ROCKINGHAM — Rockingham Middle School’s gymnasium reached maximum capacity crowds Tuesday, even turning spectators away, as the Rockingham and Hamlet boys’ basketball teams didn’t disappoint.
In the latest chapter of the storied rivalry, the Red Rams and Rockets duked it out with bragging rights on the line, but also with a chance to gain a game on one another. For the second season in a row, the game came down to the final couple of possessions, and saw the Rockets earn a 51-45 win.
A season ago, head coach Julius Bowden and the Rockets earned a slim three-point win on the road against Hamlet and head coach Keith Parsons. Two things that were different this year, however, were Rockingham eighth graders Paul McNeil and Jada Zimmerman.
McNeil was a Red Ram last winter and helped keep the game close despite losing, but this year he’s a member of the Rockets. Zimmerman was introduced to the cross-county rivalry for the first time after moving to the area this year.
Going off for a game-high 29 points was Zimmerman, who scored 16 points in the first half. McNeil wasn’t far behind, adding 18 points of his own, with 14 points coming in the final two periods.
Not to be outdone, Hamlet point guard JV Drake held his own, netting a team-high 17 points for the Red Rams. He kept the visitors in the game with 10 second-half points.
Hamlet also had the shot from downtown working, draining six triples as a team, which was a season-high. Zay Cephas (6 points) and David McNair (7 points) both hit two shots from beyond the arc, while Amer Morrison (3 points) and Tristan Wall (9 points) added the other two.
“We did really good in transition tonight and our defense wasn’t bad,” Bowden said of the win. “Hamlet hit some key shots and they busted their tails the whole game. For a small team, they had a lot of fight.
“Our goal was to keep pressure up top on defense,” he added. “I went with Keyonta Davis and Bobby Little, my two seventh graders, who are two of our better defenders. They did a great job stopping a team that shoots the three-pointer well.”
Both teams struggled to find the basket in the first quarter, seeing Rockingham take a 4-3 lead into the second. Drake and Jamerson Walton accounted for Hamlet points, all on free throws, while Zimmerman laid in two transition buckets for Rockingham.
The Rockets outscored the Red Rams 17-14 in the second quarter, with Zimmerman recording 12 points for the home team. Rockingham used a 12-4 run to start the stanza, as McNeil got on the board with a drive early.
Leading by a first-half high of nine points, 16-7, Rockingham saw its lead cut to just one point in the next four minutes. Drake started the 11-2 run for the Red Rams with a free throw, and Cephas rattled home his first triple.
On the next Hamlet possession, Cephas again rang true from three-point land, splashing a shot in from the top of the key. A Drake layup in transition was followed by a Wall free throw at the 2:10 mark to pull within one point.
But a McNeil baseline drive and a Talan Stoner free throw gave Rockingham a 21-17 lead heading into the break.
“I loved our effort,” Parsons said. “It’s a tough place to play, the crowd is all packed in. (Rockingham) got away from us a little bit.
“But we played great and were able to come back a little on them,” he added. “Everybody dug in and we made a lot of big shots. JV was big for us, Amer played under a minute and made a big three for us. David had a couple of big threes. The guys stepped up, but Rockingham also played very well.”
Rockingham hung another 17 points up in the third quarter, but Hamlet made a strong surge with 19 points of its own. Drake led the way with six points, all coming on drives through the paint.
The Rockets extended their lead to 10 points in the early going, 28-18, but an 8-0 by the Red Rams cut the deficit to two points. Drake started it with a basket under the hoop, and was helped on back-to-back three-pointers from Wall and McNair.
Rockingham’s lead fluctuated between two and five points the remainder of the third, as McNeil got his groove going with nine points. Zimmerman, who scored seven points, added a bucket and a free throw with 45 seconds left.
Wall, who scored six points in the frame, ended the quarter for Hamlet by finishing the back end of an old-fashioned three-point play to pull Hamlet within two points, 38-36.
Although its comeback effort was strong, Hamlet was outscored 13-9 in the fourth quarter. The Rockets used six points from Zimmerman and five more from McNeil to quiet their rivals.
Drake tied the game at 38 points on the first possession of the period, but Hamlet would get no closer than three points the rest of the game following a three-point play by McNeil.
“Hamlet is so well coached and they played a great game,” Bowden said. “Coach Parsons does a great job with them and I have a lot of respect for him. He had his guys prepared.
“Paul and Jada were both aggressive in attacking the basket,” he closed. “This was a huge win for us. We knew it was going to be a fight and this should give us a little momentum boost.”
Rockingham (5-1) will return to its home floor Thursday against East Hoke, while the Red Rams (4-2) will also return home for Anson on Thursday. Both games will begin around 5 p.m.
