Christmas Report Card

We have made it to the Christmas break for high school basketball and looking on the boys side of the ledger this is about as close as all four have been in a long time.  In fact since Nash Central joined the fray more than a decade ago probably the closes they have ever been.

Rocky Mount once again has speed to burn but the first time in a decade they don't have a dominant big man in the middle.  Ball handling is best I've seen in my covering Gryphon basketball for more than ten years.  Those years has seen what is it five trips to the regionals.  Any team that relies on outside shooting will have to depend on Defense being the stopper when the outside shots don't fall.

Southern Nash is surely the best team that I have seen them have in my 13 years watching basketball in this area.  They too don't have a big man in the middle but are loaded with shooters and speed.  Last years good run at the end of the season will help this team this year just to get the feel of what it is like playing at the top of the division instead of towards the bottom.

Northern Nash is a carbon copy of both SN and RM.  Unlike Southern who put it all together towards the end last year Northern has to find that feeling of what it is like winning.  Don't care who you are if you are winning every game you hold your head up high when you walk on the court but when you were in a dry spell it's harder to hold your head high not knowing if you can win.  Tough early season schedule will pay off for Northern during conference play.

Nash Central lost twice last week during the Christmas Tournament but they too look like every one else.  Maybe what is lacking is they don't have the ball handlers like the other three county schools.  Their inside game is just as good as anybody else but will have to deal with getting inside to their strength.

There is no doubt that the beast of the Big East  is the Northern Nash girls.  They are very good almost ten players deep.  C C Harrison one of the bigs inside is out for the year with a knee injury and there is the only weakness this team has.  No back up with size for Kiana Thomas  at center.  They rely on pressure defense and there is plenty of quality handling the ball and pressure on defense.  They could go undefeated during regular season if the chips fall right.

Rocky Mount has only one place to concentrate on for the rest of this year.  Ball handling.  Have two quality  inside people but passing and dribbling skills limited by the people that need to get ball up court.  Rocky Mount can hold their own once the ball reaches three point line.  Outside shooting needs to improve to take pressure off their inside game.

Nash Central considering they lost a great scorer and ball handler last year have been better than expected in both areas of scoring and passing.  The Lady Dogs could contend for that second spot in the conference behind NN.  Conference time for all of Fike, Hunt, Rocky Mount and Nash Central is six conference games.  The winner from that group in the round robin will probably get second.

Southern Nash is by far and away the cellar dweller in the Big East.  One quality player.  This team has had a hard time scoring which does not lead to winning many games.

Once conference cranks up the boys should be a wide open affair in the Big East while in the Girls is there anybody ready to take on Northern.