Lawson, a senior forward, and Johnson, a junior center, scored 16 points apiece for the Lady Dragons. Davenport, a freshman guard, contributed 14 points.
“They’ve got a lot of talent and are very well coached,” Pineville coach Russell Thompson said of Harlan. “Davenport is a big difference- maker. I felt like we could’ve got a lot of things done defensively if they hadn’t had her. She’s definitely the game changer for them.”
Davenport played at Cawood High School last year.
“Miranda had 14 points, five rebounds and four assists and kept us in the game,” Harlan coach Chuck Mitchell said.
Johnson had 12 rebounds for the Lady Dragons while Lawson grabbed 11.
“If we can keep them off the board and keep a fast pace and get Sarah (Scruggs) five or six rebounds, we’ll be OK,” said Mitchell. “We want to push the ball this year.”
Sophomore guard Chelsey Smith led the Lady Lions with 17 points. Blair Combs and Kelsey Woolum scored 11 and 10 points, respectively.
“We were focused on three things and that was energy, communication and blocking out, and we were successful on two of those,” Thompson said. “We’ve got to improve on rebounding. The girls want to do what’s right, and we’re going to continue to work on that and, hopefully, improve.”
Pineville kept the lead most of the first half. The game was tied four times in the first period. The Lady Lions led 17-15 after one quarter.
A 3-pointer by Smith and baskets by Whitney Partin and Robin Smith gave Pineville a 24-18 advantage with 4:15 left in the first half.
Baskets by Belinda Patton and Scruggs and a three-point play by Lawson gave Harlan a 25-24 lead two minutes later. The game was tied at 28-28 at halftime.
The defense by the Lady Dragons improved in the third quarter. Lawson scored six points and Davenport added five as Harlan led 44-36 after three quarters.
Senior forward Alex Allison hit a 3-pointer at the 6:50 mark of the fourth quarter to give the Lady Dragons their biggest lead at 47-38.
Combs scored five points while Chelsey Smith, Victoria Gilley, Brittany Smith and Kristen Brock scored baskets to trim the deficit to three.
Chelsey Smith missed a trey with two seconds left that would’ve tied the game.
The Lady Dragons play Estill County in their final scrimmage at Hazard on Saturday.
Pineville will open their regular season on Tuesday, Dec. 2, at the J. Frank White Academy.
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Harlan (59) — Chassidy Lawson 16, Anne Corey Johnson 16, Miranda Davenport 14, Belinda Patton 6, Alex Allison 3, Sarah Scruggs 2, Ashley Mullins 2.
Pineville (56) — Chelsey Smith 17, Blair Combs 11, Brittany Smith 10, Victoria Gilley 7, Kristen Brock 4, Whitney Partin 3, Lacy Brooks 2, Robin Smith 2.
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