Vikings sit atop ECC poll

Published in Sports on November 22, 2005 1:59 PM

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The Kinston boys' basketball team turned around its 2004-05 season by winning 10 of its final 12 games and advancing to a sectional championship game.

That was enough for the Eastern Carolina 3-A basketball coaches to give the Vikings the nod in The Free Press coach's poll. Every coach in the league was able to vote for every team but their own in the poll that was conducted last week.

"I think everybody is remembering the way we finished last year," Kinston coach Wells Gulledge said. "But it's a credit to our kids that coaches in the conference think enough of them to vote that way."

The Vikings received four first-place votes to finish first in the polling. Wilson Beddingfield and Southern Wayne picked up the other two first-place votes and finished tied for third, followed by Wilson Hunt, Eastern Wayne and C.B. Aycock.

Gulledge voted for Southern Wayne with his first-place vote.

"Mike Connelly has a phenomenal team at Southern Wayne," Gulledge said. "You better bring your 'A' game or it's going to be a long trip home when you play them."

In the girls' poll, Beddingfield received top honors from the five participating coaches. Aycock picked up the other first place vote and finished second, followed by Hunt, Kinston and Eastern Wayne.

Southern Wayne coach Sally Combs was the only boys or girls coach in The Free Press Eastern Carolina 3-A, Eastern Plains 2-A and East Central 2-A coach's polls to refuse to participate. To keep the voting fair, Southern Wayne's girls were not included in the EC3A poll.

By BRYAN C. HANKS

Courtesy Kinston Free Press