Wilson Hunt put considerable effort into stopping Rocky Mount High’s J’Kyra Brown, persistent in its attempt to make the rest of the Gryphons – not Brown – beat them.
The maneuver failed on multiple fronts: Rocky Mount’s supporting cast did more than enough. Its defense set the pace, and Brown scored 20 points anyway in the Gryphons’ 75-28 victory Tuesday at Rocky Mount High School.
“The girls have been working extremely hard,” Rocky Mount coach Pam Gainey said. “We know that we can always still get better, and they’ve committed to that.”
Winning is all the Gryphons (17-2, 7-0 Big East Conference) have been doing lately. Rocky Mount hasn’t lost since Dec. 19, a span of 11 straight victories.
“We’ve been able to understand what our coach is trying to get through to us,” Rocky Mount guard Carmen Richardson said. “We know that everything is going to start with our defense, and that’s why we’ve been able to (win 11 straight).”
Rocky Mount dominated Wilson Hunt (9-10, 2-5) with a 1-2-2 trap, forcing the Warriors into 20 turnovers in the first half alone.
Hunt started the game playing a box-and-one on Brown, then later switched to a triangle-and-two on Brown and guard Alexus Cooper. As a result, Tia Hudgins scored 18 points, Richardson chipped in 12 points and 11 girls scored for the Gryphons, who never trailed.
“We know other teams are going to come at J’Kyra,” Richardson said. “We’re coming up on the second half of our conference schedule, and teams are going to come at us hard the second time around, so we have to be ready as a team.”

Rocky Mount 85
Wilson Hunt 58
Rocky Mount, for the first time in weeks, met an unfamiliar circumstance: A large deficit. Early in the second quarter, the Gryphons trailed Wilson Hunt, 22-8.
The turmoil was short-lived. Rocky Mount out- scored Hunt by 43 points the rest of the way and cruised to an 85-58 win.
“I just don’t understand why we came out so slow,” Rocky Mount coach Mike Gainey said. “We need to come out of the gate rolling and establishing our game.
“It’s scary, the potential this team has. When the guys stop reading the clippings and the headlines, we’re a very good team.”
Sparked by Lavon Brutus’ 15 second-quarter points, the Gryphons (16-3, 7-0) went on a 17-0 run and took a four-point lead into halftime.
“It’s not that we weren’t ready to play,” said Rocky Mount’s K.J. Peoples, who scored 13 points. “We were just dragging. We needed to get back out and run.”
Run, the Gryphons did. Rocky Mount went on a 13-2 run midway through the third quarter en route to outscoring the Warriors (11-8, 4-3) 29-14.
“Coach Gainey just kept telling us that we had to play up-tempo,” Brutus said. “The one thing we have to do is just hustle twice as hard as the other team.”
Rocky Mount is one win away from clinching the first seed and home-court advantage throughout the Big East Conference Tournament.
“We just have to take it one game at a time,” Gainey said. “We have a good cushion, but nobody is going to lay down and die for us.”

GIRLS
Rocky Mount High 75
Wilson Hunt 28
WH           9    6    10    3 – 28
RMH           19    17    15    24 – 75
WH: Danisha White–10; Alexus Williams-4; Shan Jenkins-10; Quanisha Brown-3; Kiana Ballard-3; Briuanna Anderson-2; Crystal Cox-2; Natalie Crocker-1.
RMH: J’Kyra Brown-20; Tia Hudgins-18; Carmen Richardson-12; Alex Cooper-6; Ty’Ais Cooper-5; Fantacy Bryant-4; Sekeya Battle-2; Takeyra Thomas-2; Amani Kipp-2; Kyler Daniels-2; Kelsey Daniels-2.

BOYS
Rocky Mount High 85
Wilson Hunt 58
WH           19    9    14    16    –    58
RMH           8    24    29    24    –    85
WH: Daniel Westbrook-19; Parker Lamm-8; Javis Neal-Hill-8; Justin Jefferson-7; Orlando Dickens-5; Phil Dickens-4; Lewis Neal-3; Jerome Neal-2; Keenan Tabron-2.
RMH: Terrill Hilliard-22; Lavon Brutus-17; KJ Peoples-13; Mason Hines-8; Dante Battle-6; Michael Hines-5; Tevin Taylor-4; Ahmad Harrell-3; Jaquell Bryant-3; Tabias Hilliard-2; Broderick Caudle-2.

Nick Piotrowicz can be reached at 407-9952 or npiotrowicz@
rmtelegram.com.