NORFOLK — A standing-room-only crowd turned up at Norview High on Friday night ready to see two of the top teams in Hampton Roads battle in an Eastern District showdown.
But what they witnessed instead was an ugly game both on the court and off, as for the second time a fight in the stands stopped play.
Norview senior Keon Mitchell ignored it all, just like he did the first time the two teams played, as he scored 18 of his 22 points in the second half to lead the No. 3 Pilots over No. 4 Lake Taylor 54-44 on senior night. He also helped the Pilots improve to 19-2 overall and finish 14-0 in the district.
“It was a big anticipated game,” he said. “I knew we had to get a win.”
Mitchell, however, struggled in the first half as he made just 1 of 11 shots. The Pilots struggled as a team, too, making just 6 of 22 field-goal tries.
“It was frustrating,” Mitchell said. “But my coaches told me my shot was going to fall. They told me to just stay in it and keep going.”
Norview’s Will Adams passes to teammate Julius Bracey against Lake Taylor’s Jacarri Jones during the first half Friday night at Norview High in Norfolk. PETER CASEY/THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Lake Taylor took advantage of it as the Titans took a 19-11 lead in the second quarter and then led 27-18 at the half.
The tide would change in the second half as Mitchell outscored the Titans by himself in the third quarter, scoring nine points. The Pilots held the Titans scoreless until the 1:19 mark of the third quarter.
“I just had to see a shot go in,” he said.
The game remained close heading into the fourth quarter.
Norview led 34-32 with 6:09 left, when a skirmish in the stands caused the game to be stopped for nearly 15 minutes. Both teams went back to the locker room as security tried to handle the situation.
Once again, a fight in the stands stops the Lake Taylor-Norview game. This is ridiculous. Game stopped with 6:09 left. Maybe it’s time for fans to be banned from games. pic.twitter.com/jI9iVFDxAJ
— Larry Rubama (@LHRubama) February 14, 2026
Just like the game last month when a fight broke out in the stands, Mitchell was on the free-throw line again. He sank both free throws to give the Pilots a 36-32 lead.
“I was at the free-throw line, and I knew I had to get the job done,” he said.
That was the spark the Pilots needed, as they outscored Lake Taylor 12-2 after the stoppage and never looked back.
“It means a lot to win on senior night,” Mitchell said. “My sophomore year, they got us on my homeboy’s senior night. That one hurt. So we had to get them back.”
Mitchell’s cousin, Zymareon Mitchell, also had a huge game. He finished with a game-high 23 points and kept the Pilots in contention when his cousin struggled in the first half.
Game resumes after nearly 15-minute delay. Norview running away with this one. Norview 51, Lake Taylor 38 pic.twitter.com/KRhWDfmxFI
— Larry Rubama (@LHRubama) February 14, 2026
The Titans lost for second consecutive time as they got upset by an eight-win Manor earlier in the week.
Lake Taylor (17-4) made just 5 of 21 shots in the second half. The Titans were led by Jacarri Jones and Jamari Edwards, who finished with 11 and 10 points, respectively.
Larry Rubama, 757-575-6449, larry.rubama@pilotonline.com
