SNOW HILL — Greene Central took the first punch and countered well to secure its spot in the postseason. 
The Rams defeated Kill Devil Hills First Flight 78-69 in the third round of the NCHSAA 2A playoffs Saturday.

The Rams (22-7) fell behind by double digits early, but rebounded to set up a fourth-round matchup with Hertford County Tuesday. The game is a rematch from 2017, where Greene Central defeated the Bears 62-42 to move on to the regional finals.

"We've won our three playoff games this season in different ways," Greene Central coach Blue Edwards said. "We've had different guys step up during the games and you can't ask for more than that."

First Flight (20-9) shot well early, hitting six of 12 from beyond the arc in the first quarter. Reese Jones and Jordan High combined for five of those perimeter shots, with Jones putting the Nighthawks ahead 23-11 with his third of the frame. Greene Central countered with a 3-point explosion of its own in the second quarter, led by Kentrell Suggs. The junior came off the bench to hit four of the Rams' six triples on eight attempts, including one late in the second to give Greene Central its first lead since midway through the first. Dylan Blake hit two free throws on the other end, but the Rams took a 41-40 advantage into the break.

"When I saw we were losing, I knew I had to step up," Suggs said. "I didn't want to go home and I practiced on my shot a lot before this game."

First Flight went cold from beyond the arc, missing all nine of its attempts in the third quarter. The Nighthawks kept the game close with good inside play, but Jekael Gay's 3-point play followed by a Hysaan Hudson slam put the Rams up 57-52 late in the third, a lead the team wouldn't relinquish despite Blake's 3-point play to end the frame.

Greene Central started the fourth on a 7-1 run before Jones hit a pair of 3-pointers to bring the game within 64-61. Jones and High connected on two more perimeter shots, but Hudson hit two free throws with 52 seconds left to give Greene Central a 72-67 advantage. First Flight missed a 3-pointer on the other end and Dodd rebounded a missed free throw for Greene Central, leading to Gay's two from the charity stripe to ice the contest.

Dodd pulled down 17 rebounds for Greene Central, including 13 in the second half.

"We knew we had to lock down defensively because they like to shoot 3s," Dodd said. "We had to tighten up and take away their space.

"Our goal is to make it to N.C. State (for the NCHSAA 2A state championship game), so we knew what we needed to do. After we win Tuesday and finish the job in Greenville (Saturday), we'll be there."

Nighthawks coach Chad Williams said his team lost its touch as the game progressed. Overall, First Flight went 13 of 45 from the perimeter after a torrid start.

"We exerted a lot of energy in the first quarter," Williams said. "Having our point guard Tyler Witt in foul trouble early didn't help and our other guards had to play more minutes. I am proud of our guys — it was a great game between two strong teams and we did our best to get the win."

Hudson scored 15 of his team-high 19 points in the second half for Greene Central. Five Rams were in double figure scoring, including Suggs (18 points), Gay (13), Dodd (11) and Corbitt (10).

For First Flight, Jones had 21 points, including seven 3-pointers, High had 20 and Blake added 16.

Greene Central will host Hertford County at 7 p.m. Tuesday.

GREENE CENTRAL 78, FIRST FLIGHT 69

FF           23           17           15           14 — 69

GC          11           30           16           21 — 78

FIRST FLIGHT — Reese Jones 21, Jordan High 20, Dylan Blake 16, Davidson 8, Witt 2, Kitchin 2

GREENE CENTRAL — Hysaan Hudson 19, Kentrell Suggs 18, Jekael Gay 13, Imajae Dodd 11, B.J. Corbitt 10, Johnson 4, Taylor 3

Fouled out: FF — Witt

Technical fouls: FF — High

Three-pointers: FF — Jones 7, High 4, Davidson 2, Blake. GC — Suggs 4, Hudson 2, Gay 2.