Boys basketball: Norcom junior finds his niche

PORTSMOUTH

Norcom needed an emotional lift.

Leading by two points midway through the third quarter of a Group AAA state quarterfinal against Thomas Dale, the Greyhounds turned to DeCarlos Anderson on Saturday.

“He brings energy,” Norcom coach Leon Goolsby said of Anderson, a 6-foot-2 junior guard. “And like I told him during the morning shootaround, 'We thrive off your energy and your passion for the game.’ ”

Anderson responded.

With Thomas Dale focused on stopping Norcom leading scorer Dorian Finney-Smith, Anderson scored on three consecutive possessions, including back-to-back 3-pointers.

Before his second 3-pointer reached the rim, Anderson was backpedaling, with a swagger.

Swish.

He turned to the crowd, waited for its approval, and then pounded his chest with his fist.

“I had to do something because nobody was producing at the time,” said Anderson, who finished with a game-high 21 points. “It was my goal to score to get us through that stretch. That was what I had to do in that part of the game.”

Norcom held on for a 55-53 victory to advance to the school’s first state semifinal. The Greyhounds (23-4) meet Chantilly (20-7) at 3:45p.m. today at Virginia Commonwealth’s Siegel Center in Richmond. The winner advances to Friday’s 9 p.m. state championship.

“It would mean a lot to our community because we know all of Portsmouth has our back,” said Anderson, who averages 11.5 points a game. “A lot of people said we couldn’t do it. But this has been our goal since the summer.”

In the summer, Anderson, along with several teammates, met at Norcom’s track to run . Anderson also spent many hours working on his ball-handling skills because he would be entrusted to play point guard since Darius Theus, a former two-time All-Tidewater player, had graduated and moved on to VCU.

Many wondered if Anderson could handle the pressure of his new role.

“Everybody was saying, 'You need a point,’” Goolsby remembered. “But I think he’s done a great job. I also love the way he plays defense. The only thing we have to work on is his decision-making sometimes. But you have to take the good with the bad.”

And in most cases, it’s been a whole lot of good. Anderson has been that spark plug for the Greyhounds.

“He may not get the headlines or be our leading scorer but he’s the energy we need even when the crowd isn’t going,” Goolsby said. “He’s the one who gets everybody else going by either pounding the court on defense or screaming out loud. That energy, that passion, it carries over to the other guys.”

Anderson wouldn’t have it any other way.

“When the crowd sees me they think I’m crazy, but I’m just so into the game,” he said . “I get so hyped and I love watching the crowd see me get hyped. So I’m ready. I can’t wait.”

Larry Rubama, 757-446-2273, larry.rubama@pilotonline.com