Third-round NCHSAA playoff preview — ECC edition
Kinston’s Michyla Dove looks to help the Vikings defeat High Point Andrews Saturday in the third round of the NCHSAA 2A state playoffs. Photo by William ‘Bud’ Hardy / Neuse News
This is going to be great.
As we have three remaining teams in the NCHSAA playoffs from the Eastern Carolina 2A Conference, the trio of squads blesses us with amazing third-round matchups. A win brings each squad halfway to its destination of a state title — Kinston’s boys first since 2015, the girls since 2013 and Greene Central’s first.
On to Saturday’s matchups, which will be chronicled by the earliest time of tipoff to the latest:
GIRLS
No. 11 High Point Andrews (21-6) at No. 3 Kinston (23-5), 5 p.m.
Playoff results: Vikings defeated North Johnston 64-33, Roanoke Rapids 61-44; Red Raiders defeated North Pitt 44-34, East Bladen 67-66
This matchup pits a pair of streaking defensive-minded teams against each other. Kinston has won 18 straight contests and allow 38.5 points per game while T.W. Andrews won its last eight and allows just 35.7 points. Although the Red Raiders allowed its highest point total of the season in the second round, the team will look to prove it was a blip and not a trend. Offensively, T.W. Andrews is led by Jeriel Nesbitt (14.6 ppg) and Sequoyah Johnson (11.9 ppg).
Although most of the players weren’t around the last time the teams met, Kinston wants to get revenge after falling to Andrews, 49-43, in the third round of the NCHSAA 2A playoffs in 2016. The Vikings’ depth has been a tremendous advantage all year and it’s continued in the postseason — 11 players scored in the first-round win over North Johnston and nine got into the column against Roanoke Rapids in the second.
BOYS
No. 10 Kill Devil Hills First Flight (20-8) at No. 2 Greene Central (21-7), 7 p.m.
Greene Central’s Hysaan Hudson will be locked in as the Rams take on First Flight Saturday in the third round of the NCHSAA 2A state playoffs. Photo by William ‘Bud’ Hardy / Neuse News
Playoff results: Rams defeated Wilson Beddingfield 90-64, South Granville 82-58; Nighthawks defeated Fairmont 72-46, South Columbus 69-63
Greene Central is playing its best basketball of the year where it matters most, dispatching Beddingfield and South Granville with ease. Fast starts have been important for the Rams, outscoring the Bruins 25-9 in the first round before closing out the frame Thursday against the Vikings on a 24-2 spurt. If Greene Central can continue this torrid pace, seeing the Rams reach their third straight Regionals isn’t out of the question.
On the other side, First Flight is coming in hot, winning 12 of its last 13 matchups. The team struggled against Kinston in a 72-53 loss Dec. 8, but hit 23 3-pointers in a 93-64 victory against Ayden-Grifton Jan. 21. First Flight is never shy to let it fly from deep and the team has hit 369 from beyond the arc. Led by Dylan Blake (21.0 ppg), Jordan High (17.5 ppg) and Reese Jones (16.8 ppg), the Nighthawks don’t have the physical post players of Greene Central, but that could be more than neutralized if the team is on fire from deep.
No. 9 Kinston (24-6) at No. 1 Farmville Central (28-0) , 7:30 p.m.
Playoff results: Kinston defeated Oxford Webb 63-35, Southwest Edgecombe 59-45; Farmville Central defeated Providence Grove 93-43, St. Pauls 92-44
Kinston’s Kymonte Roberts sets up a play against Southwest Edgecombe Thursday. The Vikings play Farmville Central Saturday in the third round of the NCHSAA 2A state playoffs. Photo by William ‘Bud’ Hardy / Neuse News
The intrigue of this matchup is through the rafters and has the potential “changing of the guard” narrative when it comes to current prestige. Kinston has 11 state championships, including four straight between 2012-15, but Farmville Central won its third in 2016 during an undefeated campaign.
The teams haven’t played each other since the fourth round of the 2015 state playoffs, where the Vikings outlasted the Jaguars 58-54.
Kinston has been playing well lately, winning its last 10, but Farmville Central has been annihilating teams lately, winning its last 12 games by 30 points or more. The Vikings’ depth will be a big factor in Saturday’s contest — 12 players scored against Oxford Webb, nine against Southwest Edgecombe — but the Jaguars can get plenty of production from their own bench.
Farmville Central also has one of the most dynamic one-two punches in the state with Terquavion Smith and Justin Wright.
