Brown Needs Help

The Lady Gryphon basketball team made it all the the way to the Eastern Regional finals in 2012.  If the Lady Gryphons were to get back there again this year there is one obstacle standing in their way and that is of course the Lady Knights of Northern Nash.

The Gryphons have one of the best girl basketball players in this area and even in the past decade.  J'Kyra Brown has the ability to dribble and be a point guard, shoot a three pointer, block shots under the basket.  One of her best traits as a teammate is she tries to let others be part of the game and like this past Friday night there becomes a point when I need to take over or we are going to lose.

You may remember that in just about every meeting last year with Northern there were periods that every point the Gryphons got came from J'Kyra.  South Central deployed a defense Friday night in which I think you will see more and more.  They had a small guard play man to man on her and before you would know it she was doubled and tripled team.  Despite the defense she scored 29 but by late in the fourth  she was wore out from all the pressure from the defense.

The Lady Gryphons will be taller up front and will be a hard team to drive to the basket and score on this year which will force teams to have to shoot from the outside.  That will help the defense.  This past Friday the the Lady Gryphons didn't lose because of their defense it was no one other than J'Kyra scored enough to win the game.

 Carmen Richardson scored nine points and Destini Parker had 8.  That is not bad scoring from you second and third scorers.  Kelsey Daniels had six inside points  and Sakeya Battle had two points.  They were the only players to score in the game.

As this season unfolds more and more teams will double and triple cover J'Kyra and when the others receive a pass and if they are in position to score they will have to take open shots.  It is hard to make it if you don't shoot .  The Lady Gryphons are so use to get the ball to J and I will watch her score.  We all hear  the word team  work all the time and passing the ball to someone else that might be able to score better than me is a good thing.  J'Kyra is really good at being able to do that.   This team right now doesn't have enough people willing to shoot when they are open.

 J'Kyra shoots from within the flow of the game.  There are players who will shoot from anywhere and anytime and take plenty of bad shots.  J'Kyra doesn't take many shots that are not part of the flow of the game.  She is an excellent passer who finds open players but they have to be willing to shoot and not return the ball right back to her who is still being double teamed.

That is one thing that sports is all about.  Learning to play the game. If this team  every game has one who scores 20 and the rest are five and six points this will wind up to be a long season.  That is one of the things that made last years team really good Tia Hudgins could score inside.  It doesn't matter where the points come from this Lady Gryphon team needs to help J'Kyra be great. If others can score then J will score more too when teams can't afford to double and triple team her.