Roanoke Rapids hasn't had much luck against Rocky Mount recently, but that could start to change on Tuesday. Having just played yesterday, the Roanoke Rapids Yellowjackets will get right back to it and host the Rocky Mount Gryphons at 7:30 p.m. Roanoke Rapids knows how to get points on the board -- the squad has finished with 55 points or more in their past five matchups -- so hopefully Rocky Mount likes a good challenge.
Roanoke Rapids will head into Monday's contest on the come-up: they were handed a 27-point defeat in their previous outing, but that didn't affect their clutch gene on Monday. They skirted past Franklinton 61-58. For those keeping track at home, that's the closest win the Yellowjackets have posted since December 5, 2024.
Roanoke Rapids got their victory on the backs of several key players, but it was Bobby Hawkins Jr. out in front who went 5 for 11 on his way to 13 points and six rebounds. Another player making a difference was Quentez Richardson, who posted ten points and five assists.
Roanoke Rapids smashed the offensive glass and finished the game with 18 offensive boards. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now pulled down at least eight offensive rebounds in six consecutive games.
Meanwhile, Rocky Mount waltzed into their match on Friday with four straight wins... but they left with five. They blew past the Bulldogs 75-40. Given the Gryphons' advantage in MaxPreps' North Carolina basketball rankings (they are ranked 210th, while the Bulldogs are ranked 550th), the result wasn't entirely unexpected.
Roanoke Rapids better focus on containing Brelyn Moses and Anthony Jones as the pair were huge in Rocky Mount's win. Moses had 20 points along with five boards and three steals, while Jones dropped a double-double on 14 points and 11 rebounds. The contest was Moses' seventh in a row with at least ten points. The team also got some help courtesy of Kelijah Evans, who earned eight points.
Rocky Mount has been performing incredibly well recently as they've won six of their last seven games, which provided a nice bump to their 10-4 record this season. The wins came thanks to their offensive performance across that stretch, as they averaged 67.0 points per game. As for Roanoke Rapids, their win bumped their record up to 11-6.
Some high-performance offense is likely on the agenda as Roanoke Rapids and Rocky Mount are some of the highest scoring teams in the league. Roanoke Rapids hasn't had any problem running up the score this season, having averaged 55.7 points per game. However, it's not like Rocky Mount struggles in that department as they've been averaging 64.8 points. With both teams so easily able to put up points, the only question left is who can run the score up higher.
Roanoke Rapids couldn't quite finish off Rocky Mount in their previous matchup back in January and fell 58-55. Will Roanoke Rapids have more luck at home instead of on the road? Check back here after the action for a full breakdown and analysis of the contest.
