PINETOPS — On the surface, Kinston’s 73-40 win at SouthWest Edgecombe Tuesday night looked like quite the impressive conference road victory.
In reality, not so much.
Twice, Kinston coach Perry Tyndall called timeouts to chastise his team’s lack of focus, and although the Vikings’ superior talent, size, and quickness seized the day, the manner in which the Eastern Plains 2A Conference triumph materialized left the first-year coach at times fuming.
“We started the game unfocused and without energy, very lackadaisical,” Tyndall said. “We were sloppy on both ends of the floor and didn’t put any value on protecting the basketball.”
Kinston, which turned the ball over just seven times in its last win over Greene Central, surpassed that number with 1:03 left in the first quarter.
Five of Kinston’s first seven possessions ended in miscues, a performance that provoked Tyndall’s first timeout and tongue-lashing.
“The first few minutes were a recipe for disaster,” Tyndall said. “If we have a start like that again, it’s going to come back and bite us. It’s something we’ll definitely correct in practice.”
The Vikings (14-2, 7-0) took their coach’s words to heart and eventually found their rhythm. A midcourt steal and breakaway jam by Denzel Keyes put Kinston ahead 8-4 and seemed to snap the team out of the doldrums.
Kinston finished the quarter on a 15-7 run and then outscored the Cougars (11-5, 2-4) 14-3 in the second quarter.
Josh Dawson’s 11 second period points on 5-of-5 shooting helped the Vikings to a 38-14 halftime lead.
“We had our moments,” Tyndall said. “There were stretches where we played very well, but this was definitely not a complete 32-minute effort. We’ve got to do a better job of understanding that we can’t let up, not even for a few seconds.”
Kinston finished with an uncharacteristic 20 turnovers, the last of which led to another annoyed timeout with 30 seconds remaining.
“I apologized to (Cougars coach ) Anthony (Burns) for calling timeout that late with a 30-point lead, but I was frustrated,” Tyndall said. “I don’t care what the situation is. The kids in the game at the end seemed lazy, just going through the motions, and that is unacceptable.”
Dawson finished with a game-high 17 points, while Andrew Lopez came off the bench to score 16, and Keyes added 15.
Kinston will have to correct its effort quickly as 4A power Wilmington New Hanover travels to Viking Gym today.
There will be two games, junior varsity and varsity, starting at 6 p.m. The girls will not be in action.
KINSTON 60, SOUTHWEST EDGECOMBE 29
Kinston’s girls played without junior sensation Brittany Drumgoole, who was battling the flu, but still easily generated enough firepower to cruise past the winless Cougars (0-16, 0-6).
Monique Lofton and Lydia Rivers collected 16 points apiece for the Vikings (14-4, 7-0), who scored the first 15 points of the game and then the first nine of the second half.
Rivers connected on 7 of 11 field goal attempts and also added 11 rebounds and five blocks. Kinston dominated the boards by a 46-27 margin.
Lofton was deadly from 3-point range, drilling 4 of 10 from beyond the arc.
Takerian Harper contributed 10 points for Coach Hubert Quinerly’s squad.
BOYS
Kinston 21 17 22 13—73
SW Edgecombe 11 3 18 8—40
VIKINGS (14-2, 7-0) — Josh Dawson 17, Andrew Lopez 16, Denzel Keyes 15, Canady 6, Ingram 6, Dunn 4, Taylor 3, Ham 2, Hart 2, Jackson 2, Joyner, White, Jones, Williams.
COUGARS (11-5, 2-4) — Anthony Coley 10, Bandy 7, Wooten 6, Best 5, Bynum 4, Hinton 3, Jones 2, White 1, Williams.
GIRLS
Kinston 17 11 14 18—60
SW Edgecombe 4 6 5 14—29
VIKINGS (14-4, 7-0) — Monique Loftin 16, Lydia Rivers 16, Takerian Harper 10, Williams 8, Vermillion 4, Washington 3, Clark 2, Addison 1.
COUGARS (0-16, 0-6) — Montana York 12, Williams 8, S. Gould 4, D. Gould 3, McDowell 2, Brown, Allen.