Kinston’s Isaac Parson goes for a drive during the Vikings’ victory over Eastern Wayne Thursday. Photo by William “Bud” Hardy / Neuse News.

By Bryan Hanks

Kinston started slow but finished fast to defeat Eastern Wayne in the Vikings’ first game of the 2018-19 season.

“I’m proud anytime we can come out of the gate and get a win,” Kinston coach Perry Tyndall said. “We’ve got a lot of work to do, though.”

The Vikings (1-0) took a 2-0 lead, but saw themselves fall behind 22-8 and rallied to trail 34-28 at the half. Eastern Wayne junior guard Wesley Case was particularly effective against Kinston, hitting two 3-pointers on his way to 15 first-half points.

“We knew he was a tough little player and he really hurt us,” Tyndall said of Case. “We lost our man continuously on defense. We just weren’t locked in.”

Case wasn’t the only player Kinston struggled against in the opening half, though.

“Defensively, we came out and did what we wanted to do in the first half,” Tyndall said. “We just weren’t smart defensively and we had no communication. When you don’t communicate, it hurts.”

The Vikings finally took control in the fourth quarter, outscoring the Warriors (0-3) 18-5 in the final frame.

“Once we settled in in the second half, I knew we would be good,” Tyndall said. “We were also more patient on the offensive side of the ball in the second half; we were shooting too quickly in the first half and when we showed patience, we got better.”

Case led all scorers with 18 points.

Four Vikings – Dontrez Styles (15 points), Shamon Wooten (13), Chance Minott (12) and Cardia Koonce (12) – finished in double-digit scoring.

Kinston returns to the court Saturday in Raleigh when it plays in the HighSchoolOT.com preseason showcase. The Vikings will face 4A powerhouse Raleigh Wakefield at 3 p.m. at Millbrook High School.

“We’re going to have to be much smarter than we were tonight,” Tyndall said. “We’re going to have to be much more fundamental and play assignments better. We’ve got to grow a lot in a day.”

EW      22        12        15        5          --         54

K          14        14        16        18        --         62

Eastern Wayne (54) - Wesley Case 18, Clark 9, Spears 9, Vaughn 8, Brown 8, Dillahunt 2.

Kinston (62) – Dontrez Styles 15, Shamon Wooten 13, Chance Minott 12, Cardia Koonce 12, Parson 8, Evans 2.