Bunn boys basketball coach Gerald Melton thinks Kinston is the top hoops program in the state. Vikings coach Perry Tyndall thinks the Wildcats are solid all the way around.
Tonight, one will move on and the other will see its season come to an end.
Seventh-seeded Bunn (23-6) will face top-seeded Kinston (25-2) at 7 in a 2A Eastern Regional semifinal game at the Crown Arena in Fayetteville.
The Vikings enter as the seasoned veterans, having been at least this far for seven straight years while the Wildcats are just getting their paws wet in their first return to the regionals since 2006.
But histories aside, all that matters is what happens on a neutral floor tonight.
“My guys, they’ve been here. They’re not going to be wide-eyed. They’ve played quality opponents,” Tyndall said at Monday’s regionals press conference.
“My guys are ready. But you’ve got to be prepared, too. Against a good team you’ve got to have a good game plan.”
Kinston’s game plan — as it has been all season and every game for the last several seasons — is simple: play solid defense, rebound and take care of the basketball.
None have been a problem for the Vikings since their postseason began on Feb. 20.
In five postseason games, Kinston has held its opponents to a combined 37.8 percent (90 for 238) shooting from the floor. It has also forced those five teams into a total of 94 turnovers and has outrebounded all five teams 185-144.
On top of that, the Vikings have shot a blistering 52.1 percent (139-267) over the last five games themselves.
“We’ve got to continue to really play solid defense and limit our turnovers,” said Tyndall, whose team has won 16 straight games. “We’ve just got to continue to play at a high level.”
On another level is how Melton sees the Vikings.
Bunn enters on its own 12-game win streak and having won 18 of 19 overall, but it struggled against some 3A and 4A competition to begin the year.
Scheduling teams like Raleigh Cardinal Gibbons and Chapel Hill weren’t necessarily good for the Wildcats’ record, but they were good for character building and team chemistry.
Still, Melton feels the Vikings are the best team his squad has faced to date.
“We’ve played some good 4A schools,” Melton said. “I don’t know if we’ve played anyone with the great guard play that (the Vikings) have as well as the big kids that they have. They have big kids that can step out and shoot it.”
Those big kids — 6-foot-5 forward Denzel Keyes and 6-7 wing Brandon Ingram — can indeed shoot it, and dunk it, and score it in just about any way possible. Keyes enters leading the team in scoring at 19 points per game while Ingram shares 11 points per game with senior guard Josh Dawson, who also averages seven assists per game.
Bunn is guard heavy, led by 5-11 junior guard DeShawn High, who averages 18.6 points per game. But it also has some post play in 6-3 senior forward Jonathon Alston, who averages 6.2 rebounds per game and will play football in the fall at N.C. State.
“They’re an extremely well-coached, fundamental basketball team,” Tyndall said. “They’ve got good guard play, and in high school basketball good guard play can carry you a long way. They’ve also got size.”
Both teams are prepared. Melton is hoping his team doesn’t get caught staring in the headlights.
“You can’t know basketball living in this state and not know about Kinston. That’s what you want to do — you want to play the best. We’ve played some good teams this year but I don’t know that we’ve played a team that’s complete like they are,” he said.
“You want to avoid Kinston in the brackets until the last possible minute. They’re a tremendous team, it’s going to be a great challenge, and we’re just going to come in and compete and play as hard as we can play, play with determination and see what happens.”
Ryan Herman can be reached at 252-559-1073 or Ryan.Herman@Kinston.com. Follow him on Twitter: @KFPSports.