LA GRANGE — Its goal of finishing first no longer a reality, North Lenoir’s boys basketball team can still finish second in the Eastern Carolina 3A Conference.
The Hawks will need some help to do so outright, so losing tonight at league champion Erwin Triton is not an option.
After Tuesday’s games North Lenoir (12-11, 7-4) is one of three teams tied for second place as the league wraps up its regular season games tonight.
The Hawks are in a deadlock with C.B. Aycock and Southern Wayne for the No. 2 seed in next week’s conference tournament and for the league’s No. 2 playoff berth barring a team lower in the standings doesn’t win the tournament.
The Falcons travel to last-place South Johnston and the Saints wrap up their regular season at fifth-place Clayton Cleveland. But North Lenoir isn’t going to be concerned with how those two games are turning out.
Not until after its own, at least.
“We’ve just got to win. That’s it,” Hawks coach Anthony Loftin said. “We’ve got to be concerned with beating Triton. If that happens, then we can worry about how the other teams are doing.”
Given who his counterparts are playing Loftin figures there will be a tie for second, making a win tonight that much more important. He also knows his team drew the biggest challenge in trying to stay in the hunt for second place.
Triton (19-3, 10-1) currently has a three-game lead over the trio of second place teams and defeated North Lenoir 61-59 on Jan. 31 in a game where North Lenoir rallied late but came up short.
“We know what we’re up against,” Loftin said, “but our guys are ready for the challenge.”
Regardless, Loftin is glad he has a certain home game when the boys portion of the league tournament begins on Tuesday.
“We know what’s at stake,” he said. “We control our own fate.”
SL boys still in hunt
Following Tuesday’s loss at Croatan, South Lenoir’s boys are still in the hunt to finish in a tie for first in the East Central 2A Conference thanks to Jacksonville Northside’s win over former league leader Clinton.
The Blue Devils (11-7, 9-4) must win at Clinton on Friday and get some help from East Duplin, which hosts Northside, to finish in a tie for first.
Area teams going to the state playoffs
With one game left on their regular season schedules, boys teams from Ayden-Grifton, South Lenoir, North Lenoir and Kinston have qualified for the state playoffs. So have girls teams from Ayden-Grifton, South Lenoir and Kinston.
BCA opens playoffs at home
Bethel Christian Academy opens the NCCSA playoffs with a pair of home games on Friday. Its girls will face Raleigh Christian Academy at 6 p.m. and its boys will square off against Raleigh Friendship Christian at 7:30 in the sectionals.
Ryan Herman can be reached at 252-559-1073 or Ryan.Herman@Kinston.com. Follow him on Twitter: @KFPSports.