SNOW HILL — It wasn’t as bad as last time, but it was still pretty bad.
Kinston mauled Greene Central by 60 points in the previous encounter between the Eastern Plains 2A Conference rivals. On Friday, Kinston rolled 82-45 at Rouse Family Foundation Court, a 37-point margin that sometimes seemed worse on the Rams’ Senior Night.
More importantly, the victory sealed Kinston’s seventh consecutive conference championship, dating back to its days in the Eastern Carolina 3A Conference.
“It’s a great accomplishment, especially for our seniors,” Kinston coach Perry Tyndall said. “The goal every season is to taste a championship. Hopefully this is just the beginning.”
The Vikings (19-2, 11-0) continued their undefeated march through the league, making short work of the Rams with a 12-0 first-quarter spurt.
The score was tied 4-4 at the time, and the Vikings’ lethargic play drew their coach’s ire. Tyndall called a 30-second timeout with 6:32 left in the first quarter to lambaste his team.
“We were gambling too much on defense and getting beaten back down the floor,” Tyndall said. “We were very fortunate that (GC) missed several open shots.”
The Vikings listened, less than three minutes later the score was 16-4, and the rout was on.
A 30-point second-quarter explosion sent Kinston into the locker room with a huge 53-18 advantage.
Denzel Keyes, who two days before signed to play basketball and football at North Carolina A&T, finished with 14 points, all in the first half.
Brandon Ingram led all scorers with 19 points, 10 in the first 16 minutes, and Andrew Lopez scored 10 of his 12 points before the break.
Kinston’s starters played sparingly in the second half. The Vikings’ largest lead was 41, first at 71-30 in the final seconds of the third quarter, and then again at 82-41 in the game’s waning seconds.
“Kinston’s the program we aspire to be,” said GC coach Jim Cole, whose team entered the game on a modest two-game winning streak. “They just overwhelm you with their talent. In our favor, we competed and played hard the entire game, no matter what the score was.”
Joseph Biggs tallied 11 points and Jalyn Harper added 10 for the Rams (5-16, 2-8), who close out the regular season next week on the road at SouthWest Edgecombe (Tuesday) and Farmville Central (Friday).
The Vikings finish up next Friday at North Pitt, which is tied for second after it fell at Farmville Central on Friday.
“We may have clinched the regular season title, but we can’t afford to let up,” Tyndall said. “You can bet North Pitt will be ready for us.”
KINSTON 61, GREENE CENTRAL 54
Takerian Harper only started because Lydia Rivers was held out with a minor knee injury, but she definitely took advantage of the opportunity.
Harper filled in admirably with 21 points and 10 rebounds as the Kinston girls (18-4, 11-0) scored the hard-fought victory.
GC led only once, 13-12, on Monesia Moore’s drive with 7:06 left in the second quarter, but they refused to go away.
Kinston led by eight at halftime and by as many as 13 in the second half. Each time Kinston stretched the margin, the Rams (8-13, 4-6) battled back.
A Harper layup off Brittany Drumgoole’s sixth assist of the game put Kinston ahead 46-33 at the 6:49 mark of the fourth quarter.
Led by Malaysia Lancaster (22 points) and Dasheka Mason (15 points), coach Meredith Franklin’s Rams closed to within 55-50 and actually had possession of the ball with 2:24 remaining.
Following a turnover, Monique Lofton buried a 3-pointer and then Anshonee Addison added a pair of free throws as Kinston held on.
Drumgoole added 12 points, dished out seven assists, and grabbed six rebounds for coach Hubert Quinerly’s club. Addison contributed 10 points for the winners.
BOYS
Kinston 23 30 18 11—82
Greene Central 12 6 14 13—45
VIKINGS (19-2, 11-0) – Brandon Ingram 19, Denzel Keyes 14, Andrew Lopez 12, Dunn 8, Dawson 7, Taylor 4, Ham 4, Rouse 4, Canady 4, Joyner 2, Hart 2, Jackson 2, White, Jones, Williams.
RAMS (5-16, 2-8) – Joseph Biggs 11, Jalyn Harper 10, Belcher 8, Braswell 5, Ormond 4, Rozelle 3, Parker 2, Evans 2, Lee-Jones, Jones.
GIRLS
Kinston 12 16 10 23—61
Greene Central 11 10 12 21—54
VIKINGS (18-4, 11-0) – Takerian Harper 21, Brittany Drumgoole 12, Anshonee Addison 10, Lofton 9, Williams 7, Washington 2, Vermillion, Clark.
RAMS (8-13, 4-6) – Malaysia Lancaster 22, Dasheka Mason 15, Moore 7, Campbell 5, Stevens 3, Payton 2, Robinson, Parker, Jones.