The Forgotten Sport

It is very good whenever your team plays football in to December and the entire community can go whole hog crazy for football.  There was a time once conflict occurred between schools in the football and teams trying to get the basketball season that those playing football postponed basketball and waited for the football players to join the basketball team.  Depending how long you lasted in the football playoffs you might wind up playing two conference games a week in January plus a makeup non conference game  and that eliminates practice time and rest during the important time of the year.  It has been a while since Rocky Mount  has been this far into December and at least three football players will play basketball.  Let's take our first look at how basketball has started in the area.

Rocky Mount has played three games going into tonight and all three have been 4A schools Rose, Knightdale and South Central.  All three games have been losses.  Tonight they travel to Hertford County which will not be easy without the full squad  because of football.

One thing forgotten whenever the football playoff delayed boys games the girls had to wait since they play the same schedule as the boys most of the time.  The Lady Gryphons have played three 4A schools and since they are not short of football players they have managed to win two of three.  The lost came to Knightdale.

Northern Nash Boys have five games under their belts and they lost  opening night to East Wake.  They have since run off four straight wins beating Southern Wayne, Conley, Smithfield Selma and Washington.

The Northern Nash girls have followed the same path as the boys.  They lost opening  night and have reeled off four straight wins since.  One of those four was win number 500 for Grover Battle.

Southern Nash has played only one game so far and it was a win over Corinth Holders.  The girls were not as fortunate as they were beaten by CH.

Basketball years ago started December 1st.  That way it avoided splitting Thanksgiving break and then another break at Christmas.  We are suppose to live in a modern world.  It is time for all schools to go to year round.  It can't be done half the system in year round  and the other half the old fashion.