The Pineville Mountain Lions’ season has come to an end after falling to the Knox Central Panthers in the opening round of the 51st district tournament on Monday. With four players averaging double figures for Knox Central, they are the favorite to win the 51st district.

Led by Jaylen Adams with 18 points and Nick Martin with 14 points, the Panthers defeated the Mountain Lions 73-29 to advance to the 51st District championship game at 7 p.m. on Thursday.

“It was a tough game for us,” said Pineville coach James David Strange. “Knox Central is a very good team that is well coached with a lot of weapons.”

The Panthers wasted no time in getting a sizable jump on the Mountain Lions, outscoring Pineville 22-6 in the opening period. With five players in the scoring column in the opening period, Knox Central’s balanced offensive attack proved to be difficult for Pineville to contain.

The Panthers increased their offensive and defensive intensity in the second quarter. Knox Central made 14 trips to the free-throw line in the second period, connecting on 11-of-14 attempts. Outscoring Pineville 26-4 in the second period, Knox Central continued to pull away from the Mountain Lions, taking a commanding 48-10 lead into halftime.

The Knox Central offense was much less effective in the second half of the game. Totaling only 12 points in the third quarter, the Panthers still managed to outscore Pineville 12-6 in the period, increasing their lead to 60-16 heading into the final frame.

With the game in hand, Knox Central got some of their younger players valuable playing time in the final quarter. The teams traded buckets for the duration of the final period, totaling 13 points apiece. At the final buzzer, the Knox Central Panthers had secured a 44-point victory over the hosting Mountain Lions to advance to the championship game.

“I’m overall very proud of our guys this year,” said Strange. “We are looking forward to getting in a lot of work this offseason and getting ready for next year. I also want to say thank you to the three seniors we are losing this year. These guys have worked hard, and I am very proud of the attitudes and effort they’ve put in since they’ve played for us. We are going to miss them.”

Pineville finishes the season at 10-19. Knox Central awaits the winner of Barbourville vs. Lynn Camp to determine their opponent for the 51st district championship.

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Pineville (10-19) (29) — Clay Goodin 8, Keean Fuson 4, Ben Goodin 4, Hayden Callebs 3, Eli Thompson 3, Braxton Caldwell 3, Tim Gambrel 2, Matt Golden 2.

Knox Central (26-4) (73) — Jaylen Adams 18, Nick Martin 14, JeVonte Turner 9, Andrew Sizemore 7, Dane Imel 5, Zach Moser 5, Abe Brock 5, Blake Ledford 3, Zach Patterson 2, T.J. Terrell 2, Isaac Mills 2, Jacob Lindsay 1.