Tuesday, January 19, 2010

Alone At The Top

The Rocky Mount Gryphon teams laid the leather to Fike tonight as both the boys and girls crush the Golden Demons. The girls ran by the Lady Golden Demons 51-33 and the boys dispatched Fike boys 86-59.

You could really tell that the Lady Golden Demons were a very good fundamental basketball team but they were no match for the Lady Gryphon speed and quick hands. Even though she is not one of the Lady Gryphons with quick hands Danita Whitaker scored a double double getting 12 points and an astounding 23 rebounds. Tamisher Walker also had double digit rebounds getting 11. Kashunn Seabreeze and Tia Hudgins also hit double digit scoring with Seabreeze getting 11 and Hudgins 10.

This puts the Lady Gryphons in double digit wins with ten and only two losses. They are 3-0 in the Big East and by whipping Fike tonight they are now the only team in the conference with no losses.

The boys came into their game as the only team in the conference without a loss but if Fike could win that would put both teams into a tie for first. It was 16-16 at the end of the first quarter and during that first quarter Tashawn Mabrey scored six points and became the second Gryphon in history to hit 2,000 points joining Phil Ford in that elite company.

Whether it was the presentation of a basketball to Tashawn and his family for hitting 2,000 points but the Gryphons put a on clinic in the second period shutting out Fike for almost seven minutes in the second quarter, by the half the Gryphons lead 37-21.

Starting out the third quarter Rocky Mount scored 12 of the first 14 points of the quarter to lead by 26 midway in the third. From that point on it was show time for the Gryphons as the lead grew to 38 off of dunks, three point baskets and all round good offensive basketball.

Mabrey lead the way with 21, Tevin Taylor added 15. Ten of the twelve Gryphons that played scored in this one.

Tashawn Mabrey has been out of action for three games and during those three, players who would normally pass it to Tashawn and then start watching has picked up the slack with him out. Since his return those players are continuing to play aggressive basketball and are not spectators any more. I can see that this team if they keep getting plays from everyone like they got tonight can be dangerous in the playoffs.

The guards lead by Tevin Taylor, Darius McKnight, and Kenyatta Bullock drove to the basket and when the ball is near the hole it opens up outside shots as well as make easy points around the basket. The Gryphons played tonight like the #2 ranked team that they are rated around the state.

The Gryphons will travel to Hertford County on Jan 30th to play Hertford County in the game that got put off before Christmas. Looks like the Rose game that was missed before Chrisatmas will not be made up. Tonight's win brings the Gryphons to 11-1 on the season.

Gryphons are back in action Friday at Southern.

Basketball Tonight

Got E-mail from Charles Alston over night that Tashawn Mabrey needs six points tonight to become the second Gryphon in basketball history to hit the 2,000 point plateau. Going into tonight he is 99 points short of Phil Ford's all time Rocky Mount scoring record of 2,093.

Fike is in the house tonight providing the conference competition.

The NFL final four is set. 3.00pm Sunday the Colts host the New York Jets and the late game Sunday night will be Minnesota @ New Orleans. You have Peyton Manning, Brett Favere, Drew Brees and Mark Sanchez as the final four quarterbacks. Who would have ever thought Sanchez would be in final four his rookie year a year when the Jets got better when they took the ball away from Sanchez and started running with it.

I doubt whether they will win Super Bowl but it is nice to see a team play the old fashion way with defense and four yards and a sod of grass.

Last night Connecticut women ran all over Duke's women by about 30 in Durham. That makes both Duke and Carolina that have been killed by Connecticut this year joining every team that is getting slaughtered. This U-Conn women's team might be able to beat the U-Conn men.

ACC basketball looks a lot like the football league. Duke's twenty point win over Wake was surprising. i just don't see too many teams from ACC making the Sweet 16 thisyear in NCAA basketball tournament unless someone gets hot in the next eight weeks. That right there is still eight weeks until the NCAA tournament and a lot can change between now and then.