Greene Central defeats Kinston to advance to the third round.

In a thrilling second-round playoff basketball game, Greene Central emerged victorious with a 65-58 win over cross-town rivals, the Kinston Vikings, in an intense game in the "zoo." 

Kinston took the first two games in the regular season, and that was definitely on the Rams' mind.

"We definitely wanted revenge from the last two game," Rams KJ Harper said. "We were coming in big."

Coach Blue Edwards was thrilled with his team's performance, noting that the victory was a "must-win" and praising their hunger and teamwork.

The game began with Kinston taking an early lead, but Greene Central fought back and held on to a narrow advantage going into halftime.

The Rams then took control in the third quarter, building up their biggest lead of the game at 47-38. However, Kinston's Jaylen Cobb had an explosive performance in the second half, scoring 26 of his career-high 39 points and putting the Vikings ahead by two with just over three minutes left in the game.

But Greene Central refused to give up and responded with some big plays of their own. Amir Holmes hit his fourth three-pointer of the game to put the Rams back in front, before Auston followed up with a steal and a layup to extend their lead. The team closed out the game on a 9-0 run, securing a hard-fought victory. Mir Moore led the Rams in scoring with 24 points.

"It was win or go home," Mir Moore said. "I had to do what I had to do to keep my team from going home."

Kinston Perry Tyndall praised his team's fighting spirit and resilience, particularly in the face of recent injuries to key players. He credited Cobb's performance as a reflection of the team's ethos, but ultimately gave credit to Greene Central for hitting some crucial shots in the closing stages.

The win sets up another exciting matchup for the Rams as they prepare to travel to South Granville this Saturday at 3:00pm.