Rocky Mount Academy sweeps Faith Christian in hoops rivalry
By FOSTER LANDER
ROCKY MOUNT TELEGRAM Sports Writer
By the time Rocky Mount Academy sophomore Elijah McCadden threw down a two-handed dunk in transition with 3:40 left in Monday’s game – his fifth slam of the night – the Eagles’ rivalry game against Faith Christian had long been decided.
But the dunk, which prompted Rocky Mount Academy coach Scott Dunn to pull his starters 37 seconds later, punctuated the Eagles’ 64-49 win over their neighborhood nemesis in a game that never felt that close.
McCadden paced Rocky Mount Academy with 32 points and 10 rebounds and had his way early with 17 first-half points. Faith Christian started with a box-and-one defense on Eagles guard AJ Mitchell, who finished with 16.
“I thought we should have won that game by even more than we did, but we started slow and lost focus at times,” McCadden said. “But it’s always good to get a win when it’s your rivals.”
Aaron Gurganus led the visiting Patriots with 15, including 11 in the first two quarters. Faith Christian ended the first half on an 8-1 run to stay within 13 and somewhat within striking distance.
But McCadden opened the third quarter with a steal and dunk, then broke it open midway through the period with a corner 3 at the 3:31 mark and a 3-point play on a tough, hanging layup 22 seconds later to stretch the Eagles’ lead to 17.
“Our defensive effort and intensity really picked up in the third quarter and you could see the difference,” Dunn said. “We took too many possessions off on both ends of the floor in the first half but I thought we did a better job of valuing the basketball later on.”
Rocky Mount Academy trailed for a majority of the first quarter before a late run gave them a slim lead. Faith Christian committed nine turnovers in the second quarter, and Rocky Mount Academy went on a 23-4 spurt over a span of 4:58 to build a 19-point lead just before the break.
BOYS
FCS : 9-10-13-17—49
RMA : 11-24-11-18—64
FAITH ..Aaron Gurganus 15, Hearn 8, Bradsher 6, Edwards 6, Mills 5, Warrick 5, Clark 3, Bryant 1.
ROCKY MOUNT : Elijah McCadden 32, AJ Mitchell 16, Franks 5, Acker 5, Holland 5, Crandall 1.
By FOSTER LANDER
ROCKY MOUNT TELEGRAM Sports Writer
By the time Rocky Mount Academy sophomore Elijah McCadden threw down a two-handed dunk in transition with 3:40 left in Monday’s game – his fifth slam of the night – the Eagles’ rivalry game against Faith Christian had long been decided.
But the dunk, which prompted Rocky Mount Academy coach Scott Dunn to pull his starters 37 seconds later, punctuated the Eagles’ 64-49 win over their neighborhood nemesis in a game that never felt that close.
McCadden paced Rocky Mount Academy with 32 points and 10 rebounds and had his way early with 17 first-half points. Faith Christian started with a box-and-one defense on Eagles guard AJ Mitchell, who finished with 16.
“I thought we should have won that game by even more than we did, but we started slow and lost focus at times,” McCadden said. “But it’s always good to get a win when it’s your rivals.”
Aaron Gurganus led the visiting Patriots with 15, including 11 in the first two quarters. Faith Christian ended the first half on an 8-1 run to stay within 13 and somewhat within striking distance.
But McCadden opened the third quarter with a steal and dunk, then broke it open midway through the period with a corner 3 at the 3:31 mark and a 3-point play on a tough, hanging layup 22 seconds later to stretch the Eagles’ lead to 17.
“Our defensive effort and intensity really picked up in the third quarter and you could see the difference,” Dunn said. “We took too many possessions off on both ends of the floor in the first half but I thought we did a better job of valuing the basketball later on.”
Rocky Mount Academy trailed for a majority of the first quarter before a late run gave them a slim lead. Faith Christian committed nine turnovers in the second quarter, and Rocky Mount Academy went on a 23-4 spurt over a span of 4:58 to build a 19-point lead just before the break.
BOYS
FCS : 9-10-13-17—49
RMA : 11-24-11-18—64
FAITH ..Aaron Gurganus 15, Hearn 8, Bradsher 6, Edwards 6, Mills 5, Warrick 5, Clark 3, Bryant 1.
ROCKY MOUNT : Elijah McCadden 32, AJ Mitchell 16, Franks 5, Acker 5, Holland 5, Crandall 1.
