By John Henson
Sports Writer
Coming off a 20-win season in 2024 and a 22-win campaign in 2023, the Pineville Lady Lions hope to build on that success this year with a long and talented frontline returning led by senior forwards Ava Arnett and Kameron Billiter and junior center Rachel Howard.
“We always have high expectations for our teams,” said Pineville coach Elgie Green. “This season we have a tough schedule, playing many of the top five teams in the region. We want to compete at a high level, 20-game win season, compete for an All “A” regional championship, a district championship, get the regional championship and see what we can do.”
The Lady Lions suffered a big loss with the graduation of point guard Nadine Johnson, who averaged just under 23 points per game and 7.5 rebounds while leading the defense with her tremendous quickness that created problems for most opponents.
“Nadine Johnson and what she brought to the court will not be easy to replace, but we think we have the length, experience and speed to be a hard match up,” Green said. “We feel confident that our core group will be able to pick up the intensity, scoring and defense that we lost in Nadine.”
Arnett is one of the region’s top players with an average of 13.2 points and 4.6 rebounds per game last season.
“Ava can play all five positions,” Green said. “She will be our second leading scorer returning from last year. She’s a 1,000-point scorer and an experienced senior. She is a good rebounder, shot blocker and floor facilitator. A key factor for us will be Ava’s play and leadership.”
Howard is one of the region’s best in the paint with averages of 12.3 points and 7.1 rebounds a year ago.
“Rachel was our this leading scorer and rebounder from last year. She will be our anchor in the paint,” Green said. “She has experience and has taken a big role in leading our team this season. We will rely heavily on her post presence in scoring and rebounding.”
Biliter averaged 3.3 points and 3.5 rebounds per game last season and has the ability to score inside or outside.
“Kameron also brings a lot of experience to our team; she is a great leader and works extremely hard at doing the little things,” Green said. “She will also be able to play guard and post. She is a good rebounder, communicator and shooter. She will have to look more for her shot this season for us to make up for Nadine Johnson in the scoring department.”
Madison Johnson, a freshman forward, was one of the team’s top reserves by the end of last season and will move into the starting lineup this season.
“Madison played big minutes in big games as an eighth grader last season,” Green said. “She is good rebounder, has a good motor and plays hard, can play inside and out, makes good decisions. She will only get better with more games under her belt.”
Addison Arnett, a freshman guard who played in 14 varsity games last season, could also move into the starting lineup.
“Addison will play point and two guard. She has worked hard over the summer. She will be expected to play a big role this season as we need her to have confidence, facilitate the offense and knock down 3s,” Green said. “Addison is a hard worker, and effort will not be a factor with her. Like Madison, she will only get better as she gets more games under her belt and plays with the pace we need her to.”
The Lady Lions’ depth will also be given a boost by one of the region’s best eighth-grade groups, including Clara Strange, Hannah Abner, Kaelyn Burnett and Jacklynn Patrick.
“This group of eighth graders is inexperienced at the high school level, but all have great instincts, are extremely coachable, want to get their chance on the floor and play extremely hard,” Green said. “We need them to be confident, play good defense and make good decisions.”

 

DATE	OPPONENT	SITE	SCORE				STATS?
Mon, Dec 2, 24	North Laurel	away					7:30 PM		⇄
Thu, Dec 5, 24	Whitley County	home					7:30 PM		⇄
Tue, Dec 10, 24	Tri-Cities Christian Academy (Blountville), TN	home					7:30 PM
Fri, Dec 13, 24	Harlan County	away					7:30 PM		⇄
Sat, Dec 14, 24	Wayne County	at South Laurel					5:00 PM	Lisa Collins Classic	⇄
Thu, Dec 26, 24	Letcher County Central	home					5:00 PM	Chain Rock Classic	⇄
Fri, Dec 27, 24	Harlan County	home					5:00 PM	Chain Rock Classic	⇄
Sat, Dec 28, 24	Cumberland Gap, TN	home					5:00 PM	Chain Rock Classic
Fri, Jan 17, 25	Barbourville	away					6:00 PM		⇄
Tue, Jan 21, 25	Leslie County	at Leslie County Nixon Center					7:30 PM		⇄
Thu, Jan 23, 25	Lynn Camp	home					6:00 PM		⇄
Tue, Jan 28, 25	Knox Central	away					6:00 PM		⇄
Sat, Feb 1, 25	Wayne County	home					5:00 PM	Gem City Classic	⇄
Tue, Feb 4, 25	Hazard	away					7:30 PM		⇄
Thu, Feb 6, 25	Harlan	home					7:30 PM		⇄
Sat, Feb 8, 25	Madison Southern	home					1:30 PM		⇄
Tue, Feb 11, 25	South Laurel	away					7:30 PM		⇄
Thu, Feb 13, 25	Perry County Central	home					7:30 PM		⇄
Sat, Feb 15, 25	Southwestern	at Wayne County					1:00 PM	Access Realty Classic	⇄
Mon, Feb 17, 25	Knott County Central	home					7:30 PM		⇄