Vikings end Panthers' reign in 3-A East final

MVP Ingram's 3-pointer a key sign

GREENVILLE -- Greensboro Dudley's express train to the state 3-A boys basketball championship game finally jumped the track Saturday.

Kinston ended Dudley's run of three straight state finals appearances and two straight state titles with a 75-66 victory in the Eastern Regional final at Minges Coliseum at East Carolina University.

The Vikings (28-2) grabbed 25 offensive rebounds in a fast-paced, physical battle and held off the Panthers' charge late. Kinston will face Concord in the state 3-A championship game.

"In so many ways, that game was just a train wreck waiting to happen," Kinston coach Wells Gulledge said. "Both sides jumped the track a few times; we just had more kids there to push it back on when it got off the tracks."

All 15 Vikings played in the game, while Dudley (24-5) had six players log 20 or more minutes of playing time.

Kinston led 64-62 when Donovan Ingram set a screen, then stepped back behind the 3-point line, took the return pass and drilled the shot for a 67-62 lead with 1:41 to play.

The shot was a sign to Dudley coach David Price that it just wasn't going to be his team's day.

"The key was the 3 the kid [Ingram] hit," Price said. "If you hit that shot at a moment like that, you'll win the game."

Ingram finished with 17 points in and was named the regional MVP. Dudley's Josh Chavis and Parrish Walker shared game-high scoring honors with 18 points each.

Chavis was one of three Dudley players to leave the game for a time with an injury. He chipped a tooth. Walker also had to leave with a split lip.

But the costliest injury was suffered by Dudley center Kenny Belton, who twisted an ankle in the first half and scored just two second-half points. Belton was the MVP of last year's regional tournament.

"He got bumped in the first half, and it just got stiffer and stiffer," Price said of Belton. "Offensively, we had a lot of struggles, which Kinston had a lot to do with."