Gryphons beat Knights

Telegram photo / Adam Jennings
Rocky Mount High guard Michelle Gainey, 11, and Northern Nash guard Amanda Richardson fight for a loose ball Tuesday during the Nash County Christmas Tournament first round game at Southern Nash High School.

Telegram photo / Adam Jennings / Sports Writer
Northern Nash center Ceyanna Harrison, right, reaches for a loose ball with Rocky Mount High forward Ashley Hatfield on Tuesday during the Nash County Christmas Tournament first round game at Southern Nash High School.

BAILEY – Pam Gainey exited the locker room after her postgame talk, shook her head twice and muttered, “that’s all I can say.”

It wasn’t the pretty basketball game she wished for, but she wasn’t going to complain about a victory over the defending Big East champions.

Rocky Mount High and Northern Nash played a physical basketball game from start to finish Tuesday, and it was the Gryphons who made the necessary plays to win. The 35-24 win might have left Gainey at a loss for words, but it propelled her team to Thursday’s final of the Nash County Christmas Tournament.

“I guess at this point, we’ll take it however we can get it,” Gainey said.

Rocky Mount High (6-2) did not shoot particularly well in the first half, but it was not afraid to attack the rim with forward Keyanna Spivey. The senior had 10 points in the first half, a layup toward the end of the half and eight free throws, a product of her going up strong near the basket.

Those fouls put the Knights’ forwards into foul trouble early and gave Rocky Mount High the ability to put a few points on the board without time ticking off the clock. The Gryphons made 11 of their 16 free throws in the first half compared to just two field goals – Spivey’s layup and a Michelle Gainey 3-pointer.

“The main emphasis right now is to be structurally correct offensively and defensively,” Gainey said, “and for the most part we were. Offensively, we have a lot of work to do.”

Things began to turn in the third quarter when Rocky Mount High’s shots began to fall. Shelby Meeks hit two 3-pointers from the right corner to push the Gryphons advantage to 10 after halftime. Mya Pittman connected on a third 3-pointer in the second half to stop a Northern Nash run and seal the deal for the Gryphons.

“We were getting looks that we wanted, but we were not knocking shots down,” Gainey said. “We were really desperate for those at that point.”

Northern Nash (9-2) did not fare much better on offense, struggling to convert some open layup opportunities. Those misses proved to be costly because the Gryphons swiped the rebounds and started to head the other way.

The Knights’ defense forced the Gryphons into several sticky situations, but it was unable to prevent Spivey from finding a way to receive the ball near the basket and force her way to the free throw line. Spivey finished with a game-high 16 points and made 14 of 20 foul shots.

GIRLS
Rocky Mount High 35
Northern Nash 24
RMH 8 8 9 10 – 35
NN 5 8 6 5 – 24
RMH: Keyanna Spivey 16, Shelby Meeks 8, Michelle Gainey 6, Mya Pittman 3, Natalya Cannie 2;
NN: Shamiya Mercer 8, Jahlia Williams 4, Ashlee Brackett 4, CeCe Harrison 4, Keyonte Cherry 2, Amanda Richardson 2;

By Josh walfish

Sports Writer for Rocky Mount Telegram

Wednesday, December 16, 2015