Nash Central, Rocky Mount High win to set up finals matchup

Rocky Mount High 52

Wilson Hunt 34

The Gryphons had their inside-outside game working to perfection again and breezed to a win in a 3-A Big East Conference semifinal. The victory secured a berth in the tournament championship game against Nash Central.

Mya Pittman scored all nine of her points in the first quarter for Rocky Mount High, and set the tone early. The Warriors were forced to decide to either step out to defend the perimeter, or clog the lane to slow down forward Keyanna Spivey. The Gryphons made sure both couldn’t be stopped.

RMH led 19-8 after the first quarter, then 31-16 at halftime.

“We’re always in motion,” Gryphons guard Michelle Gainey said. “We have so many options that make us hard to slow down.”

When parts of the RMH offense did slow down, however, Gainey came to the rescue. The senior scored all 12 of the Gryphons’ second-quarter points with a smooth jumper, and finished with a game-high 19. Spivey added 14.

Forward Ashley Hatfield didn’t score, but grabbed 17 rebounds. She and Spivey gobbled up anything on either block, allowing the Gryphons to score second-chance points, or to get out into transition.

“Ashley’s a great part of our team because we have Keyanna who goes so hard, and then Ashley is another person down there who can rebound and make plays,” Gainey said.