AHOSKIE – Rocky Mount escaped Hertford County with a win Thursday night.

The Gryphons just did, however, as Antonio Vaughan buried a three-pointer with no time remaining on the clock and sent the game to overtime before the Bears fell to Rocky Mount 96-92.

Rocky Mount held an 82-75 lead with under a minute to play, but the Bears wouldn’t surrender.

Lamar Monger, who led HCHS with 27 points, hit three free throws and delivered on a triple to get the Bears within 82-81 with 17 seconds to play.

Rocky Mount’s Alonzo Sharpe, however, hit a pair of shots from the charity stripe to give the Grypons a three-point advantage with eight seconds to go in the contest. That’s when Vaughan scored from downtown to send the game to overtime.

Once there, however, the Bears couldn’t maintain their late surge.

Montrell Battle, Tayshawn Mabine and Nicholas Hutcheson led a 6-1 run for the Gryphons that gave their team a 90-85 lead.

HCHS didn’t quit, however, as Marcus Burnell hit a three-pointer and a deuce back-to-back to tie the score at 90 with 1:45 to play in the extra session.

Mabine, who poured in 41 points, scored before Battle hit another shot.

Jamal Jones scored for the Bears with 17 seconds to play to trim the deficit to 94-92, but Sharpe hit a pair of free throws with nine seconds to play to seal the win.

Hertford County had four players in double figures during the contest, including Monger’s 27 and 17 each from Burnell and Jones. Vaughan added 15 pints.

It was the 41 points by Mabine and Sharpe’s 21 that paced Rocky Mount. Battle also had double figures with 18 points.

Hertford County led late in the first quarter when they broke open a tie game (15-all) with an 11-3 spurt that gave them a 26-18 lead at the end of the first period.

Rocky Mount responded with a 9-1 run in the second quarter that got them back within four (31-27). The lead was whittled to three (45-42) at the intermission.

HCHS appeared to be pulling away as the third quarter opened. Vaughan’s three-pointer to start the period sparked a 13-0 run for the Bears that pushed the lead to 58-42.

The Gryphons responded, however, with a 9-0 spurt of their own to get the advantage down to 58-51. It was 66-57 after three periods.

Rocky Mount used an 11-0 run midway through the fourth quarter to surge back to the lead (74-69) and set up the battle that ended with the game going into overtime.

HCHS will return to the floor Wednesday night when they meet Gates County High School in the Roanoke-Chowan News-Herald Holiday Classic sponsored by United Country Joe Murray Realty.

Rocky Mount (96): Tayshawn Mabine n 41, Alonzo Sharpe n 21, Montrell Battle n 18, Antoine Williams n 6, Hiawatha Bunn n 4, Benjamin Chavis n 3, Nicholas Hutcheson n 3

Hertford County (92): Lamar Monger n 27, Marcus Burnell n 17, Jamal Jones n 17, Antonio Vaughan n 15, Darren Everette n 8, Deshawn Outlaw n 6, Jordan Jones – 2