Kinston, Dudley Advance In 3-A East

Saturday's 3-A east final should be a classic. With young stars on the court, Dudley and Kinston earned the right to battle it out in the regional final.

GREENVILLE, N.C. - D.H. Conley and Northern Vance turned in outstanding seasons, both of which ended Tuesday night at the hands of the perceived elite teams in North Carolina’s 3-A eastern bracket.

Dudley outlasted D.H. Conley 75-67 as Marcus Heath turned 4 3-pointers into 21 points. Sophomore Brennan Wyatt, a 5-foot-9 floor leader, scored 10 and handed out 7 assists.

Wyatt, in spite of his size, should emerge this spring as a potential mid-level candidate for a scholarship. Not many kids have his savvy and ability to share the basketball. New to the state, he’s had the kind of year worthy of recruiting attention.

The top overall prospect at Dudley is freshman P.J. Hairston. In the second half, Hairston would knock-knees with another player as Dudley held its collective breath when he hobbled off the floor. Hairston would later return to action and finished with 4 points. He’s had big games this year and has shown flashes of considerable talent from his 6-foot-5 frame.

Lane Emerges In 2009

The biggest story from the game was Conley’s Jaron Lane. A 6-foot-4 junior small forward (maybe shooting guard in time) scored 26 points on 10-for-17 from the floor. Southern Conference and Colonial schools (ODU was in attendance) will need to put him on their radar.

Lane’s a savvy player. His jumper is a tad flat but he’s got long arms, solid athleticism and despite little fanfare, is a Division I prospect in the making.

Northern Vance hung with Kinston for a half until Reggie Bullock got defensive. The UNC-bound sophomore filled his stat sheet with 21 points, 9 boards, 4 assists, 2 blocks and 2 steals. A game removed from going 8-for-10 from downtown and scoring 37 points, Bullock overcame a cold first half by turning up the heat on defense.

Helping Bullock was senior Bo Ingram who tossed in 21 points and 9 boards of his own.

Dudley and Kinston, two teams good enough to be state champs, will play Saturday afternoon for the opportunity to play in the state title game.