RMA boys comeback falls short
• By Jim Green Sports Editor
• JIM GREEN/ROCKY MOUNT TELEGRAM
The Rocky Mount Academy varsity boys basketball team came all the way back from a 13-point deficit to tie the game early in the fourth quarter Thursday night at home.
But Arendell Parrott Academy came up with four clutch baskets and made five of eight free throws down the stretch to withstand the Eagles 66-61, handing RMA its first loss of the season.
RMA was playing without Chandler Cockrell (COVID protocols), who scored 22 points in the Eagles’ 56-51 triumph over Parrott in Kinston earlier in the season.
“Chandler would definitely have made a difference tonight,” said RMA coach Terrell Hudgins, whose squad fell to 5-1 overall. “I thought we played well and did a good job especially coming back in the second half. We just have to be better at free throws.”
Parrott (5-4 overall) built a 36-23 halftime lead behind 16 points from Tomir Moore, who made four 3-pointers.
Without Cockrell’s offensive production, RMA had to rely on others, namely Kameron Wright and Marti McKnight, to shoulder the load.
Despite Wright (three in the first half) and McKnight (who picked up his third and fourth personals in the third quarter) being in foul trouble, the Eagles made a run in the third quarter sparked by their defense.
A 6-2 mini-run (Wright and McKnight) cut the lead to nine, but McKnight got his third and fourth fouls in a 12-second span.
Undaunted, RMA continued to surge. Wright swished a triple and then found McKnight for a bucket that trimmed the deficit to four (38-34) with five minutes left in the quarter.
An 8-2 flurry by the Eagles (McKnight, Wright and Wells Hutson) tied it at 44-all with 1:21 remaining.
But the Patriots were seemingly unfazed. A three-pointer by Cole Evans and two free throws put Parrott ahead 49-44 entering the fourth quarter.
With 5:44 remaining, Hutson drained a triple to deadlock the score at 52-all.
Parrott righted itself following a timeout and closed the contest on a 14-9 run.
Cole Dawson started with two free throws, followed by a free throw from Moore and a jumper from Cole Evans that made it 57-52 with 3:56 left.
Wright buried a three-pointer to slice the deficit to two (57-55), but that’s as close as the Eagles would get.
Dawson came through with a key block with his team up five, which led to a triple from Asher Lowry with 1:51 remaining to pad the lead to eight points.
RMA converted just 3 of 15 field goal attempts over the final five minutes and finished the game with a 60-percent effort (20-for-30) at the free throw line, while Parrott made 23 of 30 at the charity stripe, which included 8 of 12 in the fourth quarter.
Wright paced RMA with 22 points, 14 of them in the second half. McKnight had 11 of his 15 points in the second half, while Hutson added eight points.
RMA held a 39-32 edge on the boards, as Wright led the Eagles with 12 rebounds, McKnight added nine and Marshall Dunn collected six.
Moore poured in 30 points for Parrott Academy to lead all scorers. Evans chipped in 10 points.
The RMA boys return to action Monday with a 1 p.m. game at home against Harrells Academy.
• By Jim Green Sports Editor
• JIM GREEN/ROCKY MOUNT TELEGRAM
The Rocky Mount Academy varsity boys basketball team came all the way back from a 13-point deficit to tie the game early in the fourth quarter Thursday night at home.
But Arendell Parrott Academy came up with four clutch baskets and made five of eight free throws down the stretch to withstand the Eagles 66-61, handing RMA its first loss of the season.
RMA was playing without Chandler Cockrell (COVID protocols), who scored 22 points in the Eagles’ 56-51 triumph over Parrott in Kinston earlier in the season.
“Chandler would definitely have made a difference tonight,” said RMA coach Terrell Hudgins, whose squad fell to 5-1 overall. “I thought we played well and did a good job especially coming back in the second half. We just have to be better at free throws.”
Parrott (5-4 overall) built a 36-23 halftime lead behind 16 points from Tomir Moore, who made four 3-pointers.
Without Cockrell’s offensive production, RMA had to rely on others, namely Kameron Wright and Marti McKnight, to shoulder the load.
Despite Wright (three in the first half) and McKnight (who picked up his third and fourth personals in the third quarter) being in foul trouble, the Eagles made a run in the third quarter sparked by their defense.
A 6-2 mini-run (Wright and McKnight) cut the lead to nine, but McKnight got his third and fourth fouls in a 12-second span.
Undaunted, RMA continued to surge. Wright swished a triple and then found McKnight for a bucket that trimmed the deficit to four (38-34) with five minutes left in the quarter.
An 8-2 flurry by the Eagles (McKnight, Wright and Wells Hutson) tied it at 44-all with 1:21 remaining.
But the Patriots were seemingly unfazed. A three-pointer by Cole Evans and two free throws put Parrott ahead 49-44 entering the fourth quarter.
With 5:44 remaining, Hutson drained a triple to deadlock the score at 52-all.
Parrott righted itself following a timeout and closed the contest on a 14-9 run.
Cole Dawson started with two free throws, followed by a free throw from Moore and a jumper from Cole Evans that made it 57-52 with 3:56 left.
Wright buried a three-pointer to slice the deficit to two (57-55), but that’s as close as the Eagles would get.
Dawson came through with a key block with his team up five, which led to a triple from Asher Lowry with 1:51 remaining to pad the lead to eight points.
RMA converted just 3 of 15 field goal attempts over the final five minutes and finished the game with a 60-percent effort (20-for-30) at the free throw line, while Parrott made 23 of 30 at the charity stripe, which included 8 of 12 in the fourth quarter.
Wright paced RMA with 22 points, 14 of them in the second half. McKnight had 11 of his 15 points in the second half, while Hutson added eight points.
RMA held a 39-32 edge on the boards, as Wright led the Eagles with 12 rebounds, McKnight added nine and Marshall Dunn collected six.
Moore poured in 30 points for Parrott Academy to lead all scorers. Evans chipped in 10 points.
The RMA boys return to action Monday with a 1 p.m. game at home against Harrells Academy.
