By Shane Shackleford

Sports Writer

In a game that had all the trappings of a 13th Regional Tournament matchup, the Corbin Redhounds and the Pineville Mountain Lions battled for 32 minutes with the Redhounds finally claiming a hard-fought 77-73 victory Tuesday night in Pineville.
The game also marked senior night for Pineville’s 10 seniors, including Sawyer Thompson, Ashton Moser, Cam Puckett, Kaiden Robbins, Jeremiah Beck, Zander Garrison, Jack Smith, Sebastian Kyle, Dylan Abner and Jacob Hartmann.
The game was a see-saw affair from the opening tip with both squads making plays on the defensive end and making tough shots on the offensive end.
The game was tied at 18 after the first quarter before Corbin took a 39-35 lead at the half.
Pineville clawed its way back to within a single point at 56-55 after three frames before the Hounds outscored the Lions 21-18 in the final stanza for the four-point victory.
Ryder Akins led Corbin with 25 points. Evan Ellis added 16, while Eli Pietrowski scored 15.
Pineville’s Sawyer Thompson led all scorers with 31 points. Ashton Moser and Jerimiah Beck scored 11 each.
The 19-8 Lions return to action in their regular season finale against defending region champion Harlan County in a JV/V doubleheader on Thursday evening in the Lions’ Den. The tip for the JV game is 6 pm, and the varsity tilt is set for 7:30 pm.
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Corbin (77) — Ryder Akins 25, Connor Middleton 8, Zack Reynolds 6, Dawson Farmer 7, Evan Ellis 16, Eli Pietrowski 15.
Pineville (73) — Sawyer Thompson 31, Ashton Moser 11, Cam Puckett 8, Kaiden Robbins 6, Jeremiah Beck 11, Jack Smith 3, Sebastian Kyle 3.

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The Pineville Mountain Lions made the long trek up legendary Highway 23, known as “The Country Music Highway,” to face perennial 15th Region contender Johnson Centrfal in Paintsville for a Saturday matinee.
The Lions, however, had a virtuoso performance worthy of the Grand Ole Opry, blistering the nets for 97 points in a 97-86 victory over the Golden Eagles.
The Lions improved to 19-7 on the season behind their high-octane offense, which also had
perfect balance with all five starters scoring in double figures.
Senior guard Ashton Moser poured in 25 points to lead the Lions. Sawyer Thompson followed close behind with 23. Jeremiah Beck added 17 and added his name to the 1,000-point club in the process. Cam Puckett added 16 points and Kaiden Robbins scored 12. Zander Garrison scored four points.
The Eagles were led by their duo of high-scoring guards sophomores Austin Slone (26) and Brayden Shepherd (25). Sophomore big man Kyle Rose added 12.
Pineville jumped out to a 24-15 lead after one period, but Johnson Central got super hot in the second quarter, outscoring the Lions 34-23 to take a 49-47 lead to the locker room.
Pineville regained the lead in the third quarter 22-18 to get back in front 69-67. The Lions delivered the knockout blow to the Eagles in the decisive fourth quarter with a 28-18 frame.