Is It possible?

If you are one of the people who is trying to figure out who is really the best team in Big East boys basketball I have a scenario for you that could make this basketball season unreal.  Friday night all the 4-3 teams play all the 3-4 teams and there is a chance and the way this season has gone a real possibility that all six could be tied after Friday at 4-4.  All six are fighting for the playoff spots and here is where in playoffs all these 4-4 scenes hurt the league.

Playoff seeding are based on overall record when ever the top team in the conference matches up with other number one seeds.  The Big East will be the only conference where the league winner will have three conferences losses.  Remember that is as of right now and the conference winner as of right now will be lucky if they don't have four losses. So the Big East will get the worse seeding in every case.  There are six conferences in the east so the best the Big East Champions will get is a 6th seed and when you do second -third-fourth they will always be last when compared with others.  If four teams are guaranteed to be in the playoffs and the fifth place is hoping overall record gets them in  it may not happen this year.

Fike  4-3 13-5 @ Rocky Mount 3-4 10-6:  Rocky Mount torched Fike by 19 at Fike the first time around.  The Gryphons have been granted a reprieve after knocking off Hunt to get back in the playoff race.  After playing four of last five on the road get two out of last three at home.  They need to protect home court better than they have so far.

Hunt 4-3 12-8 @ Southern Nash 3-4 11-9:  Hunt has personnel issues while Southern has ball handling faults.  Southern started out well but has tailed off lately.  As close as this race is  nobody can afford a loss now because one  now may eliminate you from the playoff picture.

Nash Central 3-4 12-8 @ Northern Nash 4-3 7-11:  This game is the only 4-3 team at home.  Northern is peaking at right time while lately Nash Central has sputtered.  Northern is only team in league with losing record but they are also the hottest.   No one can afford to lose game which is all of them now.

Nash Central Girls 2-5 11-9 @ Northern Nash  7-0 18-0:  The playoffs are fading for Nash Central.  Nothing could work better for them other than whipping the BIG DOG.  Northern needs to maintain  their work ethic priming for the playoffs.

Fike 4-3 9-9 @ Rocky Mount 3-4 8-8:  This is a seedings matchup.  Third on the line.  These two are evenly match.  Could be a dog fight.

Hunt 5-2 15-5 @ Southern Nash 0-7 0-20:  Southern is at the point where you know they would like for the season to end.  That's good news for Hunt trying to hold second plus not getting  too far behind Northern just in case disaster strikes the Knights.

*** Final Note today, Look for an announcement soon on the new football coach at Nash Central.***

Rocky Mount Advances To Third Round Wrestling

Big East top seed wrestling team Rocky Mount 27-2 joined second seed Northern Nash at C B Aycock High School where both face opening matches in the first round of the playoffs.  Northern faced the host school Aycock while Rocky Mount met Havelock.

Both Big East teams win their opening round matches. Northern beats the host 40-36 while Rocky Mount beat Havelock 41-30.  This set up Rocky Mount-Northern squaring off in round two on the mats at Aycock and Rocky Mount advances to round three with a 44-33 win over Northern.

Rocky Mount will travel to Union Pines Thursday where they will take on Swansboro 43-2.

There has been a shakeup at Hunt as there has been a disciplinary action taken on one of their starters and tonight the Warriors pay the price as Rocky Mount gets revenge on a blowout loss to Hunt at Rocky Mount as the Gryphons win 57-48.  Hunt Drops their second conference game in a row and now stands 4-3 in Big East.  Rocky Mount ups their record to 3-4 and in back in playoff picture.

Northern Nash gave up an eight point lead in the fourth quarter but scored when they needed to and knocked off Southern Nash 63-61.  Northern's win ups their record to 4-3 and a tie for first in the Big East while Southern drops to 3-4 in a three way tie for last.

Fike tonight hosted Nash Central and the Golden Demons didn't act nice toward the Bulldogs as the boys action was 70-55 in favor of Fike.. Fike now jumps to 4-3 in the Big East while Nash Central drops to 3-4.  I guess you can see that there is a three way at the top with Hunt, Fike and Northern Nash at 4-3 while Rocky Mount, Southern Nash and Nash Central are 3-4  unbelievable.

Fike girls were not very nice either to the Lady Bulldogs winning 73-63.  Fike stands 4-3 in conference play while the Lady Bulldogs tumble to 2-5..  Northern leads at 7-0-Hunt stands at 5-2- Fike 4-3- Rocky Mount 3-4- Nash Central 2-5 and Southern 0-7.  The girls action looks like what a normal conference looks like as the season goes forth.  Not the boys.

Under the category of a mis-match tonight in girls basketball the undefeated Lady Knights of Northern Nash won their 18th game of the season as they hosted Southern Nash.  This was a clash of the winless and the lossless  and Northern wins by a 69-19 score. 

Rocky Mount girls lose to Hunt 41-40 and drop to 3-4 in Big east while hunt remains two games back of Northern Nash at 5-2.

Baffled At The Standings

I think everyone is mystified at ACC basketball this year and even on the local level high school basketball.  What in the world is going on?  Why is it one team can beat a powerhouse one game and lose by twenty  to a nobody the next.  On the local level why is it that nobody is dominating anybody.  Let's see if we can figure this out.

First let's look at the ACC.  Now that every network in the world carries basketball on TV every night there is no reason for a player that we will call a top 100 player just go to Duke, Carolina or Kentucky to get on TV 30 times a year.  Why, Campbell has been on two national games in January.

Yes all the major powers get three McDonalds All Americans per team but no longer is the bench full of them.  They are now going to Wofford, Davidson or to Butler and are not sitting on the bench as freshmen waiting their turn like they would if they were to go to a powerhouse. 

Use to be when the season started twelve teams had a chance to win the NCAA championship now 50 could win it.  I will use the WolfPack as an example.  They are 14-9 and yet if they get hot at the right time they could win the NCAA.  Their problem they need to win enough games just to qualify.  Even if they are hot they could lose to somebody else in the same boat as them.  So now  there is no more UCLA breezes through the regional and only has to play two teams to win the title.  That first game for everybody will be against a team that could win it all.

There is two weeks left in the high school basketball season and four teams are tied in the standings with a 3-3 record and yet only one game from being in the lead.  The most obvious of all answers is there is no team with great size as has been in the past.  Hunt the tallest is the leader but everybody in this Big East has athletes that can run, shoot and jump. 

Night in and night out every team is lining up and play themselves  because everybody looks the same.  Tuesday night's game goes down to the wire and Friday you line up against yourself again. Everybody is doing this so much playing teams equal one little lapse and you are blown out.

Miami beats Duke, then loses by twenty to Georgia Tech.  Rocky Mount crushes Fike on the road then falls twice at home.  We live in a world where because TV pours so much money into it that the ACC stretches from Miami to Chicago to Boston.  Travel and playing good teams night in and night out can be hazardous to any team.  The new bye word in college basketball should be "just get in".

There is two weeks to go and somebody in the Big East has to decide we are going to take command.  The team that wins at least three out of their last four can do it.  Should one win all four they surely will be the regular season champ.  If it is Rocky Mount that does that they could still  tie for the title.

Rocky Mount In Playoff Mode

The Rocky Mount Gryphons are experiencing what they have administered to most teams for the past two decades since I have been living in Rocky Mount.  They tended to have the upper hand, made the right decisions down the stretch and made more than their share of clutch shots when needed.  Heading into Tuesday nights trip to Hunt the Gryphons  find themselves in a win or just maybe not make the playoffs.

Trailing Hunt by two games 4-2 against 2-4 a lost would put the Gryphons at three games back with three to play in order to finish first.  The position they stand now it is almost to the point  forget first just try to make the playoffs.  Trailing four of the teams closes to them in the standing by a single game second place is feasible but a lost to Hunt puts them no closer to second, third,fourth  or fifth.

A victory over Hunt  would put the Gryphons just one game from first and with the schedule being the way it is somebody would join them in last again.  It could be at sunrise Wednesday could have three teams at 4-3 and three at 3-4 with three games to play.  The bottom line is unless the Gryphons can take down Hunt  this could be their last stand for this season.

Rocky Mount 9-6 2-4 @ Hunt 4-2 12-7:  Hunt dominated in Rocky Mount so this will be a tall task for the Gryphons.

The Girls action Rocky Mount 8-7 3-3 @ Hunt 14-5 4-2:  when the Lady Gryphons get good guard play they have a shot to beat everyone  but Northern.  Had Hunt by double digits but could not hold on at home.  Now down two games to Northern the Lady Warriors can't lose any more ground.

Nash Central 11-6 3-3 @ Fike 12-5 3-3:   The winner could be tied for first but for sure the loser could be two back with three to play.

Nash Central Girls 11-9 2-4 @ Fike 8-9 3-3:  Now that Northern leads by two games it is a sprint to the finish line for second.  NC is in fifth and if they are to be in it to the finish they need this one.

Southern Nash 11-8 3-3 @ Northern Nash 6-11 3-3:  The Firebirds romped by 18 the first time around  but right now Northern is the hottest team in the league.

Southern Nash 0-19 0-6 @ Northern Nash 17-0 6-0:   Regardless whether it's a boys team or girls this year's conference race is you can switch uniforms  and they all look the same except in this game.  Switch uniforms  in this one and Northern still wins in a Southern Uniform.

Tickled Pink

One of the facts of life about getting old is as you try to teach your children about life as they move along in life you tend to repeat stories.  People get tire of the same old stories but today I am going to rehash some of a story from my past because I am just too happy to hold back.

You have heard me say here before about my adventures as the batboy for the Ahoskie American Legion baseball team.  My time was 1963-64- 65.   During that time I saw several players past through that program that they became greater in sports or life as they continued their journey through life.

I have also told of the story that my father loved high school football and every Friday night we were following Ahoskie High or when the playoffs rolled around our conference champion of the Albemarle conference.  So we saw a lot of football through almost all of November every year as I was growing up. 

My two favorite players from Legion ball during my time were twins Freddie and Francis Combs from Winfall.  In 1962 led by quarterback Francis Combs and halfback Freddie Combs Perquimans High won State football titles in 1962 and 1963.  I remember watching Perquimans beat Havelock at the new Ficklen Stadium at ECU when only one side of the stadium was the cement stadium and the far side was bleachers.

The best my memory serves me Freddie on one play took a toss sweep around the left end and broke out in the open with only one man to beat and as that player tried to tackle him Freddie jumped right over top him and continued on for about a 70 yard touchdown.  I remember the score as 34-7 Perquimans.  I thought Freddie Combs was the fastest man alive.  Didn't have stop watches and such to tell us how fast he really was but he could scoot.

On the baseball field Freddie was the shortstop and pitcher.  He was a right good pitcher but he had a teammate by the name of Jimmy Hunter on his team so nobody noticed how good he was as a pitcher in high school.  He pitched plenty in Legion but boy could he play shortstop.

Both the Combs brothers sign with N C State and Freddie is going to be a defensive back on the football team and play baseball and Francis is going to play baseball.  Once I heard my two hero's were going to State right then and there I became a Wolfpack fan.  I had liked them all  Carolina, Duke, ECU, Wake until  the spring of 1964.

Freddie became an All American defensive back for the Pack and appeared on the Bob Hope show  when they announced the team nationwide.  He also led the nation in punt returns.  His senior baseball season he played the outfield in 1968 when the Wolfpack went to the College World Series for the first time.

Over the years about the only time I would see Freddie or Francis was at State football, basketball or baseball games.  The spring of 2013 I wrote a story about the Ahoskie Legion team championship season of 1963 and since 2013 was the 50th anniversary of that team I interviewed all those on the team for the article.  We spent a good hour talking about life back then.

Today I am tickled pink  to know that this past week Freddie Combs was announced to be one of the 2015 inductees  into the North Carolina Sports Hall Of Fame.  I almost feel like I'm going in the Hall of Fame to know one of my hero's has made it.

The Zany Continues

You thought Hunt had complete control of Big East Boys basketball right.  The team with the worse record  overall Northern Nash has gone to Wilson County and come away with a 59-55 win.  What has that done to the league. Hunt still sits atop of the league  but there is a four way tied in the middle.  Northern Nash, Nash Central, Southern Nash and Fike are all 3-3 while Rocky Mount sits in last at 2-4.

Darius Spragley lead Northern with 22 points while Tuesday's hero Adam Renner's added 18.  That is two thirds of  Northern' s scoring came from those two. Northern 3-3 6-11 Hunt falls 4-2 12-7.

It went down to the wire  but Rocky Mount comes up short and Nash Central holds their home court in knocking of Rocky Mount 54-50.  The Gryphons lose their third straight dropping to 2-4 9-6 while Nash Central  jumps to 3-3  11-6

Just when it looks like one team has figured out  how to be one of the best in the league they hit a bump in the road  and all of a sudden they fall back to rest of the pack.  Tonight Fike has knocked Southern Nash for a loop with a 73-70 win in Bailey.  This league is nuts.

Home teams can't hold down their their own home court.  Visiting teams play better at somebody else's court. Southern drops to 3-3 11-8 while Fike's ups their record to 3-3 12-5.

How far do you have to go back to to find  where Rocky Mount lost three straight games?  Hunt's lost put Rocky Mount still at two games out of first and still a shot to take the regular season title.  Any team that wins three of the last four games can take first.  Rocky Mount even not out of the running would have to win all four games they have left and hope for help.  The way this season is unfolding it is not beyond the possibility that 6-4 could tie for first.

This basketball season has been full of intrigue with so many teams tied going into tonight's action and the mystery continues as the Rocky Mount Girls who on certain nights can't dribble or shoot but when it comes to playing Nash Central they play like world beaters.  Tonight the Lady Gryphons on the home court of the Lady Bulldogs  get their conference record back to 500 as they down Nash central 63-45.  Now 3-3  8-7 the Lady Gryphons hold any tie breaker with Nash Central that might be in the future.  Nash Central 2-4  11-9 has half there conference losses administered by Rocky Mount.

Records Are Deceiving

Five of the six Big East basketball teams have winning records that exceed a 60 percent winning ratio.  That a nice percentage of 83 per cent of the league.  That's their overall records but when you start to analyze the conference teams this year the  league is full of  so so average teams.  Four have lost more than they have won 2-3.  Only two of the six made it through the first round of games able to win more than they lost.

Hunt 12-6  4-1 right now is heading down the backstretch with the lead.  They look like a lead horse.  They have a fairly big front line and guards to handle any pressure any up and comer can throw at them.  Look back a month ago I predicted Hunt to win the regular season despite at that time being only 6-4.  They played a tough schedule.  It is hard to penalize any team about their schedule when yearly they play people near them and there is always this factor other teams wanting to play you. There are years that your schedule is not good because the teams on it are having a bad year.  Hunt's case is  they got caught playing several really good non conference games early.

I saw in the Telegram after Southern Nash 11-7  3-2 beat Nash Central that Robbie Kennedy stated that a lineup change had made a really big difference for his team in a positive way.  Whether we think about this but teams change lineups more than you think.  Injuries leads the way and why one player sits while another plays.  Kennedy made his move and what the move has done for his team is it has made every part fit.  I look a lot better in clothes that fit over ones I wear when the button is about to pop off because I have out grown it.   Southern is a talented bunch and they can be a force when they play as one.

There is no doubt this is a transition year for Rocky Mount 9-5  2-3.  No longer the big bad wolf in size compared to everyone else they have gotten really good guard play  and when you look at past years with the play they have now why is it they  have led just the last week late in the game against Southern and Northern an yet lost.  It is not necessarily guard play but foul shooting, poor choices when to shoot and when not to. 

Nash Central 10-6 2-3 is just like everyone else  in that 2-3 tight battle for third-fourth-fifth- sixth.  We already know who ever finishes last in the league will be no worse that 2-8.  The way we stand at the midway point I can't see any  not at least finish 3-7.  During my preseason picks I picked the Bulldogs for last.  Right now they are right on schedule so if they are on schedule about half of this league is way behind in their schedule.  Central has played better during the first round of conferences games than I saw at the Christmas tournament.  If they improve as much the second go round as the first they will contend for a playoff spot.

Fike 11-5  2-3 I thought during their nonconference campaign had the easiest schedule of every conference member.  They have been up and down getting crushed by Rocky Mount at home and then beating Southern at Southern.  They have been a yo yo so far.  They are like so many teams in this league if they get hot they could still be the best team in the league.

Northern Nash 5-11 2-3.  Had about as tough a luck as you can have during many games in December.  Lack a big man like so many others that keeps them from being a real contender.  They knocked off Hunt and Rocky Mount at home so their next step is beating somebody on the road. If that starts happening more than once their overall record will start to improve and with it their conference standing.

Action tonight finds Northern traveling to Hunt a team they have already bit once.  Rocky Mount is at Nash Central and Southern is at Fike.  Let's wait till midnight to find out how many ties we have now.

Finally, who will win the Super Bowl.  I'm pulling for the Seahawks but with Sherman and Thomas hurting in the secondary for the Hawks I find it hard for Seattle to slow down the Pats.  If they were healthy I think it would be the Hawks all the way.  NE 27 Seattle 20