By By KEVIN TRAVIS, Assistant Sports Editor
GREENVILLE -- Basketball fans might be in store for a track meet when Plymouth and Wallace-Rose Hill collide tonight at Minges Coliseum.
The Vikings (25-2) and Bulldogs (22-4) play at 7 p.m. in the first game of the N.C. High School Athletic Association Class 1-A Eastern Regional tournament. That will be followed by Perquimans (23-4) taking on Northampton East (22-4) at 8:30 p.m., with the championship game to be held Saturday at 5 p.m.
Plymouth coach Chris Cherry, who led the Vikings to a 1-A state runner-up finish last season, said his Vikings will face a strong team in the Bulldogs.
The Vikings, ranked fourth in the N.C. Coaches/iHigh.com poll, have done just that, winning 11 straight games.
Like Plymouth, Wallace-Rose Hill has been playing its best ball of late. Coach Steve Robinson, who coached for two years at Chocowinity High School, has guided the Bulldogs to 14 consecutive victories.
Wallace-Rose Hill, ranked 10th in the N.C. Coaches/iHigh.com poll, has put up some big point totals all year. That includes a 109-65 win over Union, a 104-26 nod against Midway and a 101-40 victory over Lakewood. The Bulldogs have scored at least 93 points three other times.
Donald Tate, a 5-9 senior guard, leads the team in points, averaging 17.8 points per game. Greg Moore, who will play defensive end at Elizabeth City State University next year, comes up with 15.2 points and 12.5 rebounds per outing, while 6-2 forward Melvin Edwards averages 7.8 points a game.
Robinson said his team has just as good a chance of winning a state championship as the three others in the Eastern Regional tournament.
It starts off with the battle between the Vikings and Bulldogs, and Robinson is anticipating a fast-paced game.
The Vikings finished 25-3 last year to go with the runner-up finish. After losing such quality players as Donald Norman, Kevin Nixon, Marvin Jackson and Terrance Jackson, some wondered how Plymouth would fare this year. But the team hasn't missed a beat, recording a second straight 25-win season.
Cherry cites depth as being a big reason behind his team's success.
Linson and Carter have shown that they can take over a game whenever they want.
The bench has also been a big plus for the Vikings. Key members coming off the bench for the Vikings have been Letrell Cherry, Brandon Biggs, Brandon Wilkins and Brandon Bryant.
While several players are putting up impressive offensive statistics, Plymouth is better known for its relentless defensive pressure.