For four quarters, Pineville and Red Bird went back-and-forth on Tuesday in a clash of 13th Region opponents. With both teams looking to end an extended losing streak, it was Ben Goodin and the Mountain Lions that left the court with a 75-68 victory.

The win was a breathe of fresh air for Pineville, who last tasted victory on Jan. 4 on the road against Thomas Walker. The Cardinals losing streak grew to four games with the defeat.

Ben Goodin played lights out for the Lions going 10-for-16 from the field on his way to a game-high 33 points. He also went an impressive 13-for-14 from the charity stripe and tied for a team-high five rebounds.

Josh Lawson added 14 points on 67 percent shooting.

The second unit provided a spark for Pineville combining for 20 points off the bench. Hayden Callebs led the group with nine points with the help of two 3-pointers. Matt Golden chipped in five points.

“We played really well. Matt Golden came in and gave us a lot of hustle and things of that nature,” said Pineville coach JD Strange. “Ben Goodin had a tremendous night. Josh Lawson had a few turnovers, but he also hit five or six from the field. Hayden Callebs did an outstanding job of running the ball club out there.

“I think it was a total team effort tonight, but obviously Ben (Goodin) stood out because he was able to attack the basket. I thought when our coaches changed our defense from zone to playing a man-to-man we got a little more aggressive with them. It was one of those games we gutted out. We sort of smelled it at the end and didn’t want to let go, so it was a good win for us.”

Austin Napier and Dalton Finley paced Red Bird offensively combining for 38 points. Napier scored 19 points on seven field goals. Dalton Finely also tallied 19 points on eight baskets off the bench.

Max Kitoko chipped in 14 points while Deagon Finley finished the night with eight.

Pineville used a 10-0 run at the end of the first to claim a 20-7 lead. The Cardinals were able to cut the lead to 20-16 by the time the buzzer sounded at the end of the period.

After swapping baskets, Napier and Dalton Finley nailed shots to grab a 24-22 lead early in the second frame. Pineville responded with consecutive baskets from Braxton Caldwell and Chris Saylor to return the lead to Pineville, 27-24.

After battling back-and-forth, Kitoko hit a layup at the buzzer to give Red Bird a 33-32 lead heading into the half.

Pineville used a 6-0 run midway through the third quarter to take a two-point lead. A layup by Goodin gave the Lions a 41-39 advantage. A basket from Dalton Finley tied the game temporarily before a Goodin floater and a Lawson layup gave Pineville a 45-41 lead.

After a jumper by Kitoko, Lawson scored on a layup to give the Lions a 47-43 lead heading into the final frame.

The fourth quarter was a sprint to the finish with the teams combining for 53 points in the frame. A pair of free throws and a layup from Kitoko tied the game at 49-all. A floater by Lawson returned the lead to Pineville, 51-49.

The Lions’ lead hovered around one to three points for the majority of the quarter before a foul and subsequent technical foul on Dalton Finley turned into a six-point swing for Pineville.

Callebs converted the one-and-bonus to take a 60-57 lead. He then hit the back end of the two technical free throws to increase the lead to four. Lawson then hit a 3-pointer on the inbound to increase the Pineville lead to 64-57.

The two teams traded baskets down the stretch with free throws from Goodin in the final seconds securing the seven-point victory for the Lions.

Up Next

Pineville (5-19) will host Williamsburg (13-15) at 7 p.m. on Thursday.

Red Bird (8-19) will travel to Riverside Christian (2-23) at 7:30 p.m. on Thursday.

———

Pineville 75, Red Bird 68

PINEVILLE

Josh Lawson 6 1-2 14, Braxton Caldwell 1 1-2 4, Ben Goodin 10 13-15 33, Marcus Estep 0 2-2 2, Landon Couch 0 2-2 2, Hayden Callebs 2 3-4 9, Matt Golden 1 3-4 5, Reed Baker 2 0-0 4, Chris Saylor 1 0-0 2. Totals: 23 25-31 75.

RED BIRD

David Collett 0 1-3 1, Deagon Finley 3 0-0 8, Austin Napier 7 5-7 19, Max Kitoko 6 2-2 14, Dylan Asher 2 2-4 6, Dalton Finley 8 0-0 19, Andrew Hoskins 0 1-2 1. Totals: 26 11-18 68.

Pineville 20 12 15 28 — 75

Red Bird 16 17 10 25 — 68

3-point goals: Pineville 4 (Hayden 2, Lawson 1, Caldwell 1), Red Bird 5 (Da. Finley 3, De. Finley 2). Rebounds: Pineville 29 (Estep 5, Goodin 5), Red Bird 24 (Kitoko 6, Asher 6).

Reach Anthony Cloud at 606-302-9090 or on Twitter @AnthonyCloudMDN