Lady Gryphons win over Northern was a fine team effort but what does that win do for them? It gives them the early lead in the conference race. If both should not lose between now and then when they play again in 15 days and Northern holds serve at home and they both are 9-1 in conference, Northern gets the top seed by virtue of winning the game when they met in the semi's of the Nash County Holiday Tournament.
Rocky Mount last night had to defend their home court because if Northern wins in Rocky Mount their chances of winning on their home court is good. So in two weeks we can do it all over again and if Tuesday was any indication bring the medical kit because both teams gave it their best shot last night and when a foul occurred there was not a cheap one all night.
2010 the Gryphon boys came back from this exam/Semester break and they were ready to become State Champions. The last two week siesta and Donte Battle's injury has a play in this, but they have shown up sleepy at both the Southern Nash game and Tuesday against Northern. If they continue to play in this mode they will never win the conference or survive the sectionals.This team is pretty dog gone good but not good enough to show up and flash their Rocky Mount jerseys at the other team and they lay down and lose for you.
The other side of the court Rick Ruffin has done a good job with the players he has. I don't think they have anybody over six two. They put out on the court a lineup of guards and small forwards. They are like gnats that aggravate you. You swat them away and they come right back. I would advise anyone as much as they have improved since Christmas that you had better be ready to play Northern from here on out this season.
Tonight the Wolfpack travels to Chapel Hill to meet the Tar Heels and this is the first time in ten years that State goes over there and the Carolina folks are worried. My personal opinion is the Tar Heels will win. I will be shocked if it a double digit win for the Heels. I think the Pack is greatly improved and I will be pulling like crazy for them. If the final is something like 72-69 Carolina then the Pack showed me that they have improved even more. The other side of the ledger I think Bullock is the only choice to now start at shooting guard. Offensively he could score 40 on a good night. The Heels problem is the man he is guarding even if he gets 20 then the Tar Heels gave up too much on defense and that position.
Thursday, January 26, 2012
Tuesday, January 24, 2012
Gryphons Defend Home Turf
I am sure the JV players tonight had never played a game in front of that many people but the Northern /Rocky Mount JV's played the fourth quarter in front of a packed house as the JV game did not finish until 6.20pm or so. The JV game was close enough down the stretch to get everyone in the mood for a pair of Titan girls basketball teams that went toe to toe against each other. When all the blood was wiped up Rocky Mount had dropped Northern from the ranks of the unbeatens 59-52
Northern's 14 point victory over Rocky Mount in December Rocky Mount had J'kyra Brown and little else. Tonight little else stayed home as Alexus Cooper scored 19, Tia Hudgins,10, Carmen Richardson 5, Amani Kipp added 4 and Ty'ais Cooper added two to go along with 19 from J'Kyra Brown.
December Rocky Mount tried full court pressure which Northern had little trouble with but the tonight stuck mainly to a zone defense from the second quarter on and other than Alexus Hill not one of the Lady Knights did much from the outside. Complicating Northern's effort Hill went down with less than two minutes remaining in the third with a hyper extended knee and did not play the fourth quarter but Rocky Mount already lead by six at that point.
Alexus Hill scored 12 was the leading Lady Knight scorer. Jessica Lyons 11, Jasmine Griffin10 were the three double digit scorers for Northern. December Northern out rebound Rocky Mount but the Gryphons win the rebounding battle 34-29 with J'Kyra Brown snatching 13 and Tia Hudgins 12 boards. It is a team effort tonight as Rocky Mount ends the first round of conference play 5-0 and Northern with their first loss of the season is now 4-1 in the Big East.
You would suspect that a 77-73 nail biter between Northern and Rocky Mount boys would bring the roof down but a couple of hundred folks went home after the girls game and those that stayed missed out on a great effort by Northern as most of the fans slept or didn't pay attention and missed a really good game.
It was weird as the crowd acted like they would normally do at a girls game waiting for the boys action. It must have been they were all exhausted after the girls game and needed to rest but Rocky Mount played on cruise control the entire game and at one point it was 67-66 Rocky Mount. Northern lead 3-0 which after that 3-2 they never lead again but Rocky Mount never deliver a knockout punch to a much improved Northern squad.
The Gryphons can thank Levon Brutus for being the only player who knew they were playing Northern as he scored a career high 31 points to lead the way. Terrill Hilliard had 14 and they were the only double digit scorers. Wesley Battle scored 18 with help from Lorenzo Wilkins 12. Northern committed 26 turnovers to 16 for Rocky Mount as it seemed when Rocky Mount needed to get the ball they did.
Terrill Hilliard did not play the last couple of minutes and for a few seconds with Donte Battle sidelined it looked as Rocky Mount might be headed to the Nash Central game with two big men sidelined. The word is Hilliard cramped up. There was a moment in the girls game when J'Kyra Brown got twisted up and she play rather ginger for a while and everyone thought she had reinjured her knee but the word from J' was it was her ankle and not the knee. Rocky Mount boys unbeaten in conference plays starts the second go round playing Nash Central and whether they will have all hands on deck is up in the air.
Northern's 14 point victory over Rocky Mount in December Rocky Mount had J'kyra Brown and little else. Tonight little else stayed home as Alexus Cooper scored 19, Tia Hudgins,10, Carmen Richardson 5, Amani Kipp added 4 and Ty'ais Cooper added two to go along with 19 from J'Kyra Brown.
December Rocky Mount tried full court pressure which Northern had little trouble with but the tonight stuck mainly to a zone defense from the second quarter on and other than Alexus Hill not one of the Lady Knights did much from the outside. Complicating Northern's effort Hill went down with less than two minutes remaining in the third with a hyper extended knee and did not play the fourth quarter but Rocky Mount already lead by six at that point.
Alexus Hill scored 12 was the leading Lady Knight scorer. Jessica Lyons 11, Jasmine Griffin10 were the three double digit scorers for Northern. December Northern out rebound Rocky Mount but the Gryphons win the rebounding battle 34-29 with J'Kyra Brown snatching 13 and Tia Hudgins 12 boards. It is a team effort tonight as Rocky Mount ends the first round of conference play 5-0 and Northern with their first loss of the season is now 4-1 in the Big East.
You would suspect that a 77-73 nail biter between Northern and Rocky Mount boys would bring the roof down but a couple of hundred folks went home after the girls game and those that stayed missed out on a great effort by Northern as most of the fans slept or didn't pay attention and missed a really good game.
It was weird as the crowd acted like they would normally do at a girls game waiting for the boys action. It must have been they were all exhausted after the girls game and needed to rest but Rocky Mount played on cruise control the entire game and at one point it was 67-66 Rocky Mount. Northern lead 3-0 which after that 3-2 they never lead again but Rocky Mount never deliver a knockout punch to a much improved Northern squad.
The Gryphons can thank Levon Brutus for being the only player who knew they were playing Northern as he scored a career high 31 points to lead the way. Terrill Hilliard had 14 and they were the only double digit scorers. Wesley Battle scored 18 with help from Lorenzo Wilkins 12. Northern committed 26 turnovers to 16 for Rocky Mount as it seemed when Rocky Mount needed to get the ball they did.
Terrill Hilliard did not play the last couple of minutes and for a few seconds with Donte Battle sidelined it looked as Rocky Mount might be headed to the Nash Central game with two big men sidelined. The word is Hilliard cramped up. There was a moment in the girls game when J'Kyra Brown got twisted up and she play rather ginger for a while and everyone thought she had reinjured her knee but the word from J' was it was her ankle and not the knee. Rocky Mount boys unbeaten in conference plays starts the second go round playing Nash Central and whether they will have all hands on deck is up in the air.
Playoff Positioning Starts Tonight
Northern Nash comes to Rocky Mount tonight and the feature game of the evening begins close to 6pm as the undefeated Lady Knights of Northern Nash take on the Lady Gryphons in the first of their two regular season match ups with both teams clearly being head and shoulders better than anybody else in the conference. If either lose during the regular season in conference play it will probably be to each other.
They have already met during the Nash County Holiday Tournament and by the fourth quarter Northern had established the inside and force Rocky Mount to shoot outside and they didn't make much outside of ten feet. It is clear that Northern can go ten deep and the tenth player is as solid as the first player. Rocky Mount has the best player on the court in J'Kyra Brown and her main helper Tia Hudgins will also need Alexus Cooper and Carmen Richardson to step up their play tonight to make this a game. Home is their best advantage tonight.
The winner will be in the lead after the first cycle of conference games and if either of these two teams want to get to the Regional or further the easiest way there is home games in the sectionals and the conference champ has the best chance getting two or more at home while the #2 may only get the first round at home. Luck helps out along the way and if teams with higher seating get knocked out then that helps getting more home games as long as you are not victim of the upset. You know Rocky Mount boys got to play the sectional finals in Rocky Mount last year after a higher seed lost while Rocky Mount won their second round gameon the road .
The North Carolina High School Athletic Association is having the realignment meetings this week when teams that object to their new conference affiliation can scream, cry, holler foul or what ever the case may be about the upcoming realignment in 2013. I have heard nothing that anyone in the Big East is objecting to the new alignment so unless another 3-A conference would be realigned forcing changes it looks like the Big East is set as seven teams next go round.
It is my policy to not make any comments about any athlete who might get charged for any crime but I do want to say this. I understand they have caught the four teenage boys that vandalized Faith Christian.
They have already met during the Nash County Holiday Tournament and by the fourth quarter Northern had established the inside and force Rocky Mount to shoot outside and they didn't make much outside of ten feet. It is clear that Northern can go ten deep and the tenth player is as solid as the first player. Rocky Mount has the best player on the court in J'Kyra Brown and her main helper Tia Hudgins will also need Alexus Cooper and Carmen Richardson to step up their play tonight to make this a game. Home is their best advantage tonight.
The winner will be in the lead after the first cycle of conference games and if either of these two teams want to get to the Regional or further the easiest way there is home games in the sectionals and the conference champ has the best chance getting two or more at home while the #2 may only get the first round at home. Luck helps out along the way and if teams with higher seating get knocked out then that helps getting more home games as long as you are not victim of the upset. You know Rocky Mount boys got to play the sectional finals in Rocky Mount last year after a higher seed lost while Rocky Mount won their second round game
The North Carolina High School Athletic Association is having the realignment meetings this week when teams that object to their new conference affiliation can scream, cry, holler foul or what ever the case may be about the upcoming realignment in 2013. I have heard nothing that anyone in the Big East is objecting to the new alignment so unless another 3-A conference would be realigned forcing changes it looks like the Big East is set as seven teams next go round.
It is my policy to not make any comments about any athlete who might get charged for any crime but I do want to say this. I understand they have caught the four teenage boys that vandalized Faith Christian.
Monday, January 23, 2012
Trio Tied At Top
I think all Wolfpack fans have every reason in the world to feel as if their future really looks bright. They must however try to keep their feet on the ground because there is only one reason this team is winning. Defense! Frankly speaking the Wolfpack offense looks better than it is because of the opportunities the defense is providing. Defense is a word that in the past five years was not in the vocabulary of any player for the Pack. There is so much season left to make any conclusions but Mark Gottfried is the front runner for ACC Coach of the year.
Duke stands at 16-3 and were shocked by Florida State yesterday breaking a million game streak in Cameron Indoor. If the Duke guards don't learn to share the ball they will be out early in the NCAA tournament. All Dukies do have one Ace in the hole as Coach K still has a month to mold this team into a team that can win with whatever combination he has. This team just might be his worse team this century.
Florida State finds themselves tied with Duke and State and they play State only once this season. There is no doubt FSU has talent but there have been too many times in the past talent doesn't win games and desire does and it seems Florida State has many games when they have no desire what so ever.
Carolina is faced with a Reconstruction of it's lineup Thursday when they host the Pack. It will be interesting to see who steps up to take Stricklands place now that he is lost for the season. The Tar Heels are at a cross roads as this injury could derail this season or it could be where someone steps forward that makes this team better.
Duke State and FSU are 4-1 and Carolina 3-1 Everyone else has two losses after Virginia Tech clipped Virginia last night in Charlottesville.
Hunt and Fike played their first time around conference game last Wednesday so they don't have a conference game until Friday this week. Rocky Mount Host Northern Nash Tuesday and Nash Central host Southern Nash. We are less than three weeks before the end of high school regular season basketball.
Duke stands at 16-3 and were shocked by Florida State yesterday breaking a million game streak in Cameron Indoor. If the Duke guards don't learn to share the ball they will be out early in the NCAA tournament. All Dukies do have one Ace in the hole as Coach K still has a month to mold this team into a team that can win with whatever combination he has. This team just might be his worse team this century.
Florida State finds themselves tied with Duke and State and they play State only once this season. There is no doubt FSU has talent but there have been too many times in the past talent doesn't win games and desire does and it seems Florida State has many games when they have no desire what so ever.
Carolina is faced with a Reconstruction of it's lineup Thursday when they host the Pack. It will be interesting to see who steps up to take Stricklands place now that he is lost for the season. The Tar Heels are at a cross roads as this injury could derail this season or it could be where someone steps forward that makes this team better.
Duke State and FSU are 4-1 and Carolina 3-1 Everyone else has two losses after Virginia Tech clipped Virginia last night in Charlottesville.
Hunt and Fike played their first time around conference game last Wednesday so they don't have a conference game until Friday this week. Rocky Mount Host Northern Nash Tuesday and Nash Central host Southern Nash. We are less than three weeks before the end of high school regular season basketball.
Sunday, January 22, 2012
Big Week On Tap
Those of you who only go to high school games when they play at home haven't been to many Gryphon games so far this season. There may be other big games down the road but this week the Gryphons Host Northern Tuesday and Nash Central on Friday.
The boys should they win twice would have a two game lead with four to play so Friday is the game of the year for this season in regular season as long as they win. A loss and others left to play after Friday become bigger. I find the comments by both Mike Gainey and Levon Brutus interesting after the Firebird game Friday. They were both disappointed that they squandered a 17 point second half lead even though they won by ten. What they didn't tell you is that Donte Battle the big man in the middle did not play and probably will not play against Northern. This team is good enough that without their big man still at some point in the game had built17 point lead. Hopefully he will be ready for Friday nights game with the Bulldogs.
Reading between the lines thisteam is very close to reaching a level that they can play into March. If they stay healthy and M J Gainey is the only person that can't play for rest of the season and if they solve their putting the momentum in neutral when they have a significant lead this team can obtain greatness. When you are two years removed from a state title the only way this team will be remember is if they put up a banner beside 2010. A loss in the Regional or sectionals then this team got stuck on neutral.
The girls hosting Northern Nash on Tuesday puts this game as the game of the year. It is vital they hold serve at home because they finish at Northern the last game of the season. They stand 14-2 and their only two losses have come at the hands of Millbrook 16-1 and Northern 12-0. The girls are much better today than a month ago but they will always struggle with ateam that has plenty of height. Pam Gainey offsets her disadvantage height wise by pouring out a full court press which eats any team up without a ball handler. Their four conference wins to date 47 points is the most any one has scored. 59 is the least they have scored and are averaging in conference 67 a game.
Tuesday night should have a big crowd and the girls game has all the makings of a slugfest. The winner will have the lead in conference down the back stretch but another meeting in two weeks may mean more than this one. Northern has depth and and Rocky Mount has the best player it should be a dandy.
The boys should they win twice would have a two game lead with four to play so Friday is the game of the year for this season in regular season as long as they win. A loss and others left to play after Friday become bigger. I find the comments by both Mike Gainey and Levon Brutus interesting after the Firebird game Friday. They were both disappointed that they squandered a 17 point second half lead even though they won by ten. What they didn't tell you is that Donte Battle the big man in the middle did not play and probably will not play against Northern. This team is good enough that without their big man still at some point in the game had built17 point lead. Hopefully he will be ready for Friday nights game with the Bulldogs.
Reading between the lines this
The girls hosting Northern Nash on Tuesday puts this game as the game of the year. It is vital they hold serve at home because they finish at Northern the last game of the season. They stand 14-2 and their only two losses have come at the hands of Millbrook 16-1 and Northern 12-0. The girls are much better today than a month ago but they will always struggle with a
Tuesday night should have a big crowd and the girls game has all the makings of a slugfest. The winner will have the lead in conference down the back stretch but another meeting in two weeks may mean more than this one. Northern has depth and and Rocky Mount has the best player it should be a dandy.
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