Retired educator Robert G. Churn dies When Bobby Churn retired in 1988 from Richard Bland College after 14 years as dean of student affairs, students recalled things they liked about him:

Anthony Collins, who led Virginia State to the CIAA tournament semifinals last month, was reassigned today after four seasons as the Trojans men’s head basketball coach. Collins had been on the hot seat since midseason, partly because the Trojans didn’t resemble a team that was expected to challenge for the conference title. Then, booster and alumni members turned up the heat while VSU was losing nine of 11 games.

Tied at the end of three quarters, the King’s Fork Bulldogs scored on seven of its first nine possessions in the final period of the boys Group AAA semifinal and handed the Petersburg Crimson Wave a stunning 73-67 loss tonight at the Siegel Center in Richmond. The loss ended Petersburg’s quest for the state title and a perfect season. They finish with a 30-1 record.

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 know that won’t happen without semifinal victories.

Tickets are on sale at John Marshall High, Petersburg High and Cosby High for the schools’ semifinal games Wednesday in the Virginia High School League state Group AAA basketball tournament. Tickets cost $10 each. There are two sessions for Wednesday’s games. Each session requires a ticket. The game time for the John Marshall boys meeting with William Fleming of Roanoke has been moved up to 3:45 p.m. to accommodate the session break. It’s the last game of the morning/afternoon session. The Siegel Center will be cleared, then reopened for the Cosby girls’ game with Princess Anne (Virginia Beach) at 7 p.m. and Petersburg’s game with King’s Fork (Suffolk) at 9.

Nationally-ranked Petersburg is in the semifinals of the Virginia High School League Group AAA tournament for the second year in a row because of its talent. Hayfield, the Northern Region runner-up, challenged the Wave with a scrappy, quick-hands defense last night in a state quarterfinal at the Siegel Center. The Hawks forced the Wave into 21 turnovers and drew six offensive fouls, but the Hawks shot just 37 percent.

Nationally ranked Petersburg is in the final four of the Virginia High School League Group AAA tournament for the second year in a row because of its talent. Hayfield, the Northern Region runner-up, challenged the Wave with a scrappy, quick-hands defense Friday night in a state quarterfinal at the Siegel Center. The Hawks forced the Wave into 21 turnovers and drew six offensive fouls, but the Hawks shot just 37 percent for the game.

The top area high school teams in the state tournament will face Northern Virginia high schools in quarterfinal play tonight and tomorrow night.

Radio: WGGM (820 AM), 8:30 Tickets : $8 at the door.  Projected starting lineups:
  HAYFIELD PETERSBURG
  Notable : The Hayfield Hawks (21-7) of Alexandria are the Northern Region runners-up. The Hawks are coached by Ronald Palmer, 71, who is in his second year. Before coming to Hayfield, he coached 25 years at Long Beach Polytechnic High in California where he went 609-150, won 19 district titles, eight region titles, one state title and one national title. The Poly gym is named after him. The Hawks are in the state quarterfinals for the first time since 2005, when they lost to Central champ L.C. Bird. Hayfield was in the state field in 2000, 2002 and 2004 as the Northern Region champion and in 2001 as the runner-up. The Hawks were the state runners-up in 2000. . . . The Petersburg Crimson Wave (29-0) is bidding to become the first Central Region boys team to go undefeated and win the state title since Moses Malone led the Wave to 50 consecutive victories and state titles in 1973 and 1974. The Wave is in the state tournament for the third year in a row. Petersburg last won the region crown in 1998. The winner advances to the semifinals Wednesday at the Siegel Center against the winner of the King’s Fork-George Washington (Danville) quarterfinal.

The Central Region basketball tournament championship games originally were scheduled to be played Monday. That meant Petersburg and John Marshall had either four or five days before play commenced in the Virginia High School League state tournament depending on which team won and lost. Then it snowed. The title games were played Wednesday night. Petersburg (29-0) won 68-58 and earned the right to play tonight against Northern Region runner-up Hayfield (21-7). Game time is 8:45 p.m. at the Siegel Center.

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 last 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.

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.

The rematch is upon us. Reigning Central Region champion John Marshall and last year’s runner-up, Petersburg, tangle Monday night at 7:45 at the Siegel Center. After undefeated and nationally ranked Petersburg defeated Henrico in the first semifinal last night, John Marshall, No. 2 in The Times-Dispatch Top 10, earned the opportunity to defend its title with a 74-68 victory over third-ranked Highland Springs before a capacity (7,500) crowd at the Siegel Center.

Petersburg senior Drejon Scott Drejon Scott doesn’t wear a badge or read you your rights, but the Petersburg High School guard keeps people honest, nonetheless. With his faraway marksmanship, Scott makes it dicey for defenses to drape a collapsing blanket on the Crimson Wave’s bouncy skyline of 6-9 Cadarian Raines and 6-6 Chris Evans.

PETERSBURG - The Petersburg boys basketball team heard the talk that No. 5 Douglas Freeman was capable of eliminating the Wave from the ranks of the unbeaten and the Central Region tournament.