Rocky Mount High School | Archive | February, 2016

Telegram photo / Adam Jennings / Sports Writer
Rocky Mount guard Kyle Barnhill drives to the basket against Northern Nash on Thursday during the Big East Conference tournament semifinal game at Wilson Fike High School.

Telegram photo / Adam Jennings / Sports Writer
Northern Nash forward Devontae Wiggins, right, attempts a last-second shot as Rocky Mount High forward Sherrod Greene, left, reaches to defend Thursday during the Big East Conference tournament semifinal game at Wilson Fike High School.

WILSON – Rocky Mount High spent a generous portion of its season getting little to no contribution from its guards on offense.

The Gryphons’ interior players could only do so much to make up for their deficiencies on the perimeter.

That issue, by all indications, appears to be a thing of the past.

Gryphons guards Emmanuel Spruill and Kyle Barnhill carried Rocky Mount High to a 55-53 nail-biting win over Northern Nash on Thursday night at Wilson Fike in the semifinals of the Big East conference tournament.

Rocky Mount High (7-14 overall) never trailed on Thursday, and the game was tied only once – at 2-2 in the opening minutes – but Northern Nash (12-11) made them work until the final buzzer.

Spruill, who made just three of 12 attempts from behind the arc in Rocky Mount High’s win at Northern Nash in the regular season finale on Feb. 13, got back on track from deep, scoring his game-high 15 on five 3s.

Barnhill carried the Gryphons in the third quarter with eight of his 13 points, all on short- and mid-range jumpers.

Demonte Williams led Northern Nash with 14 (10 in the third quarter).

“Coach (Mike Gainey), he’s been on me and Spruill to look for our shots more and take what they give us,” Barnhill said.

“I really have been wanting them to look to score more often,” Gainey added. “Kyle finally got going a little bit (Thursday). That little 10-to-15-footer, that’s his shot and one he’s worked really hard to develop.”

Northern Nash’s long, athletic forwards – Undray Cherry, Raymond Bullock and Isaiah ***, namely – made life difficult for Gryphons forwards Artavious Richardson, Latrell Daniels and Sherrod Greene in the paint.

The Knights’ defenders were able to block shots around the rim in Rocky Mount High’s halfcourt sets, though the Gryphons kept looking to work the ball inside.

Richardson was held to four points, all inside the final 40 seconds on four clutch free throws.

“The play that I was able to score on mostly was called ‘Gryphon,’ which is supposed to get guys shots on the inside,” Barnhill said, describing a half-court set where he catches the ball going toward the rim while coming off a screen near the elbow or free throw line. “But they had (Artavious) and Latrell covered up, so I had to make shots.”

After Spruill had pushed Rocky Mount High to a 26-19 halftime lead on the strength of his four 3s, it was Barnhill who helped hold off the Knights for another eight minutes.

Williams pulled the Knights within six with a 3 at the 5:47 mark of the third, but Barnhill was on hand to answer with a short jumper. Just over 40 seconds later, Williams got Northern Nash within five at 36-31 with a 3 from the wing, but Barnhill scored near the rim.

Isaiah *** countered at the other end with a layup seconds later, but Barnhill scored on the Gryphons’ next possession to prevent Northern Nash from putting together any sort of prolonged run.

“He gave us some big points at a time when we needed them to come from somewhere,” Gainey said. “I think Kyle sensed that someone had to take ownership.”

Spruill pushed the Gryphons to a 47-39 lead with 4:25 remaining in the fourth quarter, but Williams began Northern Nash’s late charge with a 3 from the corner 14 seconds later.

Cherry then converted a 3-point play with 3:32 to go after Barnhill missed the front end of a one-and-one. Barnhill answered Cherry’s and-one by knocking down one of two free throws, but Bullock pulled the Knights to within one at 48-47 with three minutes left.

The Knights had several chances to take their first lead of the evening over the next minute-plus.

The Gryphons turned over the ball with 2:50 left, but Cherry missed a runner; Greene committed an offensive foul at the 2:14 mark, but Northern Nash’s next possession came up empty.

Bullock again had the Knights trailing by one with two free throws, and Gryphons point guard Michael Vick drew Gainey’s ire by giving the ball back to Northern Nash on a charging foul with 1:28 remaining.

“We were ahead the whole way, but when it started to get crazy at the end, we rushed and it looked like we were playing from behind,” Gainey said. “(Vick), how about that kid, though? He had a great night for us.”

Northern Nash had two chances to take the lead or tie in the final 30 seconds, but Williams and Damian Moore eached missed 3s, allowing second-seeded Rocky Mount High to advance to tonight’s championship game.

By FOSTER LANDER

Sports Writer for Rocky Mount Telegram

Thursday, February 18, 2016

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Before Tuesday night’s game – Senior Night at Rocky Mount High – Gryphons senior guard Emmanuel Spruill told his father he would turn to the bleachers and point at him after every made shot.

Spruill drained his first 3-pointer at the first-quarter buzzer, with the help of bounces off the backboard and rim.

Point to the bleachers.

He swished his second triple early in the second quarter, moments after Rocky Mount High coach Mike Gainey had yelled at him to shoot the ball.

Turn to the stands, point with index finger.

Spruill would repeat that same routine often in his 27-point outburst (seven 3-pointers) in Rocky Mount High’s 62-54 comeback victory over Southern Nash on Tuesday night.

“I’ve been on that kid about shooting the ball more, and he really shot it (Tuesday),” Gainey said. “We got some aggressive baskets down low, but we needed some scoring from other places.”

The Gryphons (4-14 overall, 4-4 Big East) outscored Southern Nash, 25-9, in the fourth quarter.

Southern Nash (12-8, 5-4) led by eight after three quarters, but Rocky Mount High went on a 10-0 run in the first 1:39 of the fourth quarter to take an improbable lead.

Spruill started the run with a 3-pointer from near the volleyball line painted on the Gryphons’ court, past NBA range. Sherrod Greene followed with a floater, then a steal off Rocky Mount High’s press, which he converted (after an offensive rebound) into another layup.

Spruill then hit another 3 from the wing, in front of a raucous contingent of Rocky Mount High students, for a 47-45 lead, forcing a Firebirds timeout.

“That shot from the volleyball line, that’s when I knew it was probably just my night,” Spruill said. “For me, I just have to make a few to get that confidence, and then I feel like I can go for 30 or 40.”

Rocky Mount High’s pressure defense forced three critical Southern Nash turnovers during that spurt, and the Firebirds’ inability to keep Greene and Artavious Richardson off the offensive glass prevented them from building on what felt, after three quarters, like a relatively safe lead.

“I just felt like we weren’t really ready to play tonight,” Southern Nash coach Robbie Kennedy said. “I don’t know if it was because we had beaten them twice already this year, or what. But I thought if we could get a few baskets there at the start of the (fourth), we could put it away.”

Instead, the Firebirds found themselves in a dogfight. Tyler Wilson’s 3 from the wing with just under three minutes remaining gave the Firebirds a 50-49 lead, but Spruill answered with a runner and a 3-pointer from the top of the key. Greene followed with a steal and layup, before two free throws from Isaiah Morris put the Gryphons up, 58-52, with 1:06 left.

Southern Nash had an opportunity to close within two inside the final 40 seconds, but Wilson missed an open layup, and Rocky Mount High hit four of six free throws down the stretch to close out the Firebirds.

Kennedy was disappointed after Tuesday’s game, knowing that a win would’ve moved the Firebirds to 6-3 in conference play with Nash Central – which fell to 6-3 with an overtime loss at Wilson Hunt on Tuesday – coming to Bailey on Friday night, an outright Big East title on the line.

Rocky Mount High, after an 0-3 start, is right in the thick of the playoffs race with trips to Wilson Fike and Northern Nash left on the schedule.

GIRLS

RM HIGH 44

SOUTHERN NASH 12Rocky Mount High took care of business on Tuesday night, holding Southern Nash to three first-half points and pulling away in the third quarter for a 44-12 win.

Keyanna Spivey led Rocky Mount High (11-7 overall, 4-4 Big East) with 10 points. Michelle Gainey added eight and Mya Pittman added seven.

Caitlin Batchelor paced the Ladybirds (0-20, 0-9) with five points.

The Gryphons still have it all to play for this week. Pam Gainey’s team travels to third-place Wilson Fike (5-3 Big East) today for a huge contest, then goes to Northern Nash (6-2) on Friday. Rocky Mount High played Fike and Dajah Horne (41 points) tough last Friday in a 72-64 loss.

BOYS
Rocky Mount High 62
Southern Nash 54
SN 15 15 15 9 – 54
RMH 13 14 10 25 – 62
SN: Tyler Wilson 13; Damien Bryant 11; Marquise Wright 9; Chris Lucas 7; Luke Bailey 6; Matt Hampton 4; Dae’one Wilkins 3; Darius Edmondson 1
RMH: Emmanuel Spruill 27; Artavious Richardson 9; Sherrod Greene 8; Isaiah Morris 6; Kyle Barnhill 5; Latrell Daniels 4; Rodney Alston 3.

GIRLS
Rocky Mount High 44
Southern Nash 12
SN 1 2 7 2 – 12
RMH 8 9 20 7 – 44
SN: Caitlin Batchelor 5; Jessy Lucas 4; Aaliyah Newkirk 2; Dasia Allen 1.
RMH: Keyanna Spivey 10; Michelle Gainey 8; Mya Pittman 7; Ashley Hatfield 6; Shelby Meeks 5; Jarneese Carey 2.

By FOSTER LANDER

Sports Writer for Rocky Mount Telegram

Tuesday, February 9, 2016

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Wilson Smith checked off another milestone as he searches for his second straight state title.

The Rocky Mount High junior easily dispatched of his rivals over the weekend at the 3-A East Regional, pinning his first three opponents in the first period and then dominating Wilson Fike’s Rae’Sae Settles to claim the regional crown at 126 pounds. It was Smith’s third straight regional title.

The Gryphons finished in fourth place as a team, but only qualified three other wrestlers for the state tournament next week in Greensboro. Alex Henderson made the finals at 160 pounds, but suffered his first defeat of the season, dropping a 16-6 major decision to Tanner Stamper-Smith of Havelock. Sedrak Sheppard finished in third place at 170 pounds and Rahsun Lawrence finished fourth in the 106-pound bracket.

The Nash County schools as a whole had a tough time punching tickets to the state tournament with seven wrestlers dropping win-and-you’re-in consolation matches including three who made the championship semifinals. The only non-Rocky Mount High wrestler to qualify for Greensboro from 3-A was Southern Nash’s Kendrick Watson, who finished third at heavyweight.

In the 1-A East regional, Tarboro’s Quadarrius Hopkins was denied a second-consecutive 145-pound title when he injured his opponent, Princeton’s Michael Daughtry, with an illegal slam in the second overtime period. Coach Andrew Harding said the junior was “emotional” after the defeat, but ultimately hopes it will light a fire within Hopkins to improve on last year’s fourth-place finish.

“It was a very tough match as it always has been between him and Daughtry,” Harding said. “He made the fatal error, but he’s still able to go to the state championships, so we need to look ahead.”

Hopkins’ younger brother Raquavius was the only other Vikings’ grappler to qualify, coming back from a first-round loss to finish third at 113 pounds. The sophomore started off slowly in his opening match against North Moore’s Travis English, but nearly pinned him before time expired, ultimately losing 10-8. It started a long day in the consolation brackets that Hopkins finished with a pin in the third-place match.

The Hopkins brothers will be joined in practice this week by a special guest — 2014 All-Area wrestler of the year, David Guevara. The 2014 state champion is home for the week from the Marines and is coming to help prepare the brothers for the rigors of the state tournament. Harding said he hopes Guevara will help toughen up his wrestlers by “beating them up a bit,” but he will also be a good resource for two brothers hungry for a state title of their own.

“He’s been there, he himself has come up short a few times, it will be good to have him around,” Harding said. “Quadarrius looks up to David because he has accomplished what Quadarrius wants to accomplish.”

Tarboro also had three wrestlers fall a win shy of a berth in Greensboro, a result that was not completely unexpected.

Harding said he was excited about the progress of all of his other wrestlers, pointing out the tremendous improvement junior Anthony Costanza and sophomore Michael Ellis made this season.

By Josh walfish

Sports Writer for Rocky Mount Telegram

Sunday, February 14, 2016

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Telegram photo / Adam Jennings / Sports Writer
Rocky Mount High guard Michelle Gainey, front, drives to the basket against Nash Central guard Michaela Nelms on Wednesday during the Big East Conference tournament second-round game at Wilson Fike High School.

Telegram photo / Adam Jennings / Sports Writer
Rocky Mount High forward Natalya Cannie, center, drives to the basket against Nash Central on Wednesday during the Big East Conference tournament second-round game at Wilson Fike High School.

WILSON – Nash Central’s deficit kept growing. And growing. And growing.

Bulldogs coach Terri Cash took her first timeout of Wednesday’s Big East tournament semifinal with just 1:49 gone and Rocky Mount High leading, 8-0.

The Gryphons’ lead ballooned further.

Natalya Cannie scored on a layup. Shelby Meeks knocked down a corner 3. Michelle Gainey hit one free throw. Keyanna Spivey scored in transition, and Meeks drained a 3 from the wing.

By the time Michaela Nelms scored Nash Central’s first points with 2:35 left in the first period, Rocky Mount High had built a 19-0 lead.

Nash Central fought back to draw within five in the fourth quarter, but the Gryphons’ fast start proved too much to overcome for the Bulldogs in Rocky Mount High’s 66-54 win at Wilson Fike’s gym.

“Coming in, we knew we had to do everything right,” Spivey said. “We couldn’t have our usual missteps. We had to come out and jump on them.”

The Gryphons advanced to Friday’s Big East conference tournament championship game against Northern Nash.

Spivey led all scorers with 28 points, and her ability to score quickly and finish in traffic against Nash Central’s full-court pressure rendered the Bulldogs’ defense largely ineffective.

Natalya Cannie scored 13, and Shelby Meeks added 12 for the Gryphons, all in the first quarter on four 3-pointers.

Michaela Nelms led four Nash Central players in double figures with 13, though she and Robbi Allen left the game late with calf cramps. Nelms had a brief scare, as she held the same knee in which she tore her ACL last season for several possessions before crumbling to the floor in pain with less than two minutes remaining.

“You always hope to get out to a start like that,” Gryphons coach Pam Gainey said. “… I thought we played hard and played together from the beginning (Wednesday), and that was the result.”

The Gryphons roaring to a big lead against Nash Central was, after all, nothing new this season. Rocky Mount High led, 14-0, after one quarter and by 29 at halftime in a Nash County Christmas Tournament game on Dec. 17. Gainey’s team won that game, 53-31.

To its credit, Nash Central slowly but surely grew into Wednesday’s game.

After Meeks’ 3 for a 19-0 advantage, the Bulldogs responded with a 16-5 run to force Gainey to take a timeout with 6:25 left in the second quarter. Rocky Mount High led by 12 at the break, though the Bulldogs had to feel fortunate to be that close.

“We just didn’t execute our game plan on both ends of the floor,” Cash said. “I can live with those four 3s (from Meeks) because they didn’t hurt us with that the rest of the game. But (Spivey) had it too easy inside, and we fell in love with the 3 on offense.”

Nash Central (20-4 overall) opened the third quarter on a 6-0 run to close within six – the closest it had been since Rocky Mount High (13-8) led, 6-0, and Gainey took a full timeout at the 4:06 mark.

Spivey emerged from the timeout and gathered Michelle Gainey, Jarneese Carey, Cannie and Meeks, and offered advice just as it seemed as the Gryphons’ big lead was going to waste.

“I just told them we had to remember what had helped us play so well in the first half, and that was defense,” Spivey said. “If we did that, we were going to be fine, because we knew we could get stops.”

Nash Central pulled to within four at 43-39 with 1:57 remaining in the third on Myia Spivey’s 3 from the corner, but Spivey and Cannie ended the period with two layups in transition to give the Gryphons a bit of breathing room.

“Keyanna and Natalya, they were huge for us,” Gainey said. “We didn’t really need to look elsewhere because they were so effective in the paint.”

When Nelms again pulled Nash Central within five in the fourth quarter at 55-50, it was Cannie and Spivey who answered.

Cannie dropped in a layup off an assist from Spivey, and Spivey converted a 3-point play with 1:57 to go for a 60-50 lead and, for all intents and purposes, a berth in the championship game.

“I really commend our girls for coming out the way they did and playing the game we wanted to play,” Gainey said. “We dictated early on both ends, but now the challenge is playing all four quarters.”

Fourth-seeded Rocky Mount High was in good shape for an at-large state tournament bid in 3-A prior to Wednesday, and the victory over Nash Central will only solidify its position. Nash Central, the regular season conference champions after a 9-1 finish in Big East play, will have to wait to see their first-round state playoffs opponent.

By FOSTER LANDER

Sports Writer for Rocky Mount Telegram

Wednesday, February 17, 2016

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Rocky Mount High missed free throws and layups and got little production from behind the 3-point line.

The Gryphons turned over the ball and enjoyed little in the way of an offensive rhythm all night.

At times, Rocky Mount High’s game Tuesday night against Wilson Hunt felt like a football game – physical and foul-filled. And, fittingly for a school coming off a 3-A football state championship in December, Rocky Mount High got the better of Tuesday’s matchup, a 44-37 Gryphons victory over visiting Hunt.

Artavious Richardson and Sherrod Greene – two crucial members of the Gryphons’ football title-winning squad – led Rocky Mount High with eight points apiece.

“That was one of those games where we had to tough it out,” Gryphons coach Mike Gainey said. “Couldn’t make a free throw, but we played really hard and played good, hard defense all night, and that’s what we have to do.”

Rocky Mount High (3-13 overall, 3-3 Big East) made just 2 of its 14 free throw attempts in the fourth quarter, but Hunt (8-12, 3-4) didn’t fare much better: the Warriors shot 3-of-14 from the charity stripe in the second half.

“I could tell in our warmup at halftime (of the girls’ game) that we were lackadaisical,” Gainey said. “Sometimes you win two games and think you’ve made it, when you haven’t at all. We weren’t always focused (Tuesday).”

Hunt started Tuesday’s game on an 11-2 run, but the Gryphons answered with a 10-0 run, capped by a corner three from sophomore Rodney Alston, to climb right back in it early.

Kyle Barnhill drained a tough, hanging layup to end the first half and give Rocky Mount High a 23-19 lead at the break.

Barnhill was tasked with face-guarding Hunt guard Shemar Hudson and denying the Warriors’ lithe point guard the ball all night. Gainey said Hudson burned the Gryphons in the first half of the teams’ previous meeting, a 68-56 Warriors win, but once Rocky Mount High shifted its defensive strategy in that game, the score evened out.

Hudson managed just two points on Tuesday, even as Barnhill got in foul trouble and other Gryphons – Spencer Ramsey, notably – rotated to shadow him all over the floor.

“Those guys did a great job of not letting him get it and keeping him out of the paint,” Richardson said. “(Hunt) really didn’t have anybody else to hurt us.”

Richardson made a living on the offensive glass, and Gainey said the Gryphons’ toughness on the boards – despite Hunt’s length – helped compensate for their shooting woes.

GIRLS 

RM HIGH 74 

WILSON HUNT 42Keyanna Spivey was the biggest player on the floor Tuesday night, and she played like it.

Rocky Mount High’s junior forward scored 35 points, on a variety of layups, putbacks, and mid-range jumpers, and complemented her performance from the field by going 13-of-15 from the free-throw line to help the Gryphons romp past Wilson Hunt, 74-42.

Shelby Meeks added nine and Michelle Gainey scored eight for Rocky Mount High (10-6 overall, 3-3 Big East).

The Gryphons, who had shot the ball well from 3-point range in recent games, struggled from deep as Hunt (3-16, 1-6) closed down the shooting windows of Gainey, Meeks and Mya Pittman. That left plenty of room for Spivey to work inside against an undersized Warriors team, and she took full advantage.

Rocky Mount High led, 23-8, after one quarter, but Hunt closed the first half on a 14-2 run to pull within 10.

Nikita Pitt banked in a 3-pointer for Hunt to draw within seven early in the third quarter, but the Gryphons pulled away for good with a 15-1 run later in the period.

BOYS
Rocky Mount High 44
Wilson Hunt 37
WH         14    5    5    12    –    37
RMH        14    9    9    12    –    44
WH: Dejuan Hill 16; Michael Ellis 5; Rashad Shipman 4; KJ Jones 3; Shemar Hudson 2.
RMH: Artavious Richardson 8; Sherrod Greene 8; Kyle Barnhill 6; Rodney Alston 6; Isaiah Morris 5; Spencer Ramsey 4; Juwan Jones 1.

GIRLS
Rocky Mount High 74
Wilson Hunt 42
WH            8    16    6    12    –    42
RMH         23    11    19    21    –    74
WH: Shawnteya McNair 9; Kayla Kent 8; Destinee Pierce 7; Nikita Pitt 6; Eboni Abdus-Samad 6; Tatiana Smith 6.
RMH: Keyanna Spivey 35; Shelby Meeks 9; Michelle Gainey 8; Ashley Hatfield 5; Mya Pittman 5; Jarneese Carey 4; Teyanna Dessure 2; Raiche Deloach 2; Natalya Cannie 2; Zi’Asia Hines 2.

By FOSTER LANDER

Sports Writer for Rocky Mount Telegram

Tuesday, February 2, 2016

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Telegram photo / Adam Jennings
Virginia guard J’Kyra Brown makes a no-look pass against N.C. State on Wednesday during the game at Broughton High School in Raleigh, N.C.

Telegram photo / Adam Jennings / Sports Writer
Virginia guard J’Kyra Brown cheers on her team during their game against N.C. State on Wednesday at Broughton High School in Raleigh, N.C.

Telegram photo / Adam Jennings / Sports Writer
Virginia guard J’€™Kyra Brown shoots a jump shot against N.C. State on Wednesday during the game at Broughton High School in Raleigh, N.C.

Telegram photo / Adam Jennings / Sports Writer
Virginia guard J’€™Kyra Brown, center, discusses a play with her coaches on Wednesday during their game against N.C. State at Broughton High School in Raleigh, N.C.

Telegram photo / Adam Jennings / Sports Writer
Virginia guard J’€™Kyra Brown wipes sweat from her face during a timeout in their game against N.C. State on Wednesday at Broughton High School in Raleigh, N.C.

RALEIGH – The word potential is used a lot when discussing the trajectory of J’Kyra Brown’s basketball career.

From an early age she had the potential for greatness, and she lived up to those expectations at Rocky Mount High, where she left the school as its all-time leading scorer. While playing for the Gryphons many thought she had the potential to play ACC basketball and fulfill a childhood dream.

It took three years and a pit stop in Greenville for Brown to earn the chance to realize her potential in the ACC.

Brown, now a redshirt sophomore at Virginia, started her college career at East Carolina, but quickly realized she was unhappy and elected to transfer. Virginia coach Joanne Boyle heard about Brown’s potential from Brown’s former trainer, Shawn Farmer, and brought her in for a workout. A few days later Brown committed to the Cavaliers.

So what exactly did Boyle see in Brown that day? Potential, of course.

“There were definitely things I saw in her game that allowed me to believe that with a year off and under a system … that she had a lot of skill set that could potentially help us,” Boyle said while sitting in the lobby of the team hotel Wednesday before the Cavaliers played N.C. State at Broughton High School in Raleigh. “She was an athletic guard that had the potential to be a really good rebounding guard, and she showed that last year in the workout.”

Brown’s transition to the ACC has not been easy. She has been plagued by bouts of inconsistent play and had gone into a shooting slump. In her first seven ACC games, Brown made only two shots and was scoring at nearly half the pace she had been as the Cavaliers’ first player off the bench.

Much of that came from the rust of sitting out a year per NCAA rules. Going from playing on the scout team to the squad actually working against the scout team has been an adjustment Brown is still trying to navigate.

“It’s totally different actually playing and sitting out and actually working on your game,” Brown said sitting at the exact same table her coach occupied moments earlier. “Learning the plays and getting acclimated to the system was one of the bigger challenges. The pace of the ACC is real huge, so that was a big challenge as well … everyone is big, everyone is quick.”

One of the perks of playing in the ACC is that Brown still has a chance to play in front of her family and friends. A bus full of friends and family from her church made the trek to Winston-Salem in early January to watch Virginia defeat Wake Forest. Many of those same people made the trip to Raleigh on Wednesday to watch the Wolfpack beat the Cavaliers, taking over an entire section of the bleachers behind Virginia’s bench. And almost all of them will return Thursday.

Amidst that pack was Brown’s mother, Jackie, clad in an orange Virginia shirt with the No.10 and the name Brown printed on the back. She makes regular trips to watch her daughter play, leaving Rocky Mount around 9 a.m. many Sundays to make the three-hour drive to Charlottesville for afternoon home games instead of watching the game on her computer.

The maternal pride glistens off her face as she talks about J’Kyra and her transition to Virginia, saying at one point the adjustment was much easier for her daughter than she anticipated. In some respect, the very fact she was sitting at Broughton High School watching J’Kyra play ACC basketball was something she never imagined.

“It’s an awesome feeling,” Jackie Brown said during halftime. “It’s very surreal. She’s always dreamed about playing in the ACC … and now she’s got her chance.”

J’Kyra grew up attending plenty of Duke women’s basketball games and watched Jasmine Thomas lead the Blue Devils to consecutive Elite Eights in 2010 and 2011. She’ll get her chance Thursday to play at Cameron Indoor Stadium and walk the same hallways as her idols growing up.

“It’s still unbelievable to me that I’m playing on the same court that I’ve always wanted to play on or against,” Brown said. “Getting an opportunity to play in the ACC is real huge, and it’s something I’ve always wanted to do. I just want to play with the top athletes in the country.”

Off the court, Brown is your typical college student who loves to sleep and watch Netflix – Criminal Minds is her go-to show. She hasn’t visited either of Charlottesville’s two bowling alleys yet, but said she would like to at some point.

She said she feels at home because of the people around her both on and off the court. She called her teammates great people to hang out with and said they welcomed her with open arms into the team when she arrived last year.

“The people on my team, the people who surround me are good people,” Brown said. “I just feel like I fit right in with them in regards to playing and outside of basketball.”

After a rough go of it in her first seven ACC games, Brown put on a show for her friends and family Wednesday.

She poured in 9 points, connecting on three 3-pointers, including one midway through the fourth quarter that cut Virginia’s deficit to three. She also collected five rebounds Wednesday night, half of what she amassed in those first seven games combined.

When Boyle talks about a pure scorer who can be a great rebounding guard for the Cavliers in the future, Wednesday’s performance is what the coach imagines in her mind. It’s the type of game that confirms what Boyle and everyone else who knows J’Kyra Brown has known all along – she can be special.

The next two years will determine if potential can turn into reality, but Boyle has faith that Brown will blossom into the player she is capable of becoming.

“J’Kyra has a ton of potential,” Boyle said. “I don’t want at the end of four years for that word to still be attached to her. I want that potential to turn into fruition and that she becomes the great guard that we know she can be.”

By Josh walfish

Sports Writer for Rocky Mount Telegram

Saturday, January 30, 2016

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Telegram photo / Abbi O’Leary

To a man, Rocky Mount High wrestlers entered Saturday’s Big East conference tournament on their home mats expecting to repeat as champions.

The Gryphons won both the conference regular season and tournament titles last season, and finished as runners-up to Wilson Fike in the regular season this year.

Rocky Mount High coach Jermaine Jones wasn’t so sure his team would be able to win again, though through no fault of Jones’ or the wrestlers he can trot out.

The Gryphons’ numbers couldn’t match up with the depth of Wilson Hunt, which notched six individual champions to Rocky Mount High’s five and three runner-up finishes to the Gryphons’ two and stronger performances in the consolation brackets. Hunt, the third-best team in the conference after 10 regular-season matches, tallied 168 points to Rocky Mount High’s 148.5 and Fike’s 112 to win Saturday’s conference tournament.

“I just don’t have enough guys I can run out there…our numbers are way down right now,” Jones said. “So I wasn’t really surprised at this result, no. I’m more proud of a few guys who placed better than I thought they would.”

Rocky Mount High got off to a hot start in the championship matches on Saturday afternoon, as Rashun Lawrence won at 106 pounds and Keyonte Williams beat the Warriors’ Poncie Yim at 120 pounds.

Defending 3-A state champion Wilson Smith, who pinned Nash Central’s Jarrette Hopkins in 21 seconds to win the Big East at 126 pounds, said he awoke at 5 a.m. on Saturday to a desperate message from Williams, his cousin. Williams needed to drop five pounds by weigh-ins later in the morning, so the two ran for nearly three hours – and Williams managed to make weight before going on to take the Big East crown.

Alex Henderson won the conference at 160 pounds by fall over Southern Nash’s Zach Coble, and Se’drak Sheppard took the 170-pound title by beating Hunt’s Marc Perez by decision.

Henderson used the same move he used to beat Coble in their previous meeting this season – a headlock – to score a second-round fall.

Sheppard had wrestled Perez previously and had success against the Hunt 170-pounder, who Sheppard said was jittery and over-aggressive at times. Sheppard was able to stay back and keep calm and collected to counter Perez’s frantic style.

Jones expected Gryphons 132-pounder Amari Battle to place third in the tournament, but Battle reached the championship match. The wiry Battle, his shock of dreadlocks covered up, led Hunt’s Blake Horner, 4-2, with less than 20 seconds left, but Horner tied the match with 14 seconds remaining to send it to overtime. Horner would secure a 6-4 victory in the extra period.

Hunt’s Quinlan Aries effectively sealed Hunt’s tournament championship with a 1-0 decision over Rocky Mount High’s Donte Wilkins at 195 pounds. Aries scored an early point by escape and held off Wilkins’ best efforts to score in the third period.

The Gryphons’ Tycen Hunter was the runner-up at heavyweight, and Nash Central’s Luis Rolon was third.

“Conference, it matters, but then again, it really doesn’t,” Smith, a hulking, navy-blue state championship ring already adorning his right index finger minutes after Hunt had wrapped up its title, said.

“The expectation around here is to win every year, but we just didn’t have enough guys to keep up with Hunt the whole way.”

Hunt 145-pounder Jay Johnson, who went undefeated during 10 Big East regular-season matches, was named conference wrestler of the year. One new criteria for the award this year was that the winner participate in all 10 conference matches, and Smith missed one due to illness.

By FOSTER LANDER

Sports Writer for Rocky Mount Telegram

Saturday, January 30, 2016

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Led by the talented duo of Sarah Jones and Cassie Jones,Wilson Fike’s girls’ swim team held off Rocky Mount High by one point to repeat as Big East Conference champions Wednesday evening at the Rocky Mount YMCA.

The finish is believed to be the closest in conference history.

Wilson Fike’s boys, led by Luke Page’s victories in the 100-yard breaststroke and the 50-yard freestyle, and John Holston’s wins in the 100-yard backstroke and the 100-yard freestyle, also repeated as conference champions topping runner-up Wilson Hunt.

Sarah Jones won first place in the 200-yard freestyle and the 500-yard freestyle, while Cassie Jones won the 100-yard backstroke and the 100-yard butterfly. Each swam a leg on Fike’s first place finish in the 400-yard freestyle relay.

Despite Wilson Fike’s best efforts the Golden Demons could not shake the Gryphons.

Led by Kayla Miller and Jillian Lavely, who each won an individual event and captured four medals apiece, Rocky Mount would not go away.

Miller won the 200-yard Individual Medley and Lavely earned the 50-yard freestyle title, while both were on the Gryphons’ first-place, 200-yard freestyle relay team.

Rocky Mount coach Julie Baggett expressed admiration for the effort of her team.

“We tried to use strategy to maximize the potential of the team (Wednesday),” Baggett said. “Our team did everything we asked them to do…we’ll just get ready for regionals and states. Overall, it was a great meet.”

Nash Central’s Jennifer Jackson had first-place finishes in the 100 freestyle and the 100 breaststroke and was named the conference female Swimmer of the Year. In addition Jackson was on Nash Central’s winning relay team in the 200 medley relay.

Nash Central coach Kyle Bain said he felt that Jackson was a deserving winner.

“The award isn’t only about what a swimmer does in the pool,” Bain said. “It’s an award that recognizes academics and leadership in addition to performance. Jennifer is not only a leader for our team, but also a role model for other teams and a real ambassador for the sport of swimming.”

Rocky Mount senior Wyatt Phillips was recognized as the boys’ swimmer of the year.

Phillips won the 200 freestyle and was the runner-up in the 100 freestyle.

“Wyatt is the leader of our team,” Baggett said. “Everyone on the team looks up to him – from our freshmen up to the seniors on the team. He is the heart and soul of our team.”

By scott collie

Rocky Mount Telegram Correspondent

Wednesday, January 27, 2016

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Telegram photo / Abbi O’Leary
Rocky Mount’s Artavious Richardson, left, goes in for a layup as Nash Central’s Keshun Peoples attempts a block during their game Friday at Rocky Mount High School.

Telegram photo / Abbi O’Leary / Sports Writer
Rocky Mount’s Jamar Ellis, right, drives the ball to the basket as Nash Central’s Keshun Peoples defends him during their game Friday at Rocky Mount High School.

Telegram photo / Abbi O’Leary / Sports Writer
Nash Central’s Caresha Leonard, right, blocks Rocky Mount’s Keyanna Spivey’s shot during their game Friday at Rocky Mount High School.

After an 0-13 start, Rocky Mount High needed to change something – anything – about the way it was practicing and playing.

So Gryphons coach Mike Gainey upped the intensity in practice, bringing the junior varsity in for near-daily scrimmages to bring more energy.

And while it may not be prudent to practice like that every day, the strategy has jump-started Rocky Mount High.

Three weeks to the day after losing by 34 at Nash Central, Rocky Mount High looked like a completely new team in beating the Bulldogs, 71-61, for a second victory in three days.

“These guys, they’re hungry, and once they got the first win, then it was a matter of time before they got more,” Gainey said. “It says a lot about these kids to keep fighting every day when all they had seen this year was losing.”

The Gryphons (2-13 overall, 2-3 Big East) had played well in the first quarter of the 81-47 loss at Nash Central (9-9, 3-2) on January 8, but once Bulldogs guards Elijah Cole and Ke-Shun Peoples found the open floor in the second half, Rocky Mount High had no answer.

But Friday, Nash Central never could find its shooting stroke.

“We just didn’t hit shots,” Bulldogs coach Renny Taylor said. “Nothing was falling. It’s not like we had bad looks, because they were so focused on Josh (Mullins).”

Cole, Peoples and Mullins combined for 43 of the Bulldogs’ 61, but Rocky Mount High never let Nash Central get out in transition and run.

“We knew coming in that (Mullins) was going to be locked down, and it was just a question if we could do better against (Cole),” Rocky Mount High guard Spencer Ramsey said.

Ramsey said the Gryphons went to a triangle-and-two defense to defend Mullins and Cole, who poured in 26 points in the first meeting.

And yet, despite Rocky Mount High’s best shot, Nash Central led by one at halftime.

But the Gryphons opened the third quarter on a 16-8 run, fueled by six quick points from Artavious Richardson and capped by an easy layup from Ramsey.

Ramsey scored 13 of his team-high 18 in the second half, including a trio of corner 3-pointers that awoke the crowd at Rocky Mount High. Ramsey’s triple at the 3:13 mark of the fourth quarter gave Rocky Mount High a 67-56 lead that it would not relinquish.

“They just said keep looking for my shot, and to keep shooting it,” Ramsey said.

Gainey said the return of Richardson and Sherrod Greene, two key members of Rocky Mount High’s state-championship winning football team, has helped infuse new life into the Gryphons and added some needed toughness inside.

“Those two guys, they have everybody believing in each other,” Gainey said. “They bring that state champion mentality to practice every day, where everybody is fighting for everything.”

Richardson and Greene combined for 17, and Latrell Daniels added 12 of his own to give Rocky Mount High a scoring presence in the paint it has been so sorely lacking.

“There’s more confidence with all these guys now that we got our first win,” Greene said.

Nash Central missed out Friday on a big chance to build a lead in the Big East. The Bulldogs entered 3-1, and with every other team in the conference having two losses, Nash Central was in position to be the clear favorite entering the second half of the conference season.

“Couldn’t get it done tonight,” Taylor said. “It happens.”

GIRLSNASH CENTRAL 59RM HIGH 52Three weeks ago, Nash Central raced to a big lead and held on to beat Rocky Mount High.

On Friday, the Bulldogs trailed for much of the early-going, but huge fourth quarters from Myia Spivey and Robbi Allen helped Nash Central beat the Gryphons (9-6 overall, 2-3 Big East) again.

Spivey scored 12 of her team-high 18 in the fourth quarter, and Allen added six huge points as the Bulldogs pulled away late for a 59-52 win.

“Never going to be easy when you play (Rocky Mount),” Nash Central (15-3, 4-1) coach Terri Cash said. “They hit some shots on us early and got out to the kind of start we did against them (last time). But we kept fighting.”

Nash Central led by one after three but opened the fourth quarter on a quick 7-0 run in the first 1:29 for all the cushion it would need.

BOYS

GIRLS

By FOSTER LANDER

Sports Writer for Rocky Mount Telegram

Friday, January 29, 2016

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