Monday, November 21, 2011

Gryphon girls headed to Holiday Invitational

For the first time ever in the same season, both the Rocky Mount girls and boys basketball teams are headed to the 40th Annual Holiday Invitational Basketball Tournament in Raleigh. The event has lost its longtime title sponsor, pharmaceutical giant GlaxoSmithKline.

The Gryphon girls will be playing in the four-team girls bracket that will begin play on Monday, Dec. 26 at Cary Academy. They will join host Cary Academy, Cary High School and Holly Springs High School in the event - four of 12 girls teams that will be participating in the overall tournament.

Rocky Mount, which went 25-4 last season, return leading scorer senior forward Tia Hudgins and all-state junior guard J'Kyra Brown, who has verbally committed to play for East Carolina.

The boys, who will start play on Tuesday, Dec. 27 at Broughton High School's Holliday Gym, will hit the floor as part of the 40th Anniversary bracket. Rocky Mount, along with Sanderson, Garner and Kinston, played in the first-ever tournament - won by Phil Ford and the Gryphons in 1972. 

All members of those four original teams will be guests at this year's tournament and will be honored during the event.

Rocky Mount's teams will open the 2011-12 season Friday afternoon at the Triangle Tip-off Tournament (four girls, four boys teams) at Knightdale High School. Pam Gainey's girls will open with Millbrook at 4:30 p.m., while Mike Gainey's boys will take on host Knightdale at 6 p.m..

The Gryphon girls are the defending champions in the event - beating Knightdale in overtime. RMHS' boys placed third last season.

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