There will be no secrets when Kinston’s girls and Bunn tip off in the regionals tonight, considering it will be the third time the two have played since last March.
Simply put, the one who can get the most stops will advance.
The third-seeded Vikings (24-4) and No. 4 Wildcats (23-6) will face each other at 7 in a semifinal of the 2A Eastern Regionals at the Crown Arena in Fayetteville.
Kinston knocked Bunn from the playoffs last year, 52-51, when graduated center Tisha Dixon converted at the buzzer in this very same round and venue. The Wildcats returned the favor in December with a 55-49 win in their own Christmas tournament on their own floor.
While Vikings coach Hubert Quinerly and Bunn coach Ben Daniels have implemented some different plays and looks since then, each coach is familiar with what the other can do.
That’s why this one is coming down to who gets stops and who doesn’t — just like the previous two games they’ve played.
“I knew they were going to be ready (in December) because we beat them last year,” Quinerly said during Monday’s regionals press conference. “It’s on a neutral floor now. We’re going to run our stuff and they’re going to have to stop it just the same as they’re going to run their stuff and we’re going to have to stop it.
“That’s the key to it.”
In the regional semifinals last year Bunn, with a one-point lead, failed to box out Dixon, who cut through the lane for the basket at the buzzer. In December, Kinston, which was without starters Brittany Drumgoole and Anshonee Addison due to injury, came up short on the defensive end in that one.
Neither coach has made any drastic changes since then. Now, it’s about perfecting what you already know.
“You can’t change anything. You just can’t become somebody else overnight. You gotta be who you are and do what you’ve been doing to get here. I think we’ll be fine,” Quinerly said.
Bunn is led by a speedy senior guard who shares a last name with the jersey she wears.
Whitney Bunn is leading the Wildcats with 15.1 points per game and has helped them to a 20-game win streak.
Bunn began the season with five losses in its first six games, but since have came on strong, winning its fourth consecutive Northern Carolina 2A Conference title.
Daniels feels tonight’s game will be completely different than the previous two.
“It will be a totally different scenario this time around. Neither one of us played at our best, and neither one of us was putting things in that we’re going to do on Friday night,” he said. “I think we were both keeping some stuff close to the vest.”
To Quinerly, whose team is led by senior guard Monique Lofton’s 13.5 points per game and sophomore double-double machine Lydia Rivers at 10.7 points and 11.4 rebounds, this one is going to be a track meet.
“There’s going to be a bunch of athletic guards in that game. It’s going to be a good one. It’s going to be up and down. We’re going to have to control the tempo and get some stops. The last time we played them we didn’t get enough stops, obviously, and we didn’t get those runs that we normally get,” he said.
“The shots are going to be there for both teams. The one who cashes in will be the thing.”
Ryan Herman can be reached at 252-559-1073 or Ryan.Herman@Kinston.com. Follow him on Twitter: @KFPSports.