Nash Central’s girls’ basketball team has played with an internal confidence throughout the season, no matter what the nine losses on their record might indicate.

Now, the Bulldogs are showing their pod of the NCHSAA 3-A state playoffs what they are made of.

Timyra Staton scored 15 points, Charnise Speight added 11 points, and Niya Styles chipped in eight points as No. 13 Nash Central defeated No. 12 Cleveland, 56-39, on Wednesday night.

The Bulldogs will play undefeated No. 1 seed West Craven (23-0) on Friday.

“We were 7-0 at the beginning of the year,” Nash Central coach Terri Cash said. “They know they have potential and are a good, formidable team. Six of our losses have come from Rocky Mount and Northern – two of the best teams in the state. I think they are playing hungry.”

Nash Central (15-9) defeated Hertford County, 56-55, on a late free-throw from Jalynn Westry on Monday.

It didn’t need any dramatics against Cleveland. Now, it’s on to an undefeated West Craven squad, but Cash and the Bulldogs are not
intimidated.

“They are a great team, but we’re not going to let 23-0 scare us,” Cash said.

Rocky Mount Prep 83
Princeton 61

Rocky Mount Prep wasted little time asserting itself against Princeton’s zone
defense Wednesday night.

With the help of four 3-pointers, the Jaguars opened the game on a 15-0 run and cruised to a victory against No. 5 Princeton.

Rocky Mount Prep (22-5) will visit Rosewood in the sectional finals on Friday.

It is the program’s first trip past the second round of the 1-A state playoffs.

“It was pressure, not for the kids, but to get the program to the next level,” Jaguars coach Eddie Knudsen said. “Now that we’ve advanced, we can concentrate on making some noise in the tournament.”

Rocky Mount Prep had five players in double figures, led by James Bonds’ 17 points, one of many positives for the surging Jaguars.

“We are all working hard, so we should be winning,” said Jaguar Gary Smith, who played on Rocky Mount High’s state title team two seasons ago. “We’re getting close and talking on defense. That has helped us like the team we had at (Rocky Mount).”

Northern Nash 49
Pikeville Aycock 22

Unlike the first-round playoffs game, Jasmine Griffin stayed out of foul trouble, and the Knights benefited with an easy victory at Pikeville Aycock.

Griffin, a center, scored 16 points and added 10 rebounds as Northern Nash advanced to the 3-A sectional finals for the second straight season.

“We were a little quicker than they were,” Northern Nash assistant coach Sandy Frazier said. “Jasmine worked well on the boards. She was more aggressive going to her passes.”

No. 6 Northern Nash (20-3) held No. 3 Pikeville Aycock to only four points in the second half.

Now, it’s on to a fifth matchup against rival Rocky Mount High. The Knights are 1-3 against the Gryphons this
season.

“They are a strong team, but I think we’re ready, and they’ll be ready,” Frazier said. “It will be a great game.”

Hertford County 69
Southern Nash 61

Southern Nash couldn’t keep a bigger Hertford County team off the free-throw line, and it hurt the Firebirds (11-13) in a season-ending loss.

Hertford County finished 20-for-29 from the free-throw line, while the Firebirds only attempted eight shots from the charity stripe. Still, the game was in doubt until the final three minutes.

Josh Sessoms scored 21 points, and Jonte Hunter added 13 points.

“We played really hard,” said Firebirds coach Robbie Kennedy, whose team finished third in the Big East Conference this season. “We aren’t real big, but we played well and fought to the end. I was really proud of that.”

Rocky Mount Prep 83
Princeton 61
RMP          26    15    26    16    –    83
P                 7    14    13    26    –    61
RMP: James Bonds (17 points); Jacob Barrett (14 points); Donte Samuels (13 points); Keenan Deberry (12 points); Gary Smith (10 points)