Spragley, Knights ease past Gryphons for title game chance

Telegram photo / Adam Jennings
Northern Nash guard Darius Spragley, right, drives to the basket as Rocky Mount High forward Artavious Richardson defends Wednesday during the Nash County Christmas Tournament at Southern Nash High School

Telegram photo / Adam Jennings / Sports Writer
Rocky Mount High center Derrick Kipp, left, drives to the basket as Northern Nash center Zachary Langley defends Wednesday during the Nash County Christmas Tournament first round game at Southern Nash High School.

BAILEY – When Northern Nash entered the Nash County Christmas Tournament last season, it was in major need of some confidence.

The Knights were 1-6 and struggling to stay competitive with teams for all four quarters. That wasn’t an issue this season and the Knights kept the train rolling Wednesday night.

Northern Nash absorbed Rocky Mount High’s defensive pressure in the first half and pulled away in the second to cruise to a 76-58 victory.

“We had a good offseason workout,” coach Henry Drake said. “I had a lot of kids who came in and worked hard in the offseason … and that has made a big difference.”

The Knights’ success began on defense where the trapping 1-2-2 zone proved difficult for the Gryphons. A few easy steals at the top of the zone turned into transition baskets.

But it wasn’t until Northern Nash (9-2) played its full-court man-to-man defense that the pressure became too much for Rocky Mount High. The Gryphons (0-8) had trouble moving the ball past halfcourt, and when they did, the Knights did not give up easy looks at the rim.

Before long, an eight-point halftime advantage had grown to as many as 20 and the Gryphons failed to find any offensive solutions.

“We turned the defense up,” Drake said. “We got after them a little bit. We pushed the tempo up and got some easy baskets with fast breaks.”

The Knights had their most success when they were able to push the pace in transition and force the Gryphons into fouls while they attempted to hustle back.

Northern Nash converted on two three-point plays, and Darius Spragley had a four-point play in the third quarter, which helped jump-start the offense.

Spragley finished with 15 points, but it was his patience without the ball that impressed his coach.

“Darius is learning that he can be just as effective without putting the ball in the hoop,” Drake said. “(On Wednesday), he handled the second part of his job very well. He was more of a leader (Wednesday) than anything.”

Rocky Mount High coach Mike Gainey said his gameplan was designed to limit Spragley and force the other players on the floor to score.

It worked to some extent, but Spragley didn’t seem to mind being a distributor.

Undray Cherry became Spragley’s favorite target, and the sophomore hurt the Gryphons.

Cherry scored a game-high 19 points with strong cuts to the rim that Rocky Mount High struggled to contain.

“I just did my thing, kept on shooting the ball, and they fell,” Cherry said.

The Gryphons stayed competitive through the first half, but a string of missed layups and free throws prevented them from asserting control in the early going.

Rocky Mount High played intense defense and prevented Northern Nash from truly running its sets in the halfcourt, but the Gryphons did not capitalize on their chance.

“When you can’t make layups and you can’t make free throws, it’s kind of hard to win the ballgame,” Gainey said with a chuckle.

But Gainey was pleased with his team’s defense, praising them for sticking to the gameplan. However, the offense has not found its dominant scorer – although it looked as though the Gryphons’ strength is in the interior.

Forward Latrell Daniels led the charge for Rocky Mount High with 14 points, and the other two starting forwards – Kyle Barnhill and Spencer Ramsey – also finished in double figures.

Gainey said the offense still needs time to mature, but added it is important for him to keep finding positives to stress to his team instead of continuously harping on the negatives.

“Offensively we need to find someone who can score,” Gainey said. “We’re a young team, we’re rebuilding, and we just need to get all the right chemistry together.

“You got to find something positive that they’re doing well and build on that. It’s tough for them. They already know they’re having a tough time scoring … we just have to keep uplifting them someway, somehow to get them going.”

BOYS’ BASKETBALL Northern Nash 76 Rocky Mount High 58 NN 17 9 28 22 – 76 RMH 10 8 18 22 – 58 NN: Undray Cherry 19, Darius Spragley 15, Corey Foster 10, Raquan Harris 8, Damian Moore 8, Isaiah *** 4, Demonte Williams 4, Raymond Bullock 3, Zach Langley 3, Devonte Wiggins 2; RMH: Latrell Daniels 14, Spencer Ramsey 11, Kyle Barnhill 10, Artavious Richardson 5, Joshua Pittman 4, Kevon Whitehead 4, Isaiah Morris 2, Emmanuel Spruill 2, Derrick Kip 2, Jamar Ellis 2, McKenzie Wright 2;

By Josh walfish

Sports Writer for Rocky Mount Telegram

Wednesday, December 16, 2015