Greene Central’s Brandon Gilbert, left and Cameron Beaman practice Monday in preparation for Wednesday’s matchup against Whiteville in the NCHSAA 2A playoffs. Photo by Junious Smith III / Neuse News

By Junious Smith III

Strong seasons for the top two teams in the Eastern Carolina Conference didn’t equate to favorable seeding.

Greene Central and North Lenoir are heading to the NCHSAA 2A state playoffs in tennis, and will start the first round Wednesday on the road. The Rams (16-1) ended the season on a 16-game winning streak, but face one of the three unbeaten teams in the Eastern bracket in Whiteville (16-0).

“We’re going to face this challenge with respect,” Greene Central coach Tim Medlin said. “Any time you have a team that’s won 16 in a row, they’re accustomed to winning and playing with a lot of confidence. Out of 148 courts they’ve played this season, they’ve won 147, so it’s a lot for us to overcome, but we’ll see if the tough battles we’ve had this year will help us out.”

North Lenoir (10-3) takes a much longer trip, heading to Kill Devil Hills to face another unbeaten team in First Flight (5-0).

“Our strategy throughout the year has remained the same — win our top three singles and two doubles matches,” Hawks coach Scott Alston said. “If we do that, we have the chance to advance in the playoffs. We won’t overlook First Flight — they’ve got a lot of solid players and we’ll be ready for this match.”