There’s no denying Kinston’s boys basketball program is the best and most talented in the readership area of The Free Press. But the Vikings are also no longer the only ones enjoying success at a high level.
With all area public schools off until Friday due to exams, all but three teams, regardless of gender, currently sit in second place or better in their respective conferences with five weeks worth of regular season games remaining.
Of those nine teams, four either share the league lead or own it all to itself. That’s pretty impressive, given the area’s recent struggles on the hardwood by teams not named Kinston.
The teams having success that is perhaps the most surprising are the boys and girls teams at South Lenoir.
The boys join Kinston as the only area boys programs who sit alone in first place, and the Blue Devils (9-4, 5-0 East Central 2A) are doing it thanks to a freshman spark plug named Jonte Midgette and a team bent on not giving up late leads.
This year’s South Lenoir boys team is practically the same one that won the conference junior varsity title two seasons ago. Now they’re upperclassmen, and are making some early noise in a conference that is as deep within itself as any around.
The South Lenoir girls (10-3, 4-1) are also making some noise, having already knocked off perennial power Jacksonville Northside and are tied with the Monarchs and East Duplin for second place. While there is plenty of season left — nine regular season games — there’s no reason to believe the Blue Devils won’t end a streak this season of four years without a playoff appearance.
A couple of teams who are making huge turnarounds after disappointing seasons last year are North Lenoir’s boys and Greene Central’s girls.
The Hawks (8-7, 3-0 Eastern Carolina 3A) travel to Eastern Wayne tonight holding a share of the league lead with Erwin Triton (4-0 EC3A) in the loss column. Their rise to the top comes after the team lost its first 18 games last season before finishing the year 3-22.
The Rams (7-9, 3-1 Eastern Plains 2A) were winless in 2011-12, but in 2013 they sit alone in second place with a showdown at first-place Kinston on the horizon for Friday.
Ayden-Grifton’s boys (tied for second), Jones Senior’s boys (tied for second) and Ayden-Grifton’s girls (second) are the other area teams in the hunt for league titles.
It’s going to be an exciting season down the stretch for area hoops.
Ryan Herman’s column appears in The Free Press on Wednesdays. Reach him at 252-559-1073 or Ryan.Herman@Kinston.com. Follow him on Twitter: @KFPSports.