Gryphons use second half run to get past Southern Nash

In the first half on Thursday between Rocky Mount and Southern Nash, there was a great back and forth of scoring.

The Firebirds and Gryphons matched baskets for much of the two periods, combining for 11 lead changes and five ties, with Southern Nash pulling ahead later in the second period for a three-point, 26-23 lead.

In the second half, there was just one tie and just one lead change.

After entering the break trailing by those three points, Rocky Mount (6-1) blitzed the Firebirds for an 11-0 run in the first four minutes of the third quarter. The Gryphons, in fact, held Southern Nash (5-3) to just two points that entire quarter, never looking back for a 54-44 win.

The victory for Rocky Mount puts them in the finals of the Nash County Christmas Tournament against host Northern Nash, which will be played at 8:30 tonight.

The reason for the difference in play, coach Michael Gainey said, was simple. The Gryphons got back to the simple things.

“Guys get out here under these bright lights in front of their family and friends and they forget about what we teach in the gym. We had to remind them at halftime to not get caught up in other things,” Gainey said. “The difference is not getting the loose balls, standing around looking, not making good entry passes. The basics. I want basic basketball, that’s what I expect. I don’t need all that flash.

“When you do that, good things happen.”

The scoring for Rocky Mount came as a group effort, with Victor Ward Jr. and Tavaughn Parker leading the way with nine points.

But the player at the forefront of the turnaround was 5-foot-5 guard Deonte Gray, who scored his only two baskets in the third, setting the tempo from the onset of the second half.

“I was just trying to do what I best,” Gray said. “I feel like I can change the floor, bring the momentum to us. If I play hard, I feel everyone else will play hard and do the same. That’s what I try to do.”

At one point during the 11-0 run, Gray, the smallest man on the court, came down with a rebound in the paint amongst two Southern Nash big men, dishing to a Gryphon for a layup.

“We immediately looked down to the bench,” Gainey said. “We asked our guys: How does the shortest guy get that rebound? He’s a leader.”

For Southern Nash, which has had an up-and-down season to this point, the same problems persisted. In each of the three losses, the start of play after the halftime break has determined the outcome.

“We attacked in the first half, got to the free-throw line,” said coach Robbie Kennedy, whose Firebirds missed 10 of 22 from the line. “We just have to do a better job of being tough.”

The leading scorer for Southern Nash was Tyler Wilson, who hit nine three-pointers and single-handedly went on a 9-2 run in the final two minutes of the game, at one point bringing the Firebirds to within eight points. He finished with 18.

“In the third quarter he wasn’t aggressive enough,” Kennedy said. “I told him, with 2:15 left, to start going to the basket and get some layups. You’ve got to be consistent, do it for four quarters.”