Kinston Falls to East Duplin in Defensive Battle, 26-24
Kinston Falls to East Duplin in Defensive Battle, 26-24
KINSTON, N.C. — In a matchup of the top two teams in the East Central Conference, Kinston fell just short at home, losing 26-24 to East Duplin in a defensive slugfest. Both teams came into the game averaging 54 points per contest, but the defensive intensity on both sides resulted in a far different outcome.
Kinston (13-2, 4-2) led for most of the game, starting strong with an 11-point first quarter. Sophomore Aleah Hill opened the scoring with two three-pointers and two free throws, while fellow sophomore Nashayla Mason added a three-pointer to give the Vikings an early edge. Despite their hot start, Kinston struggled to find offensive consistency, scoring just 13 points over the final three quarters.
“We had an opportunity to win at the end, but as a coach, you accept the loss and know the best team won tonight,” Kinston head coach Chris Bradshaw said.
East Duplin (16-2, 6-0) turned the tide in the second half, outscoring Kinston 14-7 after trailing 17-14 at halftime. Sophomore standout Kinsey Cade led the Panthers, who extended their winning streak to seven games and maintained their position as the top team in the conference.
Despite their struggles, Kinston had one last chance to pull out a victory. With six seconds left, the Vikings had a full-court possession to attempt a game-winning shot, but a deflected pass by East Duplin left Kinston with just 0.7 seconds under their own rim. They were unable to get a clean look as time expired, sealing the loss.
Bradshaw pointed to key areas where the Vikings fell short.
“You’ve got to do the small things. You’ve got to protect the ball and rebound the ball. I thought we didn’t rebound the ball well tonight,” Bradshaw said. “It’s got to be one possession and out, and we didn’t have that tonight.”
Hill finished with a game-high 13 points, while Mason added seven points, including four in the second quarter. Despite their efforts, the Vikings couldn’t overcome a scoring drought in the second half that saw them manage just six points in the third quarter and one in the fourth.
The loss marks Kinston’s second of the season, both coming against East Duplin, a team ranked No. 4 in the 2A East RPI standings. Kinston, ranked No. 6, showed improvement in their second meeting with the Panthers, cutting the deficit from their 56-45 loss earlier this season and playing one of the top teams in the region down to the wire.
Bradshaw encouraged his players to take the loss as a learning opportunity.
“Experience sometimes means a lot because a lot of times, the experienced players are more poised and do the small things,” he said.
The Vikings won’t have long to dwell on the defeat as they face North Lenoir tonight in Wheat Swamp. Bradshaw stressed the importance of moving forward.
“The biggest thing to understand is they’ve got a game tomorrow,” Bradshaw said. “Winners lose the right way; losers lose the right way. It’s how you respond and come back from it.”
With several key conference games remaining, Kinston will look to regroup and build on the lessons learned from a closely contested loss to one of the region’s top teams.
