FAYETTEVILLE — Although its record may not reflect it Bunn boys basketball coach Gerald Melton feels his team is in a better place mentally opposed to last year.
The Wildcats, winners of 18 of their last 19 games, have matured as the season has progressed and are in a better mental state than they were last season when they lost just twice in the regular season and earned a No. 1 seed for the NCHSAA state 2A playoffs.
This season, Bunn (23-6), a 7-seed that will face top-seeded Kinston (25-2) in a regional semifinal at 7 p.m. at the Crown Arena in Fayetteville on Thursday, isn’t as praised as last season’s squad but Melton feels it’s playing a better brand of basketball at the right time of the year.
“In the last couple weeks the maturity level just seemed to grow and things kind of clicked, and we’ve just been playing really well since the conference tournament,” the 13-year veteran coach said during Monday’s Eastern Regionals press conference.
“The determination and want-to towards the end of the season has just been fantastic.”
With a roster heavy on upperclassmen — five seniors and five juniors according one available at Maxpreps.com — the Wildcats decided to schedule tougher competition for their non-conference slate and it has paid off.
Bunn, a small town about 40 miles northeast of Raleigh, began the season by splitting its first 10 games. Among those five losers were to a pair of 4A schools and another pair to 3A schools sandwiched around a defeat by eventual league regular season champion Wendell Corinth Holders.
On Jan. 2, the Wildcats defeated Northern Carolina 2A Conference opponent Warren County soundly, 70-48, and they’ve lost just once since — a 51-48 setback at Warren County on Jan. 29.
“When you schedule tough teams in the non-conference and you play tough conference opponents, it prepares you for times like this,” first-year Kinston coach Perry Tyndall said.
Bunn, making its first trip to the regionals since 2006, is led by 5-foot-11 junior guard DeShawn High, who averages 18.6 points per game. The team also has an athletic forward in 6-3 senior Jonathon Alston, who has signed as a wide receiver to play football at N.C. State and averages 6.2 rebounds per game.
A year ago the Wildcats were heavily favored to get to Fayetteville but missed out when they were upset by eighth-seeded North Brunswick in the second round.
This year, as a 7-seed, Bunn is back.
“We kind of started off slow. We played a tough non-conference schedule, and had a couple guys who played football (that) took a while to get going,” Melton said. “Towards the end we just really started coming together.”
Ryan Herman can be reached at 252-559-1073 or Ryan.Herman@Kinston.com. Follow him on Twitter: @KFPSports.