Here We Come Again

Rocky Mount earn it second trip in three years to the State Championship beating Triton 82-67. They will meet Hickory who beat Concord in overtime in Greensboro 81-75 Saturday night. Game time is 7.30 Saturday night March 10th in the Dean E Smith Center on the campus of the University of North Carolina in Chapel Hill.

I don't know who the official score keeper was for this week's games in the Crown Coliseum but it must have been the first time they have ever kept stats. They had Rocky Mount shooting 29 out of 38 for the game and 4 out of 4 in three pointers.I had Rocky Mount with 30 turnovers they had 23. Either way despite the high turnovers Rocky Mount won by 15.

At ground level where we were at mid court you cannot hear the PA system. The speakers are aimed upwards and during the press conference at the top of the building you could hear the next games lineups as clear as a bell.

I thought we were going to have to recruit Morgan Doughtie to sing the National Anthem. The two young ladies didn't want to sing it without music after the CD failed at the start of the game. Morgan was sitting at the end of the Gryphon bench.

If you thought it was cold in the building, it was. Fayetteville has a minor league hockey team and the basketball floor was laid on top of the ice.

All three nights that I attended I heard more people holler three second violations from the stands and when I would look there would be no one in the lane. The floor of the Crown Coliseum has a Pro lane and inside of that the high school lane. People in the stands were seeing feet in the paint but it was the pro lane not the high school. The pro lane is about two foot wider on both sides.

Rocky Mount Prep first trip to the State playoffs ended last night at the hands of Plymouth 86-78. Great season for the Jags. In fact it is their best ever.

Lady Gryphons shot poorly and paid the price. Nice recovery from being 22 down to lose only by four. On Saturday the best team on that day Williams High won. #11 DaJea Scott their ball handler and leading scorer was a freshman.

There is one basic fact about basketball that is true every game. You must make shots go in the basket to win and the Lady Gryphons didn't make many. Give credit to Williams for their defense for that. Despite how badly they shot they only lost by four.

Tonight on the All New Sports Show Wes Bradshaw and myself will be live talking mostly playoff basketball. You can catch it on WHIG-TV starting at 8.pm. Mike Gainey will be live by telephone to talk hoops about 8.45.