Damian Moore is growing comfortable on the floor, and that’s good news for the junior and the Rocky Mount High basketball team.
Moore, a transfer from Northern Nash, had a career night and helped power the Gryphons offensively as they held off visiting Wilson Fike on Friday for an 83-79 3-A Big East Conference win.
Moore has always been a solid spot-up shooter, but he knew that he had to add more variety to his game if he wanted to have an impact off the bench.
“I’m more of a shooter, always have been,” Moore said. “I knew I had to get out of my comfort zone, do some things I wasn’t used to doing, and it paid off.”
He finished with a team-high 18 points, all coming in the first and fourth quarters.
His eight-point fourth helped keep Fike from catching the Gryphons.
He made three free throws, hit a 3-pointer, and finished in traffic around the basket. He even had two layups called off for charging. He picked the right night to show off his ability to finish at the rim when the Gryphons needed just that.
Fike’s Samson Strickland was a vicious rim protector and made for a difficult time for the smaller RMH guards when they ventured into the paint.
Strickland, a 6-foot-5, 200-pound forward, finished with eight blocks, including four in the fourth quarter. On the offensive end, Strickland poured in a game-high 21 points.
“I remember him last year and he had this jump shot,” Gryphons center Artavious Richardson said. “He added an inside game this year. He’s a great player, and you have to be physical with him and keep up with his intensity.”
Richardson was tasked with guarding Strickland, but often had help as the Gryphons played a 1-3-1 zone for most of the game.
That zone also helped to defend the wings, a spot on the floor that Fike would go to often. Before long, it was clear the Demons would settle for two options: either looked inside to Strickland, or work the ball around for an open corner 3.
Fike (15-6, 5-3) made nine 3s in the game, including three apiece from Tyshaud Lucas (16 points) and Kavaris Evans (14).
The Gryphons responded with six 3s of their own, as Jamar Ellis, Rodney Alston and Moore each had two. RMH (7-10, 3-5) led 21-19 after the first quarter, and took a four-point lead into halftime. That only expanded in the third quarter as the Gryphons seemed to blow open the game by taking a 57-43 lead – their largest of the game – with 3:43 remaining in the third. But Fike roared back with a flurry of 3s and drew within 81-79 with 18.1 seconds remaining in the game, but that was as close as the Demons would get.
“With Artavious and Sherrod Greene, those guys don’t mind contact,” RMH coach Michael Gainey said. “They love to play against guys like (Strickland). That helped. And Damian, we’re glad to have him. He’s finding his way, and when he’s on, we go with him.”
Girls
Rocky Mount High 76
Wilson Fike 35
Ashley Hatfield knows that the Rocky Mount High girls’ basketball team hasn’t quite hit its ceiling, and she wants to be a part of the team when it gets there. That’s why she made a point to get her mind right before Friday’s 3-A Big East Conference game against Wilson Fike.
“I want to do well and help this team do well,” said Hatfield, a senior forward. “I said a prayer and got my priorities straight, and it carried over into the game.”
Hatfield finished with a season-high 12 points, and proved to be the perfect complement to teammate Keyanna Spivey’s dominant performance as the Gryphons blew out the Demons to secure the conference tile.
Spivey finished with a game-high 25 points on just six baskets. She did most of her damage at the free-throw line, making 13 of her 15 attempts. Fike (15-6, 5-3) had no answer for the Gryphons inside game, as RMH scored all but nine points on shots close to the basket.
Fike kept the score close by keeping pace early, and trailed by 10 and 31-21 heading into halftime. The Demons found success by slashing to the rim with their guards, and looked to build on that in the second half. But those hopes were dashed when the Gryphons took over. RMH opened the third quarter on a 24-0 run, and didn’t allow a point until Fike’s Aniya Thigpen scored on a layup with 1:26 remaining in the quarter. RMH outscored the Demons 45-14 in the second half.
“We just defended well,” said Hatfield, who benefitted from a transition game built around quick stops. “We kept playing hard defense and we ran away with it.”
Fike’s Brikayla Whitaker made a 3-pointer at the final buzzer, which gave her 11 points, a team high.
The Gryphons got points from 11 players, a team effort that brought happiness to coach Pam Gainey. With other players proving they can score in bunches, Spivey won’t see as many double teams under the basket.
“It was great to get a lot of girls in,” Gainey said. “You want to see points come from different people, and we did that tonight.”
BOYS
Rocky Mount High 83
Wilson Fike 79
WF 19 16 26 18 – 79
RMH 21 18 30 14 – 83
WF: Tyshaud Lucas 16; Kavaris Evans 14; Elijahwon Cooper 6; Donovan Liles 8; Ricky Fuller 12; De’Andre Carson 2; Samson Strickland 21. RMH: Isaiah Morris 5; Jamar Ellis 10; Damian Moore 18; Shyheim Battle 6; Spencer Ramsey 4; Rodney Alston 9; Joseph Blue 6; Sherrod Greene 6; Latrell Daniels 11; Artavious Richardson 8
GIRLS
Rocky Mount High 76
Wilson Fike 35
WF 10 11 5 9 – 35
RMH 16 15 25 20 – 76
WF: Jada Lee 6; Brikayla Whitaker 11; Nevaeh Barbee 3; Teresa Kent 7; Aniya Thigpen 4; Mason Blake 4 RMH: Danasha Uzzell 2; Jessica Little 2; Michelle Gainey 4; Tristan Moore 3; Tristan Moore 12; Shelby Meeks 8; Mya Pittman 12; Jada Morris 2; Nadirah Harmon 2; Keyanna Spivey 25; Vanessa Ward 4
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