two to extend the lead to four, 99-95. The Capitals would  get as close as two points in the end, but the Cavs  would go eight for eight from the line, with Moore dropping six for six in the final two minutes, including two with ten seconds left. 

     Walter Williams finished the night with twenty-six points and thirteen rebounds. Moore led all scorers with thirty-five points, twenty-four in the second half. He also went 10 for 13 from the line (77%). Two additional Cavs reached double digits on the night, Bernard Alston with 17 and Donovan Willis with 11.

     Ty’Quon Reid led the Capitals with 22 points joined by Dyron Jones who added 20 points. 

     The Cavs uglied their way to a 103-101 victory to remain atop the ECBL. At 7-0 they are sole owners of first place in their division, conference,  and the league midway through the season.