Rocky Mount High boys hold off Southern Nash; Gryphons girls secure big win

Southern Nash’s Kendric Bell, left, and Rocky Mount High’s Damian Moore reach for the ball at Rocky Mount High on Friday.
©TELEGRAM PHOTO / SARAH LOUYA

Rocky Mount High’s Joseph Blue, left, tries to block Southern Nash’s Darius Edmundson’s shot at Rocky Mount High on Friday.
©TELEGRAM PHOTO / SARAH LOUYA

Rocky Mount High basketball coach Michael Gainey has a few ideas about where to play Joseph Blue. The thing is, the sophomore continues to break away from traditional thinking. His shooting should draw him further from the basket, but the way he maneuvers around the basket has him playing in the paint.

“I really want to play him at the 3,” Gainey said of playing Blue at the small forward position. “He has a great shot, but he is so tough near the basket that it’s hard to guard him down there. He creates a matchup problem every time.”

For now, Blue has locked down the power foward position, and that’s just fine for the Gryphons as they rode the hot-shooting Blue to a 63-59 win over visiting Southern Nash in a 3-A Big East Conference game on Friday.

Blue scored in every quarter, but did most of his damage in the second and fourth to finish with a game-high 26 points, six rebounds, three blocks and three steals. He is just shy of averaging a double-double this season with points and rebounds, and has scored at least 20 points in each of the Gryphons’ five wins.

“I really like the way he plays,” teammate Isaiah Morris said. “And he’s just a sophomore. He can play when we slow it down, and he can score when we run.”

Morris, RMH’s senior point guard, added 12 points and provided the fast style of play that challenged Southern Nash in transition. The firebirds handled the pace well, and proved they could run the floor, too, especially in the second half.

The Firebirds (5-12, 0-3) trailed 30-27 at halftime, but grabbed a slim lead heading into the fourth quarter with a flurry of points in the final minute, including a couple important shots from junior guard Tyler Wilson. Wilson, who led Southern Nash with 15 points, found his range and made a pair of contested 3-pointers to put the Firebirds up 44-43.

Wilson made four 3s in the game, and said his efficiency from behind the arc helped boost his confidence after a stretch of games where his shots weren’t falling.

“It felt good to hit those because it reminds me that my shot is still there,” Wilson said. “It also lets my teammates know that I have their back when they pass me the ball.”

Southern Nash used that spark at the end of the third quarter to hold onto the lead until midway through the fourth, but it couldn’t pull away from the Gryphons, who took advantage of the Firebirds’ fouling troubles. Southern Nash picked up its seventh foul with 30.3 seconds remaining in the third quarter to put RMH in the bonus for the rest of the game.

That opened up the lane for the Gryphons, and they attacked often which resulted in 18 free-throw attempts in the fourth quarter. RMH struggled to take advantage, making 10 of the 18 attempts, but made just enough to keep the game out of reach. And after a 3-for-6 start from the line, Blue was put away any chance of a Firebirds comeback by sinking the final four of his foul shots.

Girls

Rocky Mount High 54

Southern Nash 9

Shelby Meeks added a new wrinkle to her game, and dazzled from behind the 3-point arc and in the lane to lead Rocky Mount High to a commanding win over Southern Nash in a 3-A Big East Conference game Friday.

Meeks scored a season-high 22 points with the help of five 3-pointers. That part of her game is something the Gryphons (10-2, 3-0) expect out of the senior guard. But the way she was able to slash to the basket proved to be too much for the overmatched Firebirds. Meeks connected on two driving layups in the second quarter after draining three 3s. She also went to the foul line four times.

“Shooting has always been the best part of my game,” Meeks said. “Being at the gym with my dad all the time, he’ll rebound my shots for hours. Just recently, though, I started picking my spots to drive and I’ve seen good results.”

Her teammates have benifitted from Meeks’ dual-threat style of play, as the inside-outside game had the Gryphons humming along. Strong post prescence Keyanna Spivey added 10 points and Tristan Moore added six points on two 3s.

Southern Nash (3-11, 0-3) struggled to score against RMH’s zone and man defenses which it would deploy at various points throughout the game. The Firebirds were held scoreless in the third quarter, after trailing 32-5 at halftime. Jessy Lucas was the top scorer for the Firebirds with three points, while three other players added two points apiece.

By PATRICK MASON
Sports Writer for Rocky Mount Telegram

Saturday, January 21, 2017