Phenom Hoops continues their rounds around the state, this time checking in on East Duplin high school as they welcomed in the Kinston Vikings.  Kinston came in with a 9-2 record but East Duplin was looking to knock them off the top.  Early on, East Duplin came out extremely strong led by their guard play, with 2023 Brecken Bowles, 2023 Teyshawn Johnson, and 2023 Daunte Hall scoring 15 of the team's 17 first-quarter points.  Johnson came out red hot, knocking down two early threes to lead the way.  But Kinston started to lock down defensively and climb right back into the game behind a couple of threes by 2022 Jyrah Canady and 2022 Dontae Ellis.  By halftime, we had a tie game at 22.

Second half, Kinston started to flex their muscles, really creating a ton of havoc defensively, creating turnovers, and quickly turning them into points, as the Vikings quickly went up by double-digits three minutes into the third quarter.  They continued to increase their lead into the fourth quarter, as it was an offensive struggle for East Duplin.  2023 Jaylen Cobb scored 10 of his 12 points in the second half for Kinston, while 2022 Jeremy Dixon and 2022 Dontae Ellis continued to lead the charge.

Overall, it was a game of two halves and quite a few turnovers, as Kinston cruised in the second half to a 55-39 victory on the road.

Final: Kinston 55 ' East Duplin 39

Stats:
Kinston: Dontae Ellis 13pts/ Jaylen Cobb 12pts/ Jeremy Dixon 11pts
East Duplin: Teyshawn Johnson 12pts/ Brecken Bowles 12pts/ Daunte Hall 6pts

Standouts/ Thoughts:

  • Kinston's defense really changed the game around in the second half, as they were able to create a ton of turnovers and attack in transition.  Dontae Ellis did a good job in leading the charge, as the senior guard really made a strong presence on both ends.  Extremely quick with the ball and out in transition as well.
  • 2023 Teyshawn Johnson really helped separate the game in the second half with his outside shooting, knocking down threes but also finding other ways to score.  One could say the same for East Duplin's Daunte Hall in the first half, as he came out and showed his range and brought some great energy early on.
  • 2022 Jeremy Dixon finished with 11 points, playing with good energy on both ends, finding ways to get inside the defense, and using his frame to score well around the basket.  It was a good team effort in this game and the senior prospect continues to have a good season in helping lead the charge with Ellis.
  • 2023 Breken Bowles has led the team in scoring this season, averaging around 15 points.  He was just shy of that mark in this one but really did a good job in getting paint touches and finding ways to get to the line as well.