Great When It Was Needed

Northern Nash's girls basketball team looked squarely into the eyes of their first loss of the season with 3:44 to go.  Rocky Mount gave the supreme effort on the year.  Couldn't hit the broad side of a barn except for one player Shelby Meeks.  Her 7th three of the night gave Rocky Mount a 37-34 lead and then Northern's defense took over.  Rocky Mount only got one shot the rest of the game and that took place with four second left.  Four straight turnovers and a 25 second spell when Kiana Thomas said follow me.  Thomas hit two  rebound put backs at 1:47 and 1:27 plus a key rebound at 1:07 and a foul shot to give Northern a 42-37 lead and an undefeated season as they beat the feisty Lady Gryphons 44-37.  Northern finishes 21-0 heading to the Big East Tournament in Wilson next week.

Thomas led Northern with 18 points and 13 rebounds.  Alexia Hines started out scoring seven points in the first quarter but was saddled with two fouls at the end of the first finished with 12.  Rocky Mount out rebounded the taller Knights 32-26 were lead by Meek's 21 points.  In the let one get away column Rocky Mount was 9-24 at the foul line while Northern couldn't write home how great they were either only 8-18.  Rocky Mount had 26 turnovers for the game but had a shot at victory until the last four.  Northern only had ten in the game including none in the fourth quarter.

Rocky Mount drops to 5-5 and after Fike upset Hunt 47-43 are in a tie for third with Rocky Mount but the Gryphons get the third seed in next weeks Big East Tournament having beat Fike in both conference matchups.

The boys matchup found Rocky Mount still twitching about the buzzer beater Northern applied to them three weeks ago and just maybe with a chance to win the top seed and it has been a  while since Northern has been in that position they were nervous looking in the beginning and Rocky Mount showed no mercy.  Rocky Mount clinches out right third while Northern will settle for the two seed after a Rocky Mount pasting of Northern 89-55.  Hunt who had to beat Fike to draw first had little trouble beating Fike 72-49.

Rocky Mount had five turnovers in the first quarter but other wise they  could have had a larger than 18-11 first quarter lead.  Isaiah Alston went to work in the second quarter scoring 18 first half points just two shy of the Knight half time total.  Northern had eight second quarter TO's to go with five in the first and the Gryphons led 38-20 at the half.

Kenaz Cooper took control for Rocky Mount in the second half finishing with 15 points and Northern could do no better than losing the third quarter 22-20.  The Gryphons were not finished  even when the benches were cleared the Gryphon bench scored 12 points in the last two minutes and put a hurting on Northern.

Isaiah Alston led the Gryphons with 22, Kenaz Cooper 15, Broderick Caudle 13 and Sherrod Green added 12.  Lemonte Johnson was the only Knight to hit double figures scoring 14.  The final totals on turnovers Northern had 20 while Rocky Mount had 12 for the game throwing the ball away only seven time after the first quarter and even with the lead from 16-20 points  the Gryphons push up court on every procession as if the 35 second clock only had three seconds to go. 

The Gryphons out rebounded the Knights 43-25 and they had five rebounders with at least five boards.  Sherrod Greene and Artavious Richardson lead the way with seven, Thomas Cooper 6, Kenaz Cooper 6, and Isaiah Alston five.

The Big East tournament starts Monday at Fike.  Southern Nash got back on the plus side in the win column with a 77-63 victory over Nash Central

Northern Nash Girls and Hunt get byes in the girls Tournament next week while Rocky Mount will face Southern Nash and Fike will faceoff with Nash Central.  The RockyMount/Southern winner will draw Hunt in the semis while Northern awaits the Fike/ Nash Central winner

Hunt gets a bye for first and Northern Nash second while Rocky Mount will play Nash Central and Fike meets Southern Nash.  The F/SN winner will get Hunt in the semis while Northern Nash rest waiting for either RM/NC