Lady Gryphons clinch NEW 6 hoop title
February 7, 2009 Rocky Mount High School
ROCKY MOUNT - Rocky Mount's girls basketball team earned the final NEW 6 3-A Conference regular season title Friday with its 63-60 win over SouthWest Edgecombe. The victory gave RMHS an 8-0 league mark and it put it three games ahead of SouthWest with two games to play.
The win gave head coach Pam Gainey her ninth regular season title since taking over the Rocky Mount program in 1993. RM has made the state playoffs 15 consecutive seasons under Gainey.
The league will be called the Big East 3-A Athletic Conference next season and Wilson Hunt will join the conference, while SouthWest will leave it and move to the 2-A ranks (Eastern Plains Conference).
Sophomore Marquita Hines led the Lady Gryphons with 14 points. Freshman Tia Hudgins added 11 as Rocky Mount improved to 16-4 on the season.
Rocky Mount's boys got 29 points from junior forward Tashawn Mabry as the Gryphons avenged an earlier league loss to the Cougars with a 73-60 win Friday.
Mabry topped the 1,600 career-point mark with his performance (1,621). Phillip Wilkins was the Gryphons' only other double figure scorer with 15. William Young paced the Cougars with a career-high 26 points.
Head coach Mike Gainey was honored before the game with a game ball from Tuesday's 65-43 win at Southern Nash - Gainey's 200th career win (201-102). Gainey, in his 12th season, is the winningest boys basketball coach in school history.
Reggie Henderson, who coached the Gryphons on two different occacsions and guided RMHS to two state 4-A championships, is second with 168.
The Gryphons also climbed above .500 to 11-10 overall and 4-4 in NEW 6 play.
Rocky Mount will celebrate Senior Night Tuesday when it hosts Wilson Fike. Seniors who participate in the winter sports (basketball, indoor track, wrestling, swimming) will be recognized.
GIRLS
Rocky Mount 63, SW Edgecombe 60
SWE 17 - 12 - 14 - 17 -- 60
RM 17 - 16 - 10 - 20 -- 63
SWE (14-6, 5-3) - Monique Williams 24, Q. Braswell 15, Euwell 8, Barnes 7, Hinton 5, Norwood-Shaw 2.
RM (16-4, 8-0) - Marquita Hines 14, Tia Hudgins 11, Whitaker 9, Applewhite 9, Farmer 8, Melton 7, Battle 6, Freeman 1.
BOYS
Rocky Mount 73, SW Edgecombe 60
SWE 14 - 17 - 18 - 11 -- 60
RM 24 - 13 - 13 - 23 -- 73
SWE (13-6, 3-5) - William Young 26, Bulluck 9, Jackson 7, Horne 4, Cotton 4, Cickens 4, Woddard 4, White 2
RM (11-10, 4-4) - Tashawn Mary 29, Phillip Wilkins 15, Sharpe 6, McKnight 6, Bulluck 4, Brown 4, Hahula 3, Williams 2, M. Jones 2, T. Jones 2. |
NATIONAL
NORTH CAROLINA
