Basketball Game Preview: Southern Nash Firebirds vs. Rocky Mount Gryphons

Southern Nash is 0-10 against Rocky Mount since January of 2021 but things could change on Tuesday. The Southern Nash Firebirds just played yesterday, but they'll still head out to face the Rocky Mount Gryphons at 6:00 p.m. Both come into the contest bolstered by wins in their previous matches.

Southern Nash took a loss when they played away from home on Friday, but their home fans gave them all the motivation they needed on Monday. They came out on top against Northern Nash by a score of 47-37.

Meanwhile, Rocky Mount waltzed into their matchup on Friday with 14 straight wins... but they left with 15. They claimed a resounding 70-33 win over the Knights. With the Gryphons ahead 39-15 at the half, the game was all but over already.

Southern Nash better focus on containing Kira Jones and ZaNadiyah Harris as the pair were huge in Rocky Mount's win. Jones posted 14 points in addition to eight assists and five steals, while Harris went 8-for-12 on her way to 19 points along with six boards and five steals. Those six rebounds gave Harris a new career-high. McKinley Battle was another key player, putting up seven points and three steals.

Rocky Mount smashed the offensive glass and finished the game with 14 offensive boards. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now pulled down at least nine offensive rebounds in 15 consecutive contests.

Rocky Mount's victory was their sixth straight at home, which pushed their record up to 19-1. The wins came thanks in part to their defensive effort, having only surrendered 22.7 points over those games. As for Southern Nash, their record now sits at 10-11.

Southern Nash suffered a grim 54-34 defeat to Rocky Mount in their previous meeting last Friday. A big factor in that loss was the dominant performance of Jones, who went 9-for-17 en route to 23 points along with five boards and five steals. Now that Southern Nash knows the damage she can cause, will they be able to stop her this time? There's only one way to find out.