Kinston’s boys basketball team has enjoyed a fairly smooth ride to perfection through its first nine games. But game No. 10 will pose quite a test.
The Vikings (9-0) open the HighSchoolOT.Com Holiday Invitational at 5:40 p.m. today against the nationally-ranked DeSoto (Texas) Eagles at Raleigh Broughton’s Holliday Gymnasium.
The Eagles (14-1), ranked 10th nationally in ESPN.com’s latest Power 25 rankings, have won nine straight, including a 67-57 win over then top-ranked Chicago Simeon, which was televised nationally on the network.
The Eagles sport one of the country’s top shooting guards in Matt Jones, a 6-foot-4 senior who has signed with Duke.
Kinston coach Perry Tyndall knows his team has its hands full today, but the Vikings are still up for the challenge.
“We’re always excited to go up to the High School OT, formerly the Glaxo. We look forward to it,” Tyndall said. “When we saw we had DeSoto — a very, very, very good team, very efficient, and of course they have the Jones kid who is pretty special.
“We know we’ve got our work cut out (but) we’re excited about the challenge.
“We’re going to have to do a lot of things well because they’re a very good team.”
An advantage Tyndall feels he may have entering today’s evening tilt is the fact he was able to watch DeSoto go against Simeon on television in real time — an easy scouting report.
“It definitely helps, of course, just to be able to see them play,” he said. “I’d love to be able to see them a little bit more, but it did give us a glimpse into how talented they are.”
Kinston was at its best against North Lenoir in its last game. The Vikings had 29 assists on 33 made field goals in the 87-59 win.
In order to have a chance at knocking off DeSoto Tyndall feels his team must have that type of game today.
“I think we’ve got to continue to be unselfish,” Tyndall said. “We’ve got to compete for 32 minutes. We’ve got to do the little things the whole game.”
While the Vikings’ sole focus is currently on the Eagles, a potential matchup in their second game could come against Waxhaw Cuthbertson.
Kinston, in this tournament for the 20th time and the eighth straight year, defeated Cuthbertson 58-55 for the NCHSAA state 2A title last March.
In Kinston’s bracket — the Summit Hospitality Bracket — the Vikings will be joined by the host school, Person, Holly Springs, St. Joseph (N.J.), and Hampton (Va.). If they win today they will play the winner of Cuthbertson-Person at 7:20 p.m. on Friday. If they lose they will play the loser of that game at 2:20 p.m. on Friday.
Ryan Herman can be reached at 252-559-1073 or Ryan.Herman@Kinston.com. Follow him on Twitter: @KFPSports.
HSOT.com Holiday Invitational
Summit Hospitality Bracket
All games at Raleigh Broughton High
Wednesday
Game 1: Raleigh Broughton 73, Person 50
Game 2: St. Joseph (N.J.) 1, Holly Springs 0 (St. Joseph won via coin flip after its scheduled flight Tuesday was canceled due to inclement weather)
Today
Game 3: Person vs. Holly Springs, 11 a.m.
Game 4: Kinston vs. DeSoto (Texas), 5:40 p.m.
Game 5: Waxhaw Cuthbertson vs. Hampton (Va.), 9 p.m.
Friday
Game 6: Game 4 loser vs. Game 5 loser, 2:20 p.m.
Game 7: Broughton vs. St .Joseph, 4 p.m.
Game 8: Game 4 winner vs. Game 5 winner, 7:20 p.m.
Saturday
Fifth place: Game 5 winner vs. Game 6 winner, 11 a.m.
Third place: Game 7 loser vs. Game 8 loser, 4 p.m.
Championship: Game 7 winner vs. Game 8 winner, 7:20 p.m.