SPRING HILL — A perfect season wasn’t on the line Thursday for the Rockingham Middle School boys’ basketball team like it was for its Lady Rocket counterparts, but a top spot in the playoffs was.
The Rockets were on the road at Spring Hill Middle School to wrap up their regular season against the Spartans. Thanks to a strong defensive effort, and a trio of double-digit scorers, Rockingham was able to end its regular season with a 66-34 victory.
With the win, head coach Julius Bowden’s team improved to 6-3 overall on the year. The Rockets also nabbed the No. 3 playoff seed in the Southeastern Middle School Athletic Conference playoffs, just missing out on a first-round bye.
Rockingham made the playoffs after an 0-2 start, stringing together four wins in a row in the middle of the season to help its cause.
Rockingham is the highest seeded Richmond County team in the playoffs, with Hamlet (also 6-3) taking the No. 4 seed. Rockingham’s head-to-head win over the Red Rams a week ago gave it the tie breaker.
Rounding out the top of the playoff bracket were No. 1 East Hoke (9-0) and No. 2 Carver (8-1) middle schools.
Aiding in the 32-point victory over the Spartans was leading scoring Talan Stoner, who finished with 19 points for the Rockets. Joining him with double digits on the stat sheet were Noah Hogan and Dakota Chavis, who scored 15 points and 11 points respectively.
“Stoner, Chavis and Hogan shot the ball exceptionally well,” Bowden said. “But it was our efforts on the defensive end that made the difference tonight.”
Jaden Jenks chipped in with eight points in the win, with Emmanuel Gilliam and Zion Baldwin tallying six and four points. RJ Bright added a bucket, and Adamian Covington tacked on a free throw.
“Baldwin and Jenks took care of business in the paint, and Gilliam played big minutes for us coming off the bench,” Bowden added. “It was a total team win tonight.”
The Rockets will turn right back around and host the No. 6 Spring Hill Spartans in the first round of the playoffs. No date or time has been announced.
The ROSports team will publish a middle school basketball playoff preview for boys and girls early next week. Of the eight in-county teams, two boys’ and three girls’ teams made the postseason.
