Brandon Ingram owned the first quarter and Josh Dawson owned the second. But all quarters belonged to Kinston.
So does the Eastern Plains 2A Conference tournament title — again.
Dawson scored 19 points and Ingram added 16 as the Vikings rolled Farmville Central 80-45 Friday night for their seventh consecutive conference tournament championship and first under head coach Perry Tyndall.
Andrew Lopez added 15 points and Denzel Keyes scored 10 as a 17-5 spurt to end the first half took care of things for Kinston (22-2) offensively while its defense held the Jaguars (20-5) to a stagnant 35.7 percent (20 for 56) from the floor.
“This means that a lot of people did a lot of things along the way to be successful, and that’s what makes this place so special,” said Tyndall, who assisted the previous six conference championships.
“We’re just happy to be able to win the conference, win the conference tournament, and now it’s a whole new season starting next week.”
The Vikings, winners of 13 straight games, raced out to a 12-5 lead behind eight quick points from Ingram but Farmville Central closed the gap and kept it respectable until midway through the second quarter.
Kinston led 30-17 with 3:43 remaining in the half when Dawson drained a 3 for three of his 15 second-quarter points which sparked the game-deciding run and gave the Vikings a 47-22 lead at the break.
Dawson had seven rebounds and eight assists and Keyes added eight boards, but it was Kinston’s defense that stood out the most to Tyndall, especially after how lethargic it was against SouthWest Edgecombe in the semifinals on Wednesday.
“Our mental approach to this game and the way we came out was a big stride from Wednesday. That was good to see going into next week,” he said.
“I want (the defense) to be the constant.”
In three meetings this season with the second-seeded Jaguars — who were supposed to contend for the title with the Vikings — Kinston won each by an average of 34.7 points.
“I’ve got a heck of a team, man,” Tyndall said. “This is a fun group that is extremely competitive.
“Farmville’s a good team. We’ve just got a heck of a group.”
With the regular season behind it, Kinston can now put all its focus on winning its second consecutive NCHSAA state 2A championship. Predictions heading into Friday’s game had Kinston seeded second for next week’s sectionals with Wendell Corinth Holders at the top. But the Pirates, who had two losses entering Friday like Kinston, fell to Bunn 66-49 in its conference tournament, all but giving the top seed to the Vikings.
They’ll find out for sure where they’re seeded when the pairings released later today.
“We know now that the next (championship) is the next part of our season that we want to win,” Tyndall said. “It’s going to be a tough ride. There’s a lot of good teams in this bracket. You’ve got to be ready to play every night.”
Ryan Herman can be reached at 252-559-1073 or Ryan.Herman@Kinston.com. Follow him on Twitter: @KFPSports.
Farmville Central 13 9 12 11—45
Kinston 21 26 21 12—80
JAGUARS (20-5) — Josh Phillips 15, Keyshaun Williams 10, Parker 8, Taylor 6, Foskey 3, L. Jones 2, McCabe 1, Ashorn, Crandall, Norville, Newsome, Watts, J. Jones, Forbes, Pitt.
VIKINGS (22-2) — Josh Dawson 19, Brandon Ingram 16, Andrew Lopez 15, Denzel Keyes 10, Canady 4, Dunn 4, Taylor 4, Ham 2, Joyner 2, Williams 2, Rouse 2, White, Hart, Jones.