After trailing by six heading into halftime, Harlan found momentum in the second half. Kilian Ledford, who was held to just three points in the first half, drained four 3-pointer in the second half to help the Dragons claim a 55-52 victory over Pineville on Friday.

The win gives Harlan their second straight victory after defeating Middlesboro just three days earlier. It is their third win in five games.

Pineville’s season continues to spiral as the loss gives the Mountain Lion their sixth consecutive defeat.

Jacob Wilson led all scorers on the night with 19 points while going 8-for-12 from the free-throw line. Ledford hit five 3-pointers during the game on his way to a 17-point performance. Carter Barnes and John Eldridge both chipped in six points.

Ben Goodin paced Pineville with 12 points while shooting 50 percent off the bench. He also tied for a team-high five rebounds. Josh Lawson and Braxton Caldwell both ended the night with nine points. Marcus Estep chipped in six points from the bench.

It looked like Pineville was well in control of the game with just over seven minutes remaining in the third. A 3-pointer by Caldwell gave the Lions an 11-point lead, 30-19, with 7:33 remaining in the period.

Harlan kicked it up a notch over the next five minutes going on a 14-0 run with a 3-pointer from Jordan Akal giving the Dragons their first lead of the night at 33-30.

Back-to-back baskets from Wilson gave Harlan a 37-35 lead heading into the final frame.

A basket from Lawson and a pair of free throws from Goodin and Reed Baker drew the game even at 41 with 3:52 remaining in the game. Ledford answered with consecutive 3-pointers around two free throws from Lawson to give Harlan a 47-43 lead.

The Dragons pushed the lead to seven with a 3-pointer from Ledford. Harlan missed some key free throws down the stretch to give Pineville a chance to make a run.

Baskets from Goodin and a 3-pointer by Lawson brought the Lions within two, 54-52, with 15 seconds remaining. Austin Adams hit a free throw with 8.6 seconds to give Harlan a three-point lead.

Pineville had a chance to force overtime but couldn’t find a good shot. Clay Goodin shot a long 3-pointer at the buzzer but missed allowing Harlan to exit the floor with the win.

Up Next

Pineville (4-15) will travel to Jackson County (12-8) at 7 p.m. on Tuesday.

Harlan (3-12) will travel to Whitley County (6-16) at 7:30 p.m. on Monday.

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Harlan 55, Pineville 52

HARLAN (3-12)

Jordan Akal 1 0-2 3, Kilian Ledford 6 0-2 17, Jacob Wilson 4 8-12 19, Austin Adams 1 2-4 4, Carter Barnes 3 0-3 6, John Eldridge 3 0-0 6. Totals: 18 10-23 55.

PINEVILLE (4-15)

Josh Lawson 3 2-2 9, Matt Golden 0 0-0 0, Braxton Caldwell 3 0-2 9, Reed Baker 1 2-2 5, Landon Couch 0 0-0 0, Clay Goodin 2 0-0 5, Hayden Callebs 1 0-0 2, Ben Goodin 4 4-5 12, Marcus Estep 3 0-0 6, Chris Saylor 1 1-2 4. 18 9-13 52.

Harlan 5 14 18 18 — 55

Pineville 12 13 10 17 — 52

3-point goals: Harlan 7 (Ledford 5, Wilson 1, Akal 1), Pineville 7 (Caldwell 3, Lawson 1, Baker 1, Saylor 1, C. Goodin 1).

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Jay Compton of the Pineville Sun contributed to this report.

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