Kinston boys win, girls fall to Goldsboro
Kinston’s Judah McBynum slams home two of his 10 points during Thursday’s game against Goldsboro. Photo by William “Bud” Hardy / Neuse News
It might’ve been a win, but Kinston’s Perry Tyndall wasn’t happy about the final result.
Kinston defeated Goldsboro 82-75 Thursday in a game the Vikings dominated early. The Vikings (5-2) led by as many as 30 in the contest, but the Cougars (5-2) whittled the deficit with a big rally, which didn’t please the Kinston coach.
“I was very proud of the first half and it’s up there with one of the most disappointed second halves I’ve coached,” Tyndall said. “We needed to come out in the second half with the same intensity and mindset, but we didn’t. We showed a lot of immaturity in the second half — we lost focus and were careless with the ball. At the end of the day, I’m proud to get a win and it’s a good thing we did what we did in the first half.”
A pair of Shamon Wooten free throws early sparked a 20-3 run for the Vikings in the first quarter, highlighted by a behind-the-back pass from Issac Parson leading to a vicious dunk from Dontrez Styles. Although Christian Bullock ended the run with a 3-pointer as time expired in the first half to bring the Cougars within 26-12, the Vikings kept up the pressure and a late second-quarter perimeter shot from Jeremy Dixon put Kinston ahead 47-17.
Kinston’s Dontrez Styles goes in for a layup in Thursday’s win over Goldsboro. Photo by William “Bud” Hardy / Neuse News
Goldsboro trailed 60-34 with 2:50 to play in the third, but closed the frame out on an 11-2 run as Bullock scored inside as time expired. Goldsboro methodically whittled the advantage down in the fourth, but Kinston would make plays, including dunks from Styles and Judah McBynum, along with a Chance Minott 3-pointer.
Despite the loss, Cougars coach Jamaal Croom said the team showed grit.
“The first half was tough because we had some key guys in foul trouble and Kinston took advantage,” Croom said. “In the second half, we were able to make adjustments and the guys fought hard. They could’ve easily laid down, but instead they continued to play. Due to our efforts in the first half we couldn’t make it more of a game, but we’ll get better from here.”
KINSTON 82, GOLDSBORO 75
G 12 8 25 30 — 75
K 26 21 15 20 — 82
GOLDSBORO — Isaiah Wilder 19, Xavion Atkinston 19, ChristianBullock 17, Jkeis McClean 10, Jamin 4, Williams-Barnes 3, Harper 3
KINSTON — Dontrez Styles 13, Chance Minott 13, Judah McBynum 10, Issac Parson 10, Cardiaa Koonce 10, Shamon Wooten 10, Roberts 3, Dixon 3, Burton 3, Davis 2, Evans 2.
Three-pointers: G — Bullock 3, Williams. K — Minott 3, Burton, Parson, Styles, Dixon.
Kinston’s Zykia Andrews shoots while being contested by Goldsboro’s Mary Archibald in Thursday’s game. Photo by William “Bud” Hardy / Neuse News
In the girls’ game, Kinston built up a 12-point lead, but poor shooting after the second quarter doomed the Vikings in a 61-49 loss to Goldsboro. The Cougars (7-2) forced 18 percent shooting for the final three frames as the team roared back.
“We played strong defense, contested shots and on offense we were able to execute our gameplan well, especially in the second half,” Cougars coach Latina Bullock-Thomas said.
Kinston (5-1) was on fire in the first quarter, hitting six of its first seven shots from beyond the arc. Zykia Andrews and Samantha Lee hit four combined in a 2-minute span, with Lee’s 3-pointer late in the first putting the Vikings ahead 21-9.
Goldsboro trailed by 11 early in the second quarter, but ended the frame on a 13-3 run to get within 31-29 at the break. Kinston would answer with an 8-2 run over the first six minutes of the third — including back-to-back buckets by Comya Baker — but Goldsboro got within 39-38 to start the fourth, as consecutive steals and layups from Tziah Kelly helped garner momentum.
Goldsboro took its first lead since early in the first quarter on a McKayla Roberts basket with 4:55 to play to go up 42-40. The basket triggered a 15-2 run Kinston wouldn’t recover from.
“We kept our heads in the game, played great defense and worked together,” Kelly said. “This win meant a lot because we had tried to beat Kinston for a long time.”
GOLDSBORO 61, KINSTON 49
G 12 17 9 23 — 61
K 21 10 8 10 — 49
GOLDSBORO — Tziah Kelly 15, Dyamond George 15, Aleesha Boyette 12, Roberts 7, Lucas 6, Archibald 6
KINSTON — Michyla Dove 10, Zykia Andrews 10, S. Jones 9, Lee 6, T. Jones 6, Baker 4, Powell 2, Cobb 2
Three-pointers: G — Boyette, Archibald. K — Andrews 3, Lee 2, S. Jones.
