Nash Central High School was blessed to have its boys and girls JV and boy and girls varsity basketball teams all reach the championship round of the Nash County Holiday Classic this past week. However, the Bulldogs were, unfortunately, unable to capitalise on this opportunity.
On Wednesday afternoon, Nash Central’s girls JV team competed against Rocky Mount. While the Bulldogs did play exceptionally well, Nash Central was unable to walk off the court with a victory. Despite this, the Bulldogs showed positive signs throughout the game, and Nash Central still has much to be proud of.
Then, on Thursday afternoon, Nash Central’s JV boys team battled against Rocky Mount. In a game full of ties and lead changes, it was evident that the outcome of the game would come down to the wire. Nash Central led by two points with under a minute left after a huge three-pointer by A.J. Styles, but this didn’t stop the Rocky Mount Gryphons from coming right back. After Styles missed the point after free throw to go along with a few empty possession for the Bulldogs, the Gryphons found themselves down two with possession and the clock running down. In a disastrous turn of tides, the Gryphons would hit a three at the buzzer while stunning the Bulldogs with a 49-48 victory. This was definitely a devastating loss for Nash Central, but the season is still young, and the Bulldogs did evince how mature and capable they were against a tough Rocky Mount team.
In addition, the varsity Lady Bulldogs were also in action on Thursday evening. The Lady Bulldogs headed into Thursday’s contest against Rocky Mount with a perfect 7-0 and Nash Central was coming off of a dominating 62-12 win over Southern Nash on Tuesday. However, Nash Central would be on the wrong side of the scoreboard for most of the evening as the Lady Gryphons, who were hungry and determined to give Nash Central its first loss of the season, had extremely different plans for the Lady Bulldogs. Nash Central couldn’t seem to get its offense clicking in the first quarter, and the Lady Bulldogs were down big at the half. In light of this, Nash Central head coach Terri Cash was able to motivate the Lady Bulldogs, and Nash Central definitely exhibited a more aggressive attitude in the second half. The Lady Bulldogs outscored the Lady Gryphons 27-19 in the second half, but Nash Central still couldn’t overcome its first half mistakes, falling 53-31. In the end, Robbi Allen and Myia Spivey were named to the All-Tournament team, and, moving forward, Nash Central will use this tough loss as a motivator as the Lady Bulldogs still have a bright ahead of them this season.
Nash Central senior Josh Mullins proudly dons the #1 jersey for the Bulldogs, and Mullins, who is more than likely the most talented player in the Big East conference, definitely manifested as to why he is deserving of this honorable number during Thursday night’s championship game against Northern Nash. The 6’1 guard exploded for 27 points while knocking several tough shots for Nash Central. Mullins showed that he is Nash Central’s most potent weapon as he was able to knock down multiple timely shots when Nash Central needed a spark to get going on offense. The Nash Central senior also displayed his exceptional shooting range as he drained several three-pointers throughout the night. Defensively, Mullins was also a threat. Mullins grabbed almost a dozen rebounds on Thursday night, and his defensive fight and effort was present throughout the game. However, Mullins found himself in foul trouble late in the game, and he would eventually foul out. Backcourt teammate Montre Cash also found himself in foul trouble, and the junior guard would also end up fouling out late in the 4th quarter. The loss of Mullins and Cash was a major blow to the Bulldogs as Nash Central trailed late. With Mullins and Cash on the bench, junior Elijah Cole was looked upon to hit a big three to tie the game, but the junior guard just wan’t able to knock down a shot. On three opportunist, Cole, who led the Bulldogs with 28 points on Thursday night, missed from beyond the arc, and this gave Northern Nash the opportunity to close out the game at the free throw line. Northern Nash’s Darius Spragley, who led Northern Nash with 20 points on Thursday night, would hit back-to-back free throws to give Northern Nash a 74-70 lead while securing his team the victory. With an exceptional core of shooters, which includes Josh Mullins, Elijah Cole, and Montre Cash, the Bulldogs are certainly a force to be reckoned with, and once Nash Central is able to properly close out games, the Bulldogs will be in great shape.
Essentially, all four Nash Central basketball teams performed well in the Nash County Holiday Christmas Classic, and these losses will serve as negative reinforcement as the season moves on.
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