Gryphons Rebound

Both Rocky Mount varsity basketball teams rebounded from losses on Wednesday night with victories over Rose High.  The boys win their first game of the week after their first two losses of the season beating the Rose boys 71-54.  The Lady Gryphons had little trouble knocking off the Lady Rampants 57-38.

The boys dominated the boards grabbing 35 misses while holding Rose to 18.  The turnover battle was even at 16 so the dominant inside Gryphon game was rejuvenated with the return of Emmanuel King. Donte Battle lead the rebounding with 12 while King had 9.

Isaiah Alston lead the Gryphon scoring dropping five threes in the second half to lead the Gryphon scoring with 21.  Donte Battle contributed 14 and Emmanuel King added 12.  Next action for the Gryphons will be the second game of the Nash County Christmas Tournament when they take on Nash Central Wednesday night.

Before the Lady Gryphons opened the season there were many questions as to who was going to step up and replace the departed J'Kyra Brown who now plays for ECU.  So far early in the year both Carmen Richardson and T T Thomas have lead the scoring from either the Lady Gryphon defense or outside scoring. Tonight belonged to the inside game.

Tamarra Harper lead the way down low in the blocks with drop step moves leading to 20 points and five rebounds.  The other low post was the property of Keyanna  Spivey who scored 13 points and pulled down  eight rebounds.  The Lady Gryphons were able to avenge their opening night loss at Rose  by 19.

They return to action Tuesday at five pm in the opening game of the Christmas Tournament when they take on the undefeated  Nash Central Lady Bulldogs.

Not Time To Worry

You see this in the NFL every week. A team wins a big game one week and loses the next. Fans ride up and down on the elavator or joy and despair all the time. It doesn't have to be just the NFL as it occurs at every level. Rocky Mount boys basketball team has brought into this season high expectations with all the returning big men that surely this team would go undefeated and win another state championship since this is an even year coming up 2014 and the Gryphons have won the last two titles 2010 and 2012 on even years. The two down to the wire losses this week ends any thinking of an undefeated season for those that thought that was possible. What has shown through is how fragile any team is when all the pieces don't fit. Both losses have occured with Emmanual King on the sidelines. He and Donte Battle have started and Jaquell Bryant has come off the bench. This week Jaquell has started and has left no big big man to be used as back up. Jaquell is a defensive specialist but when he is thrown into a starting role more scoring is needed from him and then when it is time for either he or Battle to come out of the game for rest there is no defensive specialist in the game in his normal role. We all as fans forget how lucky any team is to go all the way through any season and wind up winning a state championship. Have we all forgotten 2010's team had to beat Northeast Guilford in over time 83-82 to get to Chapel Hill or that we only beat West Craven by three in the semi finals. Not only do you have to be good but lucky helps more than we are willing to admit. In both 2010 and 12 in mid January the Gryphons were still trying to put all the pieces into place before they went on winning streaks that took them to State titles. Mike Gainey has built a basketball juggernaut in Rocky Mount but not at any time in the past five years have they threatened going undefeated. Back in 2008 they were 19-7 and lost in the sectional finals in overtime 77-74 to Northern Vance. 2009 they were 17-11 lost in the second round. 2010 the state championship team had lost three times by mid January. 2011 20-11 lost in the regional semi's to West Craven. 2012 lost three times during regular season before taking the state crown and finishing 25-3. 2013's team lost only twice up to the regional finals lost but the team with the best record didn't make it to the state finals. Don't get wrapped up about losses this early in the year. You know they haven't lost one yet to a bad team. It is not like as we watch them play you are saying holy moly they are bad this year. This years Gryphon team needs time to play together and find their roles. They get another chance tonight as they host Greenville Rose who will have any football players on the team this time that were in the football playoffs when we played them earlier.