Kinston pulls away late to defeat Greene Central on home floor

FRIDAY- Greene Central’s boys basketball team dropped a 63-51 road decision to Kinston on Friday night, marking the Rams’ third loss in their last six games — all three coming against quality opponents in Kinston, J.H. Rose, and Fike, teams that own a combined 30-8 record.

The Rams came out firing early, with Sam Avent knocking down shots from deep to set the tone, but Kinston answered throughout the opening quarter. A late bucket by Jamarion Washington gave the Vikings a 14-13 lead after one. Kinston opened the second quarter on a 6-0 run and carried a 30-24 advantage into halftime.

The Vikings continued to control the game after the break, pushing the lead to 48-39 after three quarters. Greene Central made a push in the fourth, cutting the deficit to six, but Kinston’s balance and execution proved too much down the stretch.

Trey Bynum led Greene Central with 12 points, followed by DJ Williams with 11 and Avent with eight. Justin Mitchell added six. Kinston was led by Keyshawn Herring and Jamarion Washington with 17 points apiece, while Genesis Wiggins chipped in 16.

The loss snapped none of Greene Central’s perspective, as the Rams remain battle-tested heading into the MLK Tournament on Monday at Farmville Central against First Flight. Kinston, which has now won four straight overall and four straight against Greene Central, will host North Lenoir on Tuesday.