Gryphons sweep Knights

Rocky Mount played host to Northern Nash in basketball Friday night and before the evening was over, Rocky Mount had posted four wins, including a doubleheader JV win for the boys and girls teams.

Three weeks ago tonight, the Lady Gryphons and Lady Knights played a two-point game at Northern and tonight would prove to be no different as the Lady Gryphons had to survive two free throws with less than five seconds to play to get the game to overtime.

Northern, trailing by one, had a two-shot foul making the first and missing the second to send the game to overtime.

Timely foul shooting by the Lady Gryphons in the extra period was all it took for the ladies to stay unbeaten in conference play at 6-0 as Rocky Mount won 61-53. The Gryphon girls are now 14-4 on the season.

Between varsity games, a packed house was witness to a ceremony as Rocky Mount High School paid tribute to the family of Dudley Whitley. His widow Sheila and her immediate family was in attendance. The former Gryphon coach, principal and Rocky Mount City School superintendent died recently leaving his foot prints embedded in our lives forever.

At least 1,000 tickets were sold at the door tonight for the game and one dollar per ticket will be donated to the American Cancer Society. Buckets were passed out where those in attendance could make more contributions to ACS and at halftime of the boys game, more than $400 more dollars had been donated to tonight's fundraiser. The money was donated to the ACS in the name of Whitley and RMHS.

The finale of the evening found two teams desperately needing to win a basketball game and for three quarters the lead swung back and forth with neither team able to get clear of the other.

The game was marred by a fight (two women) early in the fourth quarter in which the game was stopped while the disturbance was cleared.

Finally, early in the four quarter, the homestanding Gryphons pulled away for a 68-58 victory over the Knights. This gives the Gryphons a 2-4 conference record and a 9-10 overall record which they will try to even up Tuesday night at Southern Nash.

Security was tight during tonight's game as people who normally don't venture into the game but hang around the entrance as the game goes on were asked to disperse and were not allowed to congregate near the front entrance.

My day job during our economic stress that we are all facing in this county has become a four-way a week job here recently. Since I was home today, I was able to watch Kay Yow's funeral on WRAL TV5.

If you are one of the lucky people who worked today, I would like to invite to to go to WRAL.com and watch her funeral. They have it archived and I must warn you to have plenty of tissue with you. My wife Pat and I watched and I am not afraid to tell you I had plenty of tears.

The funeral lasted 90 minutes, but I can tell you it went by fast. Coach Yow had prerecorded a testimony which was played to all in the church and live on TV and I can tell you when ever Billy Graham dies, there is no way he will be able to speak for God the way she did today.

But, when you really think about it now that Kay has a new home in heaven, she is recruiting for God the way she loved N.C. State and loved life.

I miss you Kay.