Gryphon Girls Regional Bound

Like so many of the other weekly  Friday night  Gryphon-Knights match ups the Lady Knights stormed out of the gate and and took a first quarter double digit lead.  Tonight they got the lead with offense From Jasmine Griffin who scored 11 by half, not like the others when their smothering defense had  gained them the advantage.

Sophomore Carmen Richardson was the only Gryphon early that found any flow to her game and she score ten points by the half  but as the second quarter got going her team mates joined in and by the half the the Gryphons had trimmed the Knight lead to 31-28.  The Gryphons playing their final girls game ever at the old Rocky Mount gym decided that the last game in the old barn was not going to be a defeat and surely not at the hands of their arch rivals as the Gryphons spurted early and often to secure a Regional spot with a 69-53 over Northern Nash.

Jasmine Griffin lead Northern with 19.  Khadijah  Richarson had 12.  No other Knight had more than five which kind of hits the nail on the head in this one. Griffin also was the leading rebounder  for Northern  pulling down seven but she was the only Knight to get more than three.  Rocky Mount just plain got more help in this one than what Northern could contribute.

Northern will finish the season 20-4 and all four losses come from the Gryphons.  There has probably never been a more important game ever that meant so much as this one tonight in any Rocky Mount- Northern Nash girls  game.  Yes there have been games for conference championships played against each other but tonight was for a Sectional crown.

Up next on Tuesday is the #1 seed in the bracket West Craven who beat Nash Central 74-47.  Nash Central was the highest seeded team 13th still playing going into tonight and they get undefeated West Craven.  Rocky Mount squares off Tuesday night the time will be forth coming.

Rocky Mount had completely dominated the guard play in the third quarter outscoring Northern 22-9.  It was down to if we can't  steal it, foul quickly early in the fourth and the Lady Gryphons made just enough fouls shots to stay and arms length away the entire fourth quarter and towards the end stacked the lead to 15 or more.

The Lady Gryphons dominated the boards 42-21.  Tia Hudgins scored nine but had ten boards.  J'Kyra Brown had her usual 32 points and another ten boards.  The Gryphon difference this night was Carmen Richardson who scored 18 which I believe is her career high and grabbed eight rebounds.  The Gryphons had three rebounders to get more than the leading rebounder for Northern Jasmine Griffin.

This is Pam Gainey's second  trip to the Regional her first in  2004.  She will now sit in the stands Saturday afternoon and watch to see if husband Mike can get the Gryphon boys to the Regional for a Wednesday match up against West Craven who beat conference  foe South Central 67-57.  Should both Gryphon teams make it it would be the first time in school history for both teams to be in the basketball Regional the same year.

Game time is 1.00pm Saturday afternoon for the boys 3-A Sectional final with Hertford County.  Some times maybe the good lord looks out for you for  if the boys have played tonight there was no room for the Hertford County fans as tonight once again the girls played in front of a jammed packed crowd.

Rocky Mount heads to the regional 24-2.  Northern who has lost four straight this year to Rocky Mount could have very easily won a Sectional somewhere across the east tonight but Rocky Mount was not the team to be in the same bracket with.