Mar 14, 2010
Kinston celebrates it's 2010 2-A state championship on Saturday, Mar. 13, 2010. (Photo by: Will Okun)
High expectations can weigh down any team, but Reggie Bullock wouldn't let a sub-par game keep him and his Kinston teammates from a state basketball championship this year.
With University of North Carolina head coach Roy Williams watching from the sidelines, the UNC-bound forward overcame a poor shooting night and helped lead the Vikings to a 51-29 victory over West Caldwell on Saturday in the Class 2-A North Carolina High School Athletic Association men's championship at Reynolds Coliseum.
Kinston (28-4) captured the school's seventh state championship and Bullock was named the game's most valuable player. He scored 15 points, grabbed 10 rebounds and had three steals. He surpassed 2,000 career points in the third quarter.
"My teammates did a great job pushing the ball in transition," said Bullock, who went 5-of-13 from the field. "We shot free throws well (12-of-15) and turned it up to a different level in the last thr ee quarters."
West Caldwell (27-3) went seven minutes across the second and third quarters without scoring and Kinston turned a 14-11 deficit into a 22-14 advantage.
"The run in second quarter enabled us to get some separation," said Kinston coach Wells Gulledge. "We made a few adjustments and came out hard in the second half. I've been on the other end of the stick. It's tough to come all the way up here and drop one. There's no greater feeling to win your last ball game with no more left to play."
Kinston trailed 10-7 after one quarter and struggled from the outside. But the Vikings eventually wore down the smaller Warriors, who shot only 26 percent in the first half (6 of 23) and were 12 of 45 for the game.
"Kinston comes at you and comes out hard," said West Caldwell coach Danny Anderson. "They fatigue you physically and then you make mental mistakes. Maybe their big-game experience helped them. They have such size and athleticism. It's not an eas y combination to play against."
The 29 points was the lowest total in a state championship game since Matthews lost to Camp Lejeune 37-25 in the 1950 Class B title game.
Kendall Jones led West Caldwell with 11 points.
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