It's a Gryphon Night

Tonight at SouthWest Edgecombe High Rocky Mount High School brought home the conference tournament championship in both girls and boys basketball. However, both were completely different ways to win a championship.

The Lady Gryphons could muster on six points in the first quarter and only one player scored and that was Danita Whitaker. The second quarter the Lady Gryphons began to get more team scoring and looked as if they would lead by four at the half, but two turnovers in the last 20 seconds led to a tie at the half of 20-all.

Insert Arkenesia Melton in the third quarter and the ladies began to get some rhythm and good defense held Fike to only eight points and the ladies lead at the end of the third quarter 37-28.

Fike finally got going in the fourth quarter, but it became a shot for shot fourth quarter and the Lady Gryphons win their second NEW 6 Tournament title to tie SouthWest with two each. Rocky Mount won 58-48.

It was also the 20th win of the season for the No. 1 seeded Lady Gryphons who play at home Tuesday night against Eastern Wayne.

Dyonna Battle lead the Lady Gryphons with 16 followed by Tia Hudgins with 12 and Melton with 10.

Battle was named tournament MVP and Whitaker joined her on the All-Tournament team. Tramicka James scored 30 of Fike's 48 points and after 31 last night and 20 on Tuesday and no doubt she would have been the MVP if Fike had won the tournment.

In the nightcap, the Gryphons beat the Bulldogs 87-76 in overtime.

Nash Central shot out to a 22-13 lead in the first quarter as Michael Speight led the Bulldogs with 11 in the quarter. From the get-go tonight, RM's Darius McKnight had the assignment of covering Trey Sumler all over the court, including timeouts and McKnight through three quarters held Sumler to only three points.

There was one point in the game during foul shots that every time Sumler tried to go to the other side of the lane McKnight was with him step for step.

Rocky Mount was able to outscore the Bulldogs in the second quarter by 13 to lead at the half by three at 33-30.

Rocky Mount built its lead to 10 points with less than two minutes to play, but with a unrelenting defensive surge by Nash Central, it managed to tie the game and send it to overtime.

This was a game that nobody wanted to lose. Sumler got going in the fourth quarter and finished the game with 18. Speight had 15 points a wheelbarrow full of rebounds.

Bulldog guard T. J. Bryant, nephew of area football legend Kelvin Bryant, added 15 mostly three pointers. And when Nash Central was on the verge of being blown out, his shots kept it in the game. The fourth member of the Bulldogs to hit double figures was Dominique Holloway who added 12.

Despite the Bulldogs' efforts, the best team tonight was Rocky Mount as it won its eighth game in a row and moved to 16-10 on the season and won its third NEW 6 tournament championship in the league's four years.

Tashawn Mabry had 32 points and yanked down 15 rebounds. McKnight added 16 points and late in the game when the Gryphons looked shaky with the ball, McKnight was money in the bank handling the ball.

But the night belonged to Philip Wilkins. Philip, for the first time in his caree,r had 21 points but when the Gryphons needed a rebound, Philip pulled down 20 on the night.

If there was any doubt whether Nash Central and Rocky Mount were rivals tonight eliminated any doubt. Tonight's game was the best game I have seen all year on TV or live. Every player gave all they had on both sides and either side had plenty of chances to win the game in regulation.

Mabry was named the tournament MVP and was joined on the All-Tournament team by Wilkins and McKnight. Sumler and Speight joined Fike's Jeremy Adkinson on the squad.

The Gryphons play at home Monday night in the first round of sectional play.