Basketball Recap: Kinston Proves Higher State Rank Is No Mistake

Kinston hadn't done well against Southwest Onslow recently (they were 1-6 in their previous seven matchups), but they didn't let the past get in their way on Wednesday. The Kinston Vikings took down the Southwest Onslow Stallions 51-37. Given the Vikings' advantage in MaxPreps' North Carolina basketball rankings (they are ranked 71st, while the Stallions are ranked 238th), the result wasn't entirely unexpected.

Kinston found their leader in freshman J'Riyana Edwards, who dropped a double-double on 18 points and 13 boards. Those 13 boards set a new season-high mark for Edwards. Nasheyla Mason was another key player, going 5 of 10 on her way to 14 points along with five assists and five boards.

Despite the defeat, Southwest Onslow had strong showings from Oriyanna Galloway, who went 7 of 15 on her way to 21 points in addition to seven rebounds and six steals, and Khimara Dorsey, who dropped a double-double on 12 points and 20 boards. That was a full 56.8% of Southwest Onslow's points, marking the ninth time in a row she's posted more than a third of the team's points. The team also got some help courtesy of Brinkleyanne Lucas, who put up four points.

Kinston's victory bumped their record up to 11-1. As for Southwest Onslow, their loss was their first in the conference, dropping their conference record down to 2-1 and their overall record down to 6-4.

Kinston wasted no time getting back out on the court and has already played their next game, a 50-38 win against James Kenan on the 9th. As for Southwest Onslow, they also didn't take long to hit the court again: they've already played their next matchup, a 57-27 victory against South Lenoir on the 9th.