Saturday, January 28, 2012

Rocky Mount trio headed to All-Star Games

Over the last decade, Rocky Mount's basketball programs have been well represented at postseason all-star games.

This year will be no different.

It was announced at last night's Nash Central-Rocky Mount varsity games that three more Gryphons will be playing after their senior varsity seasons are over.

Senior Terrill Hilliard, Tia Hudgins and Alexus Cooper will be headed to Myrtle Beach, S.C. for the annual Carolinas All-Star Basketball Classic All-Star Games to be played on Saturday, March 18 at Socastee High School. Since the inception of the Classic, RMHS has never had more than one player attend in one season.

The Classic, co-sponsored by the N.C. Coaches Association, will also have Rocky Mount boys head coach Mike Gainey on the N.C. boys coaching staff as an assistant. Gainey's appointment was announced last summer. 

He led Rocky Mount to a NCHSAA 3-A state title in 2010 and is working his way to his 300th career win. In his 15th season as head coach, he is 268-117 (.696 winning percentage) with five conference titles, seven conference tournament crowns, four 20-win seasons and has had the Gryphons in the playoffs each of his previous 14 seasons.

Hilliard, a 6-foot-6 forward, has helped guide the Gryphons to a 15-3 record and first place in the Big East Conference (6-0). Hilliard leads the team in scoring (18.8 ppg.) and rebounding (8.7 reb.). He also dishes out 1.9 assists a game and records 1.4 steals a contest.

Hudgins, who topped the 1,000-point scoring mark for her career earlier this season, is second on the RM girls team with 14.7 points a game in helping RMHS to a 16-2 record and also a first-place slot in the Big East. She leads the Gryphons in rebounding (8.4) and steals (2.9).

Cooper, a guard who transfered from Nash Central two seasons ago, has gotten into the groove of things after missing last season with a knee injury. She is third on the team in scoring (10.7) and is grabbing 4 rebounds a game. She's second on the team in assists (2.6) and steals (2.8) a contest.

Don't be surprised if two or all three of these players also gets an invite to the NCCA's East-West All-Star Basketball Games in Greensboro this July.

Big East 3-A Conference Basketball Scoreboard - Jan. 28

FRIDAY, JANUARY 27
  
BOYS

Rocky Mount 75, Nash Central 62
Southern Nash 46, Wilson Fike 42
Wilson Hunt 42, Northern Nash 22

GIRLS

Rocky Mount 67, Nash Central 39
Southern Nash 46, Wilson Fike 44
Northern Nash 44, Wilson Hunt 37

FRIDAY'S TOP SCORERS 

Miya Bryant, Southern Nash - 31 pts.
J'Kyra Brown, Rocky Mount - 23 pts.
Terrill Hilliard, Rocky Mount - 21 pts.
Tia Hudgins, Rocky Mount - 19 pts. 
Jalen Hendricks, Nash Central - 17 pts.
Ni'ya Styles, Nash Central - 17 pts.
Jasmine Griffin, Northern Nash - 16 pts.
Marcus Hicks, Southern Nash - 15 pts.
Kenneth Peoples, Rocky Mount - 14 pts.
Khadijrah Richardson, Northern Nash - 14 pts.
Khadirah Manning, Southern Nash - 14 pts.
Darryl Prunty, Northern Nash - 14 pts.
Justin Jefferson, Wilson Hunt - 14 pts.
Quanisha Brown, Wilson Hunt - 14 pts.
Shatera Black, Wilson Fike - 13 pts.

 
STANDINGS

BOYS
SchoolConf.    Overall
Rocky Mount 6-015-3
Nash Central 4-211-5
Wilson Hunt 4-211-7
Southern Nash 2-44-10
Wilson Fike   2-43-13
Northern Nash 0-61-14























GIRLS
SchoolCon.Overall
Rocky Mount 6-016-2
Northern Nash 5-114-1
Wilson Hunt 2-4
 9-9

Wilson Fike
 2-4 7-9
Southern Nash   2-43-11
Nash Central 1-59-7                                                                                                          










































































NEXT WEEK'S SCHEDULE

TUESDAY, JANUARY 31

Wilson Hunt @ Rocky Mount
Wilson Fike @ Nash Central
Northern Nash @ Southern Nash 

THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 2

Wilson Hunt @ Wilson Beddingfield 

FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 3

Rocky Mount @ Wilson Fike
Northern Nash @ Nash Central
Southern Nash @ Wilson Hunt