Kinston Rolls to Gold Bracket Championship at East Coast Invitational, Winning 7 Straight

KINSTON — After a couple of days of intense summer hoops at the annual East Coast Invitational, Kinston walked away with the Gold Bracket title and a renewed sense of identity.

The Vikings rattled off seven straight victories to secure the championship, capping their run with a win over Laney High in the title game. Kinston, which lost two early pool games, rebounded in impressive fashion, defeating teams like South Central, Willow Springs, and Jacksonville on their path to the trophy.

“This was a tremendous amount of growth with our guys,” head coach Perry Tyndall said. “We got better and started to figure something out.”

Kinston finished tied for second in their pool but lost the tiebreaker after setbacks to Apex Friendship and Clayton. From there, the Vikings found another gear, toppling programs such as Southern Wake, New Bern, Ashley, and ultimately Laney.

Coach Tyndall praised the total team effort, pointing to contributions from across the roster.

“Offensively, Jamarion, Keyshawn, and Genesis are going to carry a big load,” Tyndall said. “But Brennan Chambers, DJ Myers, Jaylen Hawkins, Justin Gooding, Jahayeir Koonce, Johnterion Cobb, and Alijah Garner—really, everybody—contributed to something.”

Kinston’s run earned them the Gold Bracket title, finishing behind only Platinum Division champion Independence. Farmville Central and Richmond claimed the Silver and Bronze divisions, respectively.

“For individuals it was a test, and collectively for our team,” Tyndall said. “We faced a lot of adversity and had to grow up. I think we started to figure out an identity of what we are going to be.”

Still, the message from the coaching staff was clear—keep moving forward.

“It was a good four days for our team,” Tyndall said. “Now the challenge is for the new growth to start, and not go backwards. We don’t want to take three steps forward and two steps back.”

The Vikings’ balanced attack, evolving chemistry, and deep bench could make them a formidable force when the season tips off in a few months. For now, the early signs are promising—and the Gold speaks for itself.