Kinston dominates Leesville Road, 84-61
Three-time defending state 2-A champion Kinston showed what won them those titles against Leesville Road, defeating the pride 84-61 in the opening round of the HighschoolOT.com Holiday Invitational Friday.
Kinston coach Perry Tyndall was proud of the effort put forward by his team, saying they knew they had to start strong after losing the opening contest of a tournament in South Carolina earlier this holiday break.
"I knew coming in they were going to give us a good test," he said. "We know the importance of going out and getting a win early after dropping our first one in South Carolina."
With one of the youngest teams in the tournament, Leesville Road coach Russ Frazier said his team was blown away by the environment and the play of Kinston.
"What an experience for all of our young players," he said. "It's good for the experience level of our team, and it's a good way for us to improve.
"If you want to play at a high level, you have to play the best," Frazier said. "They are the best."
Using a combination of inside and outside moves, senior forward Brandon Ingram led the Vikings with 27 points, 12 rebounds and four blocks. He showed off his range in this game, going 4-for-6 from three-point range.
Coming off the rocky start in South Carolina, Ingram said a few days off helped the team refocus.
"We were able to spend some time with our families and put our minds back on winning," Ingram said.
The Pride kept it close in the early going, down just 18-17 after the first quarter, and tying the score at 24. But Kinston took over from there, using a 20-2 run to close the first half for a 44-26 lead.
Kinston wanted to run and show how well they can play as a unit.
"We had to get out and show what we're all about," Ingram said. "Shots were falling for me early so it was good to get off to a hot start."
Teammate Mykel Hart added 16 and Darnell Dunn finished with 14 points and five assists.
The main reason Leesville Road was able to keep the game as close as they did for the first quarter-and-a-half was because of the play of junior forward Jonathan Mebane, who scored 20 of the Pride's 26 first half points. Mebane finished with 29 points in his first outing at the Holiday Invitational.
"I wanted to win this one bad," Mebane said in explanation of his hot start. "I just got the juices flowing and you want to take them down."
After leading by 18 at halftime, the Vikings stretched their lead to 24 after three quarters. Kinston stretched the lead to as many as 34 midway through the final quarter.
Kinston is one of the early favorites to win the tournament in their 10th consecutive trip. However, the Vikings haven't come away as champions since 1973. Tyndall said they want to win, but they are taking it one game at a time.
"It's not our focal point right now," he said "Last year we had a good run, but we came up short. I'd be lying to say we weren't trying to win it, but that's not our focus right now. This tournament has always been a good measuring stick, so it will show us what we need to improve on."
With this game, Ingram and Dunn became the first set of teammates to ever compete in four consecutive Holiday Invitationals.
"It's an honor to be the first to play in four straight," Dunn said. "We're just trying to get better with every game."
Ingram, one of the top recruits in the country, is mulling offers from Duke, North Carolina, North Carolina State, Kentucky, Kansas and UCLA.
With the victory, Kinston moves on in the winner's bracket, and will face Millbrook on Saturday while Leesville Road moves forward in the consolation bracket. The Pride will play Garner on Saturday.
