Northern Nash’s gym will be packed to the rafters tonight. For as many people as there will be – and good luck finding a seat within half an hour of gametime – the building will be overflowing with storylines.

For starters, Northern Nash and Rocky Mount High maintain a rivalry that burns hotter than any other in the Twin Counties, which is compelling enough.

But there’s also the Gainey School of Hard Knocks – husband Mike, the boys’ coach, and wife, Pam, the girls’ coach – a hyper-disciplined pair of systems that has paced both Gryphons teams to undefeated records in the Big East Conference.

Neither the boys’ nor the girls’ team has lost in 2012, a span of 97 combined days. The boys haven’t lost since Dec. 28; the girls not since Dec. 19.

The regular season finale tonight is the last step for both Gryphons clubs to finish the conference season undefeated.

Then there’s Act III of the girls’ matchup. Each side has won once. Rocky Mount is ranked No. 4 in 3-A. The Knights are ranked No. 5, their only loss this season coming at Rocky Mount.

Tonight will determine which side is the No. 1 seed in the Big East Tournament. A Knights’ victory would mean both teams would finish 9-1 in the Big East, and by way of their victory against the Gryphons in the Nash County Christmas Tournament, the Knights would earn the No. 1 seed.

Spoiling their rival’s bid for perfection would be sweet for either Northern Nash squad, but especially the boys, who are in the midst of a 1-17 season that has yet to see them win a conference game.

“It is a lot of excitement,” Rocky Mount point guard Alexus Cooper said. “People look forward to it as far as fans, people in school. It (has) got a history to it, a history that came before we came.”

Northern Nash cruised in the first girls’ meeting, winning, 53-40, on Dec. 19, Rocky Mount’s most recent loss.

The Gryphons were ready for the Knights’ patented press in the second meeting, jumping ahead in the third quarter and holding on for a seven-point victory.

“The first meeting, we absolutely did not stick with the gameplan,” Pam Gainey said. “We had girls standing around. We weren’t doing what we were supposed to be doing. Now, we know the atmosphere, and we know it’s going to be hard.”

“We didn’t have a lot of intensity the first game,” Rocky Mount’s leading scorer, J’Kyra Brown, said. “We have to play like we’re capable of playing this time if we’re going to win.”

The usual procedure for athletes and coaches is the cliched one-game-at-a-time, no-game-is-more-important-than-another mindset.

But Rocky Mount knows how much tonight’s game means, and going undefeated is a big deal to the Gryphons.

“It means everything,” Rocky Mount forward Tia Hudgins said. “It’s for first place, or a tie, so it’s a big game. ... Undefeated in the conference? Of course it matters to us.”

The first boys’ game was a colossal mismatch. Had odds been put on the game, Rocky Mount easily would have been favored by more than 20 points.

Fans knew it, too: More than half the crowd left between the end of the girls’ game and halftime of the boys’ game.

The Knights shocked everyone by staying in the game and nearly winning it. Rocky Mount’s four-point victory remains its closest conference game all season.

“We were going through a little storm at that time, trying to get the chemistry together, trying to get guys on the right page,” Mike Gainey said. “We were very flat. I can’t say we made (Northern Nash’s) season, but they went out of here with a smile on their face because their gameplan worked very, very effectively.

“Even though we won, it was a sour feeling here.”

The Gryphons intend to make a point with tonight’s game.

“We underestimated them when we came out – it (was) just we got too relaxed,” Rocky Mount forward Terrill Hilliard said. “We came back to reality when we found out that they were going to play us hard. Every team is going to play us hard. They’re trying to get that number one spot just the same as us.”

“We played very sloppy,” guard Tevin Taylor said. “We didn’t play like we usually do. Our defense wasn’t team defense. A man would drive and nobody would help.”

In large part, the Gryphons – both of them – are in this position because the Gaineys – both of them – have bred rigid systems with no breaks.

Mike Gainey has harped on his team’s carelessness with leads – though it has become noticeably better recently – constantly tweaking little things the Gryphons aren’t doing correctly.

If Pam Gainey doesn’t see the intensity she wants out of her team, which has happened a few times, she’s not afraid to take a timeout and let them know about it.

“It keeps intensity up and keeps discipline in the program,” Mike Gainey said. “They have to understand there’s always room to grow. There’s a lot of guys that get out here and they’re not coachable. When you get to that point where you can’t tell them anything, then they’ve shut their talent level down.”

Even though they’re not crazy about everything they do being critiqued, Rocky Mount’s players know they’re only being prepared for games like tonight’s.

“It helps in the long run,” Hilliard said. “For as much we hate it – we hate it – in the long run, it’s going to help us.”

“We can’t slack with the hustle at any time,” guard Lavon Brutus said. “Whenever we play as a team, we’re basically unstoppable.”

They have one final step to prove just how unstoppable they were – a perfect 10-0 heading into the conference tournament.

Bragging rights would be nice, too.

“It’s straight like Duke and Carolina,” Hilliard said. “It doesn’t matter how sorry each team is – they could be last place in the conference – the Northern/Rocky Mount game is going to be packed. It means a lot.

“For the rest of your life, you’re going to remember the Northern/Rocky Mount game.”

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