Basketball Game Preview: Rocky Mount Gryphons vs. Union Pines Vikings

Two dominant guards in Kira Jones and Ashanti Fox are getting ready to go toe-to-toe. The Rocky Mount Gryphons will challenge the Union Pines Vikings on Tuesday. Rocky Mount will be looking to extend their current 18-game winning streak.

Rocky Mount is on a roll after a high-stakes playoff matchup on Friday. They took down Jacksonville 69-53. The Gryphons pushed the score to 57-35 by the end of the third, a deficit the Cardinals cut but never quite recovered from.

Kira Jones

Steals

02/28/25 vs Jacksonville	2
02/25/25 vs White Oak	5
02/18/25 vs Southern Nash	5
02/14/25 vs Northern Nash	5
02/11/25 vs Franklinton	6
+ 17 more games

It was another big night for Jones, who shot 83% from the field en route to 34 points. Jones is also crushing it when it comes to steals: she's grabbed at least two every time she's taken the court this season. McKinley Battle was another key player, going 6-for-12 on her way to 17 points.

Meanwhile, Union Pines entered their tilt with Eastern Alamance on Friday with seven consecutive wins , and they'll enter their next game with eight. They enjoyed a cozy 65-50 win over the Eagles. Given the Vikings' advantage in MaxPreps' North Carolina basketball rankings (they are ranked 44th, while the Eagles are ranked 164th), the result wasn't entirely unexpected.

Rocky Mount pushed their record up to 22-1 with the victory, which was their ninth straight at home. Those victories came thanks in part to their offensive performance across that stretch, as they averaged 67.1 points over those games. As for Union Pines, their win bumped their record up to 26-1.