Parson ignites Vikings' comeback, finishes with 16 points in road win at Eastern Wayne
Kinston’s Isaac Parson goes in for two of his team- and game-high 16 points against Eastern Wayne on Friday evening. Bud Hardy/Neuse News
GOLDSBORO - Keep it simple.
Dial it back a notch.
Kinston head boys' basketball coach Perry Tyndall delivered that message to his team after it allowed Eastern Wayne to reel off 14 consecutive points in the opening quarter Friday evening.
Down by nine, the Vikings heeded their coach's advice, stabilized themselvs and cobbled out a 71-53 victory - their seventh of the season without a loss.
"They came at us tonight and really had us on our heels," Tyndall said. "Disappointed in our approach coming out. I thought we were very individual on offense, trying to make plays that aren't there.
"We were out of sorts right out of the gate, not doing what we were supposed to do."
The Warriors (3-6) led by three after one quarter.
Senior guard Isaac Parson put the Vikings on his back with a stellar second quarter - eight points, four assists and three steals. He tied the game at 20-all and gave Kinston the lead for good, 22-20, on a pair of free throws.
Parson ended the night with 16 points.
Will London (10 points), Clarence Burton and Takhari Evans delivered considerable minutes off the bench and helped the Vikings ease into halftime ahead 34-26.
Dontae Ellis and Jeremy Dixon contributed key baskets, which allowed Kinston to build a double-digit advantage it kept the remainder of the second half. Ellis and Dixon combined for 14 points, including 11 in the second half.
"Once we settled down and started making some plays, we moved the ball and were tough," Tyndall said. "Good things happened. We got some good looks and got easy points."
Dontrez Styles added a quiet 12 points for the Vikings, who are now 15-0 against Eastern Wayne since 2007.
Kinston’s Sherice Jones (with ball) looks for an open teammate during play against Eastern Wayne on Friday evening. Bud Hardy/Neuse News
Viking girls roll along
Despite missing two teammates, unbeaten Kinston didn't skip a beat during its 55-26 romp over Eastern Wayne.
Michyla Dove and Zykia Andrews sat on the bench in their warm-ups as the Vikings completed their regular-season sweep over the Warriors. KHS head coach Chris Bradshaw said Dove would return Monday for practice, while Andrews (minor foot injury) will sit out the John Wall Invitational.
"We probably could have taped it up and she probably could have went [tonight]," Bradshaw said of Andrews. "We've got enough depth to be able to do what we do. [Tonight] we played as a team. Every girl who played tonight scored."
No kidding.
Taliyah Jones emerged as the lone Viking in double figures with 13 points. Alena Rivers supplied seven points and pulled down a season-high 16 rebounds. Lesley Sutton contributed six points and logged seven steals. Sherice Jones' stuffed her statsheet with four points, five assists, three rebounds and four steals.
"A lot of times in practice we talk about rebounding the basketball," Bradshaw said of Rivers' glass-cleaning performance. "A good thing about us having a five-guard set, anybody can rebound the ball and push the ball [upcourt]. That's a good situation for us to fill the lanes and keep going."
Kinston (8-0) improved to 7-9 against Eastern Wayne since 2007.
