Home Local Sports Rockingham teams sweep Hamlet, Ellerbe girls win first game

Rockingham teams sweep Hamlet, Ellerbe girls win first game

Madisen Jackson shoots in Rockingham's 38-10 victory over Hamlet. (Deon Cranford/The Richmond Observer)

Lady Rockets defeat Hamlet, set up showdown with East Hoke

ROCKINGHAM – The Rockingham Middle School girls’ basketball team hosted rival Hamlet Middle on Monday afternoon and cruised to 38-10 victory to remain undefeated on the season.

Rockingham dominated its game with its in-county neighbors from the opening tip off.  Kaylan Parsons, Za’Ryah Williams and Madisen Jackson each contributed to an 8-0 run to start the game. Hamlet’s Kellie Gomez temporarily halted the Rockingham run when she completed an old-fashioned three-point play giving the Lady Red Rams their first points with 4:12 left on the first quarter clock.

Williams and Audicy Rush each scored on fast breaks and Parsons connected on a pair of putbacks to give the Lady Rockets eight more points before the buzzer to send Rockingham into the second quarter with a 16-3 lead.

Kaniah Little got onto the scoreboard for the Lady Rockets in the opening moments of the second quarter with two quick baskets.  Jackson added two free throws and Williams added one, extending Rockingham’s lead to 24-3 halfway through the quarter.  After a brief scoring drought, Addison Butler crashed the boards and turned a pair of offensive rebounds into four points in the final moments of the first half.

With a 28-3 lead, Rockingham began subbing in players, resulting in a lower scoring second half.  The Lady Rockets outscored Hamlet 10-7 in the game’s final two quarters for the 38-10 win.

Jackson finished with a game high 9 points for Rockingham, Williams and Little each netted 8, Parsons added 6, Butler scored 4 and Rush ended with 3.

Amonie McNeil scored 6 for Hamlet, Gomez had 3 and Kenya Bailey added 1.  

The Lady Rockets’ win combined with East Hoke’s 23-19 victory over Carver sets up a battle of unbeatens when the Lady Eagles of East Hoke (6-0) travel to Rockingham Middle (6-0) on Thursday at 4 p.m.  Hamlet (1-5) will host Anson on Thursday at 4 p.m.

Rockets blast Red Rams

Chance Crowder, being pursued by Michael Osentowski, scored 22 points for the Rockets. (Deon Cranford/The Richmond Observer)

ROCKINGHAM – On Monday afternoon, Rockingham Middle School’s boys’ basketball team scored early and often to quickly dispatch of its rival Red Rams in a 63-23 to improve to 6-0 on the season.

Just seconds into the rivalry game, Rockingham’s Graham Odom was left unattended and made the visitors pay when he connected on a three-ball.  Odom became the first of eight Rockingham players to score in the first half – a total of 12 Rockets scored in the game.

Following Odom’s basket, teammate Chance Crowder scored the game’s next nine points to put the home team ahead 12-0 with 6:38 remaining in the first quarter. 

About a minute later, A.J. James got Hamlet onto the scoreboard when he weaved through traffic and laid it in.  Hamlet’s excitement was short-lived as Crowder, Andrae Streeter and Devin Hanes each contributed to a 7-0 Rockingham run to close out the opening quarter with the score 19-2 in favor of the Rockets.

Baskets by Hamlet’s Juelz Smith and Cailin Moore in the opening minute of the second quarter gave the Red Rams something to get excited about once again, but they would be held scoreless the remainder of the half.

Rockingham outscored Hamlet 22-4 in the second quarter with Kiemoree Crump, Cam’ron Coley, B.J. Hinson, Kerick Hairston, Crowder and Streeter all scoring for the Rockets during the run.

The second half started much like the first with an early Rockingham three-pointer, this time by Crowder.  James followed with a floater for the Red Rams seconds later.  Coley followed with a putback, but Hamlet was unable to respond as it struggled from the free throw line missing six attempts in three minutes.

With the score now 50-8 and under six minutes remaining on the third-quarter clock, much of the crowd had begun to lose interest – that is until Xander Chavis woke the room back up.  Right in front of the Richmond Senior varsity basketball team which was watching the future Raiders in action, Chavis completely fooled a Hamlet defender with a perfectly executed shot fake and then banked it in igniting the Raiders and the Rockingham fan base.

Adrian Pore added three for Hamlet with an old-fashioned three-point play giving Rockingham a 50-11 lead with 3:31 left in the third period.  A Crump three-pointer, a Hanes layup and a Josiah Brewington free throw rounded out the three quarter scoring and the Rockets headed into the final 10 minutes with a 56-11 advantage.

With Rockingham continuing to sub in players, Hamlet managed to find some success in the fourth quarter, outscoring Rockingham 12-7.

Following a Hairston free throw for Rockingham, Smith, Moore and Michael Osentowski each added baskets for a 6-0 Hamlet run bringing the score to 57-17 with 6:50 remaining.  The two teams traded baskets from there resulting in the 63-23 final.

Crowder led the way with 22 points for Rockingham.  Hanes, Coley and Hinson each scored 6, Crump had 5, Streeter and Hairston had 4 apiece, Odom finished with 3, Chavis, Colton Nelson, and Cameron Everett each added 2, and Brewington ended the game with 1.

For Hamlet, James and Moore led the team with 6 each, Pore had 5, Smith netted 4, and Otentowski finished with 2.

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Rockingham (6-0) will host East Hoke (5-1) on Thursday at 5 p.m.  Hamlet (1-5) will host Anson on Thursday at 5 p.m.

Lady Wildcats get first win in overtime

Kaylee Connor scored three points in overtime to lead the Lady Wildcats to their first win. (File Photo/Deon Cranford)

ELLERBE – The Ellerbe Middle School girls’ basketball team got their first win of the season in exciting fashion.  Clutch free throws by the Lady Wildcats were the decision maker as Ellerbe held on for a 19-15 overtime victory over visiting Spring Hill Middle.

Ellerbe led 11-9 at the break but were held scoreless in the third quarter allowing Spring Hill to move ahead 12-11 heading into the final quarter.

With the Lady Wildcats trailing 15-13 late in the third quarter, Tanaja Harrison was fouled with 2.6 seconds left.  Harrison was true on both attempts from the line to tie the game and send it into overtime.

Only four points were scored in the overtime period and all of them were Ellerbe free throws.  Kaylee Connor connected on three of them and Kenley Smith added one for the 19-15 victory.

Connor finished with a team high 6 points, Harrison and Alisson Gonzalez each added 4, Smith netted 3 and Mariana Gonzalez ended with 2.

Ellerbe (1-5) will host Cordova (0-6) on Thursday at 4 p.m.

Ellerbe boys drop close contest at home

Landon Legrand scored a game-high 15 points for Ellerbe on Monday. (File Photo/Deon Cranford)

ELLERBE – The Ellerbe Middle boys’ basketball team dropped a 38-29 heartbreaker to Spring Hill Middle School on Monday.

The Wildcats were down 13-7 at the end of the first quarter but answered in the second.

Landon Legrand, who finished with a game-high 15 points, scored five points in the second period.  Benjamin Sibley also contributed to the second quarter scoring with a pair of free throws.  The seven points scored by the Wildcat duo accounted for all of the second quarter scoring giving Ellerbe a 14-13 lead heading into the break.

Five more points from Legrand along with a pair of baskets from Jaiden Abney and Jaden Ingram in the third quarter kept the Wildcats in the game. The teams entered the final quarter knotted at 23-all.

Despite a valiant effort by Abney to keep his team in the game, Spring Hill managed to put together a late run and outscored Ellerbe 15-7 in the fourth quarter to take the win.

Abney, who scored five of Ellerbe’s seven fourth quarter points, finished the game with 9.  Sibley added 3 and Ingram netted 2.

Ellerbe (0-6) will host Cordova (0-6) on Thursday at 5 p.m.

Grover McDonald contributed scores and information.



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