Bryan C. Hanks
March 16, 2008 - 1:14AM
Sports Editor
CHAPEL HILL - The drought is over.
For 43 years, Kinston High School (and Grainger before it) had gone without a state championship. Thanks to some gutsy, gritty play by the Vikings in their 60-58 win over Trinity in the NCHSAA 3A championship game on Saturday, there is some fresh hardware to put in the trophy case.
"There have been a lot of snakebites in our legs over the past 43 years," Kinston coach Wells Gulledge said. "It means a lot for basketball. I couldn't be more proud of our kids or more proud of our community or school."
The Vikings received huge contributions from their seniors to assure the victory. Kinston hit all eight free throws it attempted in the final 1:16 of the game - all by seniors Bo Ingram, Akeem Sutton and Termaine Miller.
"That right there is poetic justice," Gulledge said. "It couldn't happen to a better group of young men for that to happen."
Sutton said, "We did what we had to do to get this championship. Our teammates look up to us since we're seniors. It was good for our team to know the seniors would come through for them."
Ingram earned MVP honors by scoring 21 points and pulling down eight rebounds in only 23 minutes of action. Ingram missed a huge chunk of the third quarter and the first two minutes of the fourth quarter due to foul trouble.
He was mobbed by his teammates when it was announced he was the game's MVP.
"It was emotional for me to see how happy my teammates were for me to get it," Ingram said. "I'll remember this night forever."
Another Kinston star, sophomore wunderkind Reggie Bullock, was limited to 13 points and eight rebounds in only 20 minutes after he severely sprained his ankle in the third quarter. After wrenching his ankle, he was able to limp back onto the court for about 30 seconds before Gulledge removed him.
The victory - Kinston's 28th of the season - didn't come easily, although it looked that way early. The Vikings (28-4) jumped out to a 13-0 lead and didn't allow a Trinity basket until Josh Pittman's 3-pointer with 1:40 remaining in the first quarter.
Kinston pushed the lead to 14 points at 17-3 before the Bulldogs (30-2) began their rally. Thanks to dead-eye shooting from Pittman - a diminutive 5-11, 135-pound guard - the Bulldogs scrapped to within three points at 22-19 on his fourth 3-pointer of the first half.
After taking a 30-23 lead at halftime, Kinston struggled from the field in the third quarter and fell behind for the first time in the game when Trinity's Josh Jones hit a basket to put the Bulldogs ahead 37-36 with 4:24 left in the frame. A lay-up from Ingram pushed Kinston back ahead 38-37 20 seconds later and neither team led by more than five points the rest of the way.
Trinity tied the game for the final time at 48-48 on yet another 3 from Pittman with 2:52 remaining, but it was the third and final tie of the game. Senior Termaine Miller buried a 3-pointer 22 seconds later to give the Vikings a 51-48 lead they wouldn't relinquish.
"I had to go out there and do what I had to do on the court," Miller said. "I just felt like it was going in when I let it go."
The game was secured in the final 76 seconds when Ingram (4-for-4), Sutton (2-for-2) and Miller (2-for-2) buried all eight free throws they attempted.
Pittman didn't come out of the game and led the Bulldogs with 23 points on 8-of-23 from the field, including 7-of-16 from 3-point range.
"Pittman is a phenomenal shooter," Gulledge said. "They're a scrappy ball club, and he's the leader of that group."
Jones scored 14 points for Trinity, while Chris King came off the bench for 11 points.
Ingram's 21 and Bullock's 13 points marked them as Kinston's only players to score in double figures. Miller had seven points - including his five in the fourth quarter - while Sutton had five points.
Plans for a celebration - and a potential parade in downtown Kinston - will be formulated over the next few days.
Source:
Kinston Free Press
