LA GRANGE — Perhaps it was the rust of having not played in five days or beginning a game at 6 o’clock instead of nearly 9. But one thing’s for sure — North Lenoir will have to play better at Erwin Triton today than it did against South Johnston on Tuesday.
Hawks coach Anthony Loftin feels his team will be up for the challenge.
North Lenoir (13-11) started off sluggish and had to use a late run to pull away from the Trojans, 73-61, in the opening round of the Eastern Carolina 3A Conference tournament on Tuesday. Up next is a game at Erwin Triton, which swept the fourth-seeded Hawks during the regular season and won the regular season title outright.
Both games between North Lenoir and Triton have been close, with Triton (20-3) winning by a combined eight points.
If his team is to get over the hump and into Friday’s conference tournament championship, it can’t afford to wait around like it did against South Johnston.
“We’re definitely going to have to come out strong,” Loftin said. “Last night against South Johnston it was like they thought we were going to win easily and that wasn’t the case. We’re going to have to play all four quarters against Triton if we want to win.”
That’s exactly what didn’t happen in the teams’ first two meetings.
On Jan. 31, which Triton won 61-59, North Lenoir led 28-18 late in the second quarter following an 11-0 run, but a jumper by Triton guard Maurice McBryde sparked a 22-4 run that put North Lenoir in the hole for good. The Hawks were able to creep back in, and had a chance to force overtime with a pair of free throws late but couldn’t convert.
In their second meeting on Feb. 14, Triton won 71-65 but had to hold off the Hawks yet again as they scored 39 points in the fourth quarter after trailing 46-28 heading into the final period.
The Hawks can’t wait to get hot late this time.
“We’ve just got to play a complete game of basketball,” Loftin said. “I know we’re capable of it, I’ve seen it happen. We’ve just got to be ready.”
Ryan Herman can be reached at 252-559-1073 or Ryan.Herman@Kinston.com. Follow him on Twitter: @KFPSports.