Kinston Triumphs Over East Duplin in Conference Showdown, 56-41

KINSTON, N.C. — The Kinston Vikings (11-3, 5-1) powered their way to a 56-41 victory over East Duplin (9-6, 1-5) Tuesday night at Kinston High School. The Vikings came out firing, scoring 19 first-half points to establish an early lead. Genesis Wiggins paced the team with eight first-half points, while Keyshawn Herring added seven.

Despite the comfortable margin of victory, Kinston left points at the charity stripe, converting just 13 of 23 free throws. A sluggish third quarter, where the Vikings managed only eight points, allowed East Duplin to trim the lead to single digits. However, Kinston found its rhythm in the fourth quarter, fueled by Wiggins’ late-game surge.

Wiggins finished with 14 points, leading all scorers, while Herring chipped in 13. Tyreek Cooper added six points, and Jermarion Washington contributed five.

With the win, Kinston improves to 11-3 overall and 5-1 in conference play, maintaining their second-place standing behind Southwest Onslow (14-2, 6-0). The Vikings currently sit in third place in the 2A East RPI rankings, trailing Southwest Onslow and Farmville Central. Both teams defeated Kinston earlier this season in road matchups. The Vikings are set to face Southwest Onslow again in a critical rematch on Jan. 31.

Up next, Kinston travels to Wheat Swamp tonight to take on North Lenoir (4-13, 2-4) in another conference matchup.