The Middlesboro Yellow Jackets have opened the month of February 2-1 after defeating Pineville on Tuesday night in Pineville, 71-30. Middlesboro defeated both of its in-county rivals in a four-day span.

“I’m really proud of the way we executed the game plan,” said Middlesboro coach Lewis Morris. “We did what we wanted to do on offense, and did a pretty good job on defense. We’re doing a lot better about moving the ball and getting to where we need to be on defense. Coach (James) Strange is doing a great job at Pineville and we are happy to get the win.”

“It was a tough game for us,” Strange said. “Middlesboro is a good team; they have weapons all over the floor. They brought a lot of pressure and it made us difficult for us to find consistent scoring.”

Led by Scotty Overbay with 14 points and Mykel Griffin with 12, Middlesboro’s offense was extremely balanced throughout the game with 13 different players finding their way into the scoring column. Led by Clay Goodin with 8 and Keean Fuson with 6, the Pineville offense had a hard time getting much going in the game.

In the opening period the Middlesboro defense wasted no time locking down Pineville, outscoring the Mountain Lions 18-4 in the opening period. Things continued to trend in Middlesboro’s direction as they limited Pineville to just 11 points in the second quarter, while scoring a game-high 24 to take a commanding 42-15 lead into halftime.

After the half, the Yellow Jackets picked up where they left off, outscoring the Mountain Lions 18-7 to give themselves a 60-22 lead heading into the final period. Middlesboro’s offense played even better in the fourth quarter, totaling 21 points, while limiting Pineville to 8.

Middlesboro is back in action against Barbourville in Middlesboro on Friday at 7:30. Pineville faces off against Owsley County in Pineville on Friday at 6 p.m.

Middlesboro (13-11) (71) — Scotty Overbay 14, Mykel Griffin 12, Trey Brock 9, Josh Overbay 7, T.J. Patterson 6, Jordan Davis 5, Bryson Barnard 4, Steven Poore 4, Christian Hubbard 3, Jabari Kyle 2, Eric Helton 2, Zach Tong 2, Jay West 1.

Pineville (8-16) (30) — Clay Goodin 8, Keean Fuson 6, Ben Goodin 4, Landon Couch 4, Hayden Callebs 3, Cameron Fuson 3, Matt Golden 2.