Morales ESPN Soccer All American

Rocky Mount High senior Andrew Morales has been named to the ESPN Rise All American Soccer Team. Thirty three of the top players in the country were named to the team. Morales who will sign with Duke in early February will receive his all American honor on signing day in the library at Rocky Mount High school.

Oh by the way there was a matter of a couple of basketball games tonight at Northern and the Gryphons come home with two victories.

The Lady Gryphons took on the Lady Knights and both were unbeaten in conference play so tonight was the battle for the undisputed lead in the Big East. Northern lead for 47 minutes and thirty second before a Tia Hudgins put back with 29.8 second gave Rocky Mount their first lead of the game and a lead they would not give back.

Northern lead twice during the game by eleven the last time coming at 33-22 but with two minutes to go in the third quarter Grover Battle decided to take the air our of the ball with his team leading 41-31. Up unto that point the Lady Knights had won the battle on the boards 29-18 as many of their points came of missed shot put backs. From that two minutes to go in the third until the end of the game Rocky Mount out rebounded Northern 12-3 and out scored Northern 19-6.

Despite the come back to win 50-47 Rocky Mount was a dismal 17-34 at the free throw line. Everyone was except J'Kyra Brown who nailed 12-16 so if you add it up her team mates were 5-18 and they still won.

Not every one knew that Tia Hudgins played despite being in a walking cast since Friday night's game with Southern. First off the bench Carmen Richardson did not play after getting a concussion against Southern. Brown lead the Gryphons with 21 while Hudgins 14. Quenesha Lynch lead Northern with 19.

Rocky Mount is now 16-2 on the year 4-0 in the Big East Northern is 10-2 and 3-1 in the Big East.

Back during the Holiday tournament finals Dante Battle nursed a injured elbow and did not play in the second half of the championship game after he tore the bandage off in the second quarter of that game.. Kenyatta Battle spent the last 47 minutes and 45 second sitting in the Gryphon locker room in coach Mike Gainey's dog house. If it had not been for Michael Bracket's swish at the buzzer the Gryphons would have walked out of the holiday tournament a winner.

Tonight a motivated Gryphon squad with all hands on deck come out from the opening tap and pressured Northern's guards to keep them from getting the ball inside to DeShawn Freeman and when he did get the ball the Gryphons doubled team and tripled team him all night and the result is a 70-52 Gryphon victory at Northern.

The high light of the night for Northern was taking a 5-2 early lead but Rocky Mount responded with six straight points and a 8-5 lead and they never looked back. They lead by 11 and the quarter, 15 at the half, 19 at the end of the third quarter and 18 at the end.

Northern Out rebounded Rocky Mount 35-27 and had more turnovers 20 to the Gryphons 15. It wasn't so much the turnovers but the struggle that the Fighting Knights had to get the ball to Freeman who managed to get 19 but most were long after the game was decided. Michael Bracket carried over his winning shot in December and score 16 but those couldn't do it by themselves for Northern.

Exzavier Cooper lead the way with 15 but this was a team victory tonight with Tecoby Hines adding 11, Tevin Taylor 8, Bruce Applewhite 8,Terrell Hilliard 6, Levon Brutus 6, K J Peoples 5, Kenyatta Bullock 5 , MJ Gainey 4 and Damien Strickland 2.

The second trip around the conference starts Friday for the Gryphons as they play at Nash Central. Central did the Gryphons a big favor last Friday night beating Hunt at Hunt so the Gryphons start the second time around tied for the lead with Hunt. Northern who also lost to Hunt at Home play at Hunt Friday.