Gryphons march past Western Alamance

February 24, 2009

By Charles Alston of Rocky Mount High School

ROCKY MOUNT - This might have been a case when the basketball team wanted to get a measure of revenge for its football brethren.  

After all, a boys squad from Western Alamance paid a visit on Rocky Mount Monday evening for a first-round NCHSAA 3-A playoff contest.  

The Gryphons, who at one time had a whopping 33-6 lead midway through the second quarter, got a payback of sorts with a 77-55 victory over the Warriors.  

Western Alamance ended Rocky Mount's football state championship hopes three of the last four seasons. And with senior point guard Donald Britt in the lineup (quarterback for the last two WA gridiron wins over RMHS), the victory was especially sweet for the Gryphons.  

A hoop demon is next up on the Gryphons' schedule. They will travel to Northern Vance, a 72-66 winner over Bartlett-Yancey in the first round, Wednesday for Round 2. The Vikings (24-2), the Mid-State Conference champions, downed Rocky Mount in overtime in last season's sectional finals.  

WA got a 3-2 lead on a Kyler Gregory 3-pointer with 5:11 left in the first period. RM then unleashed a 17-0 run before another Gregory trey left the Warriors down 19-6 at end of the first period.  

Junior Tashawn Mabry scored 11 of his game-high 30 points in the opening quarter.  

The Gryphons, who won their ninth straight game to move to 17-10 on the season, blasted the Warriors with another major surge - this one 14-0 to get that 33-6 bulge. The Warriors began to get their offense in order by the end of the half to trail 37-18 at intermission.  

Gregory, who finished with 27 points for Western (11-15), led a Warrior rally in the third. His 3-pointer with less than 30 seconds left in the quarter cut Rocky Mount's lead to 52-42.  

Junior Marcus Jones' layup just before the period-ending buzzer fed an 8-0 outburst that put the Gryphons up 18 with six minutes left and up to 25 in the final minute.  

Senior guard Nick Hahula followed Mabry in double figures for Rocky Mount with 11 as 10 different Gryphon players scratched.