Two days after falling to Bell County on the road, the Pineville Mountain Lions got back in the win column against Red Bird at home on Wednesday night, winning 74-71. Led by Ben Goodin with 29 points and Landon Couch with 15, the Mountain Lions overcame a balanced Red Bird scoring attack led by Max Kitoko with 24 and Deagon Finley with 17.

“It was a good win for us,” said Pineville coach James Strange. “I felt like we played very hard and made some big plays down the stretch.”

Red Bird controlled the opening quarter, behind Kitoko’s 11 points, outscoring Pineville 16-14. With four players finding their way into the scoring column, Pineville regained the edge in the second period, outscoring the Cardinals 18-14 to take a 32-30 lead into the half.

As play resumed in the third, Red Bird’s offense continued to be balanced, with five players scoring in the period. Red Bird edged Pineville 17-12 in the third to regain the lead, 47-44. Both offenses exploded in the fourth quarter, scoring 54 total points between each team. Goodin scored half of Pineville’s fourth quarter total, with 15 points, including seven-of-nine from the free throw line. Pineville made some big free throws down the stretch to secure the victory.

“Landon (Couch) did a great job of controlling the boards for us,” Strange said. “Ben (Goodin) played extremely aggressive at the end of the game and helped push us through for the win. I’m proud of our guys; it’s a good win for us.”

Pineville played Williamsburg on the road last night. Red Bird took on Sheldon Clark last night at home.

Pineville (10-17) (74) – Ben Goodin 29, Landon Couch 15, Dalton Mason 10, Clay Goodin 8, Keean Fuson 5, Matt Golden 3, Hayden Callebs 3, Tim Gambrel 1.

Red Bird (8-19) (71) – Max Kitoko 24, Deagon Finley 17, Austin Napier 14, Dalton Finley 11, David Collett 5.