Lady Knights Fall

The Lady Knights of Northern Nash and The Ladies of Eastern Wayne were the only undefeated teams in the east when the basketball playoffs began.  Both were their conference champions and the only decision when the playoffs started was who got the number one seed and who would get second.  What ever tie breaker was used by the NCHSAA to determine the seeds Eastern Wayne got one and Northern Nash the two.

The only thing that guarantees if both win their first four playoff games they would not tangle until the regional final on Saturday in Fayetteville.  The opening playoff game Saturday Eastern Wayne tangles with South Brunswick who was 4-17 on the year.  As the number two you would expect the next to last team in would have a record like maybe 6-15 but Northern draws Morehead who is 10-14.

Monday night EW drew in round two C B Aycock a much better quality team that had 18-8 record while the Lady Knights faces Walter Williams who came to Northern with 20 wins in their pocket.  The sectional finals both teams are now up against quality competition with EW facing Northwood 22-4 and NN facing their third straight Mid State conference foe at 23-3.  The road has been easier for the top seed as their opposing teams overall record has 44-29 while the Lady Knights have faced teams 54-22. 

Despite the records EW has had two double digit wins heading into tonight while Northern had to work their buns off to win in the second  round.  Seedings do make a difference as it should and tonight regional qualifiers were determined.

Tonight The Lady Knights down by one at the end of the third quarter could not get a stop when they needed and fall at home  losing to Rockingham County  51-42.   This is the third time in the last four years Northern has made it to at least the sectional finals and only last year making it to the regionals.
The last two years Northern has loss three games and two were in the 3rd and 4th round of the playoffs.  Northern ends it season 23-1.

Hunt is the only Big East team alive and they will return to the Regional for the second year in a row beating West Brunswick at WB 68-60. They will play Havelock Thursday in a semi final rematch from last year.

Under the category of have you heard this????   A girls California  high school team had to forfeit their Saturday playoff win after they wore their Breast Cancer Awareness Jerseys in a playoff win.  Under California rules in order to wear a uniform other than you team colors you must submit a form and have it approved ahead of time.  Some where along the way we have lost sanity and reason when it comes to rules.

Harvey Reid Wins National Award 24 years After Death

He won 816 games while coaching at three different high schools during his lifetime.  He coached in Pinehurst, Elm City and Wilson.  His last day on this earth he was doing what he wanted to do coach high school kids in  basketball for Fike High in Fayetteville during a playoff game..  Today it was announced that Harvey Reid has won the 2015 Morgan Wooten Award for his Lifetime Achievement  in high school coaching.

 Reid won seven state championships and coached in five others during his 40 years of coaching mostly in Elm City and Fike.  His 816 victories are the most in North Carolina high School history.  The Morgan Wooten award is named after the famed DeMatha High school coach who dedicated his entire coaching life to high school coaching as did Reid.

Survive and Advance:  Tonight Northern Nash had all they could handle facing Walter Williams High .  Both teams had the look of no practice and having the other team being a quality  foe.  Tied at the half at 15 each,  Northern uses it's overall depth to advance to round three beating Williams 42-36.  The Lady Knights led by only one at the end of the 3rd quarter.

It was the second lowest scoring game of the year for the Lady Knights who scored only 35 in a game  against Fike when the Lady Demons held the ball as much as possible.  Round three the sectional finals will be play at 6pm Tuesday  at Northern Nash and they will face Rockingham County who is 23-3 and won tonight over Topsoil 59-31.  The winner Tuesday qualifies for the Regional Friday in Fayetteville.

The  basketball season is over for  Hunt girls as they have  been crushed by Chapel Hill 56-40.  The Northern Girls are the sole surviving Big East girls team.

The Big East boys still have the champs alive as Hunt has knocked of Northern Guilford 59-44 to advance to the sectional finals on Tuesday

I have made many decisions about how I wanted to present this blog to you on a daily basis.  I decided long ago that Twitter and Facebook was not for me so I have kept as they say  this old fashion blog where you have to input my address on your computer to find me.  I have had a following in recent months that consistently has been between 100 to 150 hits per day.  As far as I am concerned that keeps me going that we continue to inch forward. 

I don't know why but Friday was the biggest day ever for hits on this blog.  Our previous two high days before in some way were involved about something big going on like Rocky Mount playing in the state championship basketball game.  Friday there was nothing to speak of to tell me oh that's important to a lot of people.  We had almost 600 hits Friday which these days is about 400% increase for one day  WOW.  I am a person who is happy to serve a few so I have no intentions that one day I will see have a million hits a day.  Thank you those of you that hit this site on a daily basis or if you are one that only surfs ever so often.  It is good therapy for me!

Another Basketball Playoff Crisis

I know there are several Big East teams that now that their basketball seasons are over wish that they could have somehow or other managed to get their games played on Sunday.  Guess what?  Those teams in Wake County that decided to wait till Sunday got a big surprise Sunday morning.  Ice cover roads force postponements of several games which has the 4-A basketball bracket in shambles heading to  Monday's second round.

Now that the state has committed to playing second round games on Monday those that still have 1st round games to finish will need to play Monday pushing some second round games to Tuesday and anyone needing to play Wednesday will just have to miss the News conferences in Fayetteville on Wednesday.  As I write this Sunday night there has been no word from the NCHSAA as to what they can do.  What can they do other than play the remaining first round games on Monday?

Nash County's four high school boys were 0-4 in the opening round while the girls were 1-2.  The only team left standing  from Nash County is the undefeated Lady Knights of Northern Nash 22-0 and they will host Williams high who stands 20-4 so this is not an easy second round game for the Lady Knights.  Game time is 6pm Monday at Northern.

The weather has already played havoc for high school baseball and the season starts officially on Tuesday for most.  Rocky Mount Gryphon's home opener was scheduled for Thursday but Kent Cox and Ron Vincent have already decided to dangerous to put pitchers and batters and fielders on a baseball field when they haven't had any on field practice at all this year so far.  No word as of yet when the makeup will be.  Unless the schedule changes between now and then the Gryphon home opener is now set for Tuesday March 10th at 4pm against SouthWest Edgecombe.

You have probably heard that the Big Ten is trying to start to  make all freshman athletes in all sports ineligible in order to give freshman a full year of college before  putting them on the athletic fields.  I doubt that will ever get off the ground.  Seems funny to me that the power Five conferences were in such a rush to break away from rest of the NCAA in order to try to get all the TV money for themselves.

Do you suppose now what was have Texas A&M playing Kentucky in the SEC, Miami playing Notre Dame  and Penn State having to travel to Nebraska for conference play that the conferences are too  big an area or that this new pay  the players deal is going to cost way more for each school  than income from the Power Five deal.  The Power Fives just maybe in their rush for greed priced themselves right into losing money instead of making more.

Addiction Strikes Again

Those of you may remember about the HBO story on Josh Hamilton that once he left the ball park every day someone had to be with him at all times to keep him from stopping at a bar or to even buy drugs.   There is a  story out that Hamilton has fallen off the wagon and has had a meeting with MLB about his latest problem.

Drugs got him suspended from baseball early in his career and now at 34 he may get a 25 game suspension for this relapse if this story is true.   Drugs have cut short what possibly could have been a hall of fame career had not his life been engulfed with this mental affliction.  We all know whether is  being fat or smoking cigarettes when ever you try to stop a habit  it is hard to do so in one way or the other we all have our sins  but some are harder than others to break.

Has anybody noticed that since Duke kicked one player off they have not lost a game.  I see Duke is a good team but I don't see final four this year.

N C State gave back what they earned again this week another big time victory wasted losing to BC.  Looking at winning percentage Mark Gottfried since he has been in Raleigh is winning nearly 65 per cent.  The next step for Wolfpack basketball is beating the so so teams every time like Duke does and take your chances with the top teams.

The Big build up about the Kentucky- Arkansas game on Saturday was this was the last top 25 team Kentucky would play until the NCAA so their chance for a perfect regular season is almost 100% now.  I also heard Kentucky hasn't played another  top 25 team since December so will the Wildcats be tournament tested tough????

A year to forget for the Rocky Mount girls basketball team ended with a good effort at Corinth Holders.  The season started losing a player to death and finished with two weeks of weather without practice.  Despite all the goings on this team still finished with a 10-10 record.  They had seven losses to teams still in playoffs with a combined record of 77-18.  Northern 22-0  three losses, Hunt 18-6 two losses, Hayesville 19-6 one loss and Corinth Holders 18-6 one loss.  If there is one thing that Pam Gainey is good at and that is teaching defense.  This team stayed in most games despite poor guard play.

The Lady Knights of Northern Nash are the only Nash County school still alive heading into the second round.  They are home Monday night at 6pm to Walter Williams of Burlington a 15 seed but their record is 21-4.  This is a big test for the Lady Knights as they try to stay unbeaten.

Finally Basketball Again

You know when ever your star player almost outscores the other teams total you know a stomping is on the way and the undefeated girls of Northern Nash remain so after they open the 3-A playoffs with a 60-31 victory over Morehead.  Kiana Thomas scored 27 for Northern as they advance to round two Monday night at home when they will take on Walter Williams from Burlington.

Northern Nash boys were the only Big East team playing in the first round with a losing record and Adam Renner's shot at the buzzer missed and Northern's basketball season is over as they lose 49-48 to Southern Lee.

If there was any question about whether the Big East having all the teams jammed together would pay off in the playoffs it hasn't.  Being so even almost every boys team was on the road and they all lost.

Rocky Mount made  a good account for themselves but both the boys and girls season has ended on this the first day of the playoffs.  Rocky Mount boys trip to Gibsonville to play Eastern Guilford was close but no cigar as the Gryphons lose 78-74.  The girls played a higher seed in Corinth Holders and the Lady Gryphons came close but lose 46-43.  The boys finish 12-8 and the girls are even at 10-10.  I think considering the first day of practice for the Lady Gryphons was the day after senior forward Tiara Hinton  was killed in an auto accident this team has a heavy heart all year.

Hunt boys the conference champion and Hunt girls who are rather good except they are in the same conference with Northern Nash's girls both win impressively against conference foes  Hunt girls beat Fike 61-46 and they travel to Chapel Hill Monday while Hunt boys beat Nash Central 63-45.  The Bulldogs could not get a rebound.

Southern Nash big moment this season was beating Rocky Mount in Rocky Mount and it was uphill rest of the way.  A trip to Cardinal Gibbons ends the FireBirds season 78-52.

Fike gave a good account for themselves but in the end another Big East team loses 76-68 at Northern Guilford.

Nash Central girls traveled to Havelock and once again the Big East comes up on the losing end  58-45.

We worried all year about all the teams having no height and every one of the so call just alike teams fall in the opening round.  Hunt the top boys team looks  to host Northern Guilford Monday while the two tallest teams in Big East girls  Northern Nash and Hunt move on to Monday playoff basketball.

Hunt boys and girls each played a Big East team.  The other boys teams were 0-4 and the girls were 1-2 against other conference competition.

Basketball Saturday

Yes, there will be basketball on Saturday for every team in our area that qualified for the playoffs.  The NCHSAA had to make an executive ruling that was not what the schedule called for and here is what they have decided.

There will be basketball on Saturday for all the teams that did not go to school on Friday.  About 10% of teams have gotten their first round in and that leaves everybody else to play Saturday.  If the weather is too bad in your area then Sunday can be a first round playoff game only.  All first round games have to be finished by end of Sunday and only first round games.

Monday will be the second round and the third round or sectional finals will be Tuesday night.  Wednesday will be news conference day in Fayetteville for the teams winning three games.  Starting Thursday four games will be held per night in both the Crown Coliseum and Crown Arena.   The times and scheduling has not been posted for how early or how late the games will go starting Thursday.

Back to the Saturday action since most everyone has forgotten  who they are playing and here is the time as we know it right now.

Rocky Mount boys seeded 18 travel to Eastern Guilford seeded 15th and the game will be played at 5pm
Rocky Mount girls seeded 28th travel to 5th seeded Corinith Holders game time is 5pm
Southern Nash  Boys seeded 28th travel to Cardinal Gibbons 5th seed  game time 4:30
Nash Central seeded 27th  boys travel to Big East champions Hunt 6th game time 5:30
Nash Central girls travel to Havelock time unknown
Fike girls at Hunt  4pm
Fike Boys at Northern Guilford 5:30PM
Northern Nash Girls host Morehead at 4pm  and Northern Boys host Southern Lee at 6:pm..

The state did allow  any team  not in school today to hold a practice considering for some that they have not held a practice or been together as a team since the last night of the regular season which was two weeks ago tonight.

Weather Hits Everybody

The high school basketball playoffs are on the verge of having sometype of drastic measures taken in order to get just one game in.  Once again school is out in this area and that leaves us game less Friday.  There are many schools Friday especially in the southeast are are attempting to go to school in some cases two hours delays but many are playing first round games against teams still out Friday which kills their opportunity to play.

We are to the point that the NCHSAA must make some decisions.  First would be a decision directly in opposite of what the NCHSAA stands for, money!  Most all playoff games the the NCHSAA  get a major cut of all the gate and round one games is the least.  They could drop first round games and announce Saturday a new bracket 1/16- 2/15 and cut to two games making it to the regional.  That would require playing games Saturday whether your school went to school on Friday or not and just maybe playing second round games on Sunday or Monday.

If they are willing to play games Sunday like last year they could stay with the regular three game bracket and play Saturday-Sunday and Monday.  The 3-A regional boys start Tuesday which would require for those who advance four straight days of basketball without much practice in the last two weeks.

Spring sports like basketball have not gotten any practice in since Mother Nature took control of our roads.  Rocky Mount was suppose to have had a practice game Thursday with the opening of the season next Tuesday.  Baseball is a game that pitchers need more throwing to build up strength in their arm and at this point no body is building strength in this weather.

The basketball playoffs regardless of what path they wind up taking will be filled with teams looking like it is the first practice of the season  and this year we may get a champion who's record may just be above 500.

Baseball just might have many games early where the losing team scores 10 runs on walks from pitchers who haven't thrown a strike in practice all spring or winter which ever is correct.  Hitters will have no rhythm and ground balls may go through many legs before the wall stops them.

College baseball has seen baseball games snowed out cancelled or move 500 miles just to get a game in.  Like high school it might be April before we see what your team may be like after they have played and practiced enough to say this is what our team is.