Kinston put its undefeated league mark on the line Friday night against North Pitt, which also entered the game sporting an unblemished conference record.
By the time the final buzzer sounded, the Vikings left no doubt which team was the cream of the Eastern Plains 2A crop as they defeated the Panthers 75-51.
The Vikings (12-2, 5-0) started the game with a 16-3 run, and a pair of alley-oop passes from senior Josh Dawson — one to fellow senior Denzel Keyes and another to sophomore Brandon Ingram to end the first quarter — created a 10-point cushion for Kinston.
“It was a big start,” coach Perry Tyndall said. “Between our transition game and our pressure defense, we had a lot of energy out of the gate. We almost outran our energy.”
The Panthers (7-7, 3-1) slowly chipped away at the deficit, closing to within six at 31-25 before Kinston began to reassert itself.
Kinston, which shot 11 of 19 (57.9 percent) in the first quarter, struggled from the field in the second, connecting on just three of 13 shots. Luckily for the Vikings, they hit 7 of 8 from the charity stripe to maintain a nine-point lead at the half.
Tyndall, who said his team may have tired toward the end of the half, gave up several easy baskets on dribble penetration, failing to rotate properly on the defensive end.
“The way we play causes that at times,” he said. “We started gambling a little too much. But I give (North Pitt) credit. They gave us a fit.”
The third quarter belonged to Kinston. The Vikings shot 8 of 15 (53 percent) in the quarter, methodically extended their advantage to 19 points and entered the final period of play with a 57-38 lead.
Only two Vikings players reached double figures in scoring and were paced by Keyes, who had 28 points and six rebounds. Dawson added 16 points and six assists. No other player had more than seven points for Kinston.
The Panthers, meanwhile, were led by 12 points from Bryant Battle and 11 each from Shaq Barnes and Demarcus Best.
With the win, the Vikings have outscored their last three conference opponents 223-114, and Kinston is now a game ahead of its nearest competition.
“That was a good team in our conference tonight,” Tyndall said. “In our conference, you’ve got to be ready to play night in and night out.”
The Vikings are off until next Friday, when they play host to league foe Greene Central.
KINSTON 65, NORTH PITT 46
In the girls game, Kinston, already a game up on everyone else in the conference, made sure North Pitt did not close the gap in the all-important league standings.
Kinston was led by sophomore Takerian Harper’s 15 points and 10 rebounds en route to a 65-46 win. Harper, who has started for the Vikings nearly all year, came off the bench for a second consecutive game, a fact not lost on coach Hubert Quinerly.
“It gives her a chance to — I’m not going to say slow down, but to see the game before she gets in,” he said.
Harper was joined in double figure scoring by sophomore Lydia Rivers, who also posted a double-double with 14 points and 12 boards.
Junior Anshonee Addison, who replaced Harper in the starting lineup, added 11 points, and senior Monique Lofton had 12 points in a balanced attack.
The Vikings (12-4, 5-0) actually trailed 14-8 after a quarter, partially due to 10 turnovers and more significantly a 2-of-14 effort from the field. Kinston actually started the game 2-of-20 before connecting on seven of its last 11 shots in the first half.
That hot spell coincided with a 22-3 run to end the first half leading 32-19 and firmly in control of the game.
Perhaps just as importantly as the scoring onslaught, the Vikings’ suffocating full court press forced 23 first-half turnovers, and the Panthers turned the ball over a whopping 40 times on the evening.
In the fourth quarter, Kinston once again went cold from the floor, shooting just 6-of-18 to close out the game.
“I didn’t like the way we started, and I didn’t like the way we finished,” Quinerly said. “Everything in the middle was good. When you turn the ball over early and you turn the ball over late, you can’t win championships that way.”
With the loss, the Panthers fell to 7-7 overall, 2-2 in the EP2A.
NOTES: The crowd was already at a fever pitch before the varsity games began as freshman Jeremiah “Popeye” Fields hit a buzzer beater from just beyond half court to edge North Pitt 70-68 in the junior varsity game.
BOYS
North Pitt 15 15 8 13—51
Kinston 25 14 18 18—75
PANTHERS (7-7, 3-1) — Bryant Battle 12, Shaq Barnes 11, Demarcus Best 11, Dudley 9, Overton 4, Taylor 2, Crandel 2.
VIKINGS (12-2, 5-0) — Denzel Keyes 28, Josh Dawson 16, Ingram 7, Canady 6, Joyner 5, Hart 4, Dunn 4, Lopez 3, Rouse 2.
GIRLS
North Pitt 14 5 9 18—46
Kinston 8 24 20 13—65
PANTHERS (7-7, 2-2) — Kayla Cox 13, Ty’Quishia Gainer 11, Taylor 8, Bynum 6, Moore 5, Sharp 3.
VIKINGS (12-4, 5-0) — Takerian Harper 15, Lydia Rivers 14, Monique Lofton 12, Anshonee Addison 11, Vermillion 6, Drumgoole 5, Williams 2.