Both teams came out of the locker rooms cold. A total of four points were scored in the first four and a half minutes of the ball game. The bad news for Pineville was that Barbourville had all four points.
Point guard Garrett Clark made two from the foul stripe and center Kevin Williamson added a bucket almost two minutes later. Shawn Madon finally broke through for Pineville with a nice post move while being defended by the much taller Williamson.
Beck started the next bit of scoring for Barbourville with a three point basket, and then followed that up with a free throw. He would prove to be a nemesis for the Mountain Lions all night long as he hit nine 3-pointers to lead all scorers with 30 points.
Pineville’s highly talented point guard, James David Strange, would have a few things to say through his shooting about the Lions staying in the game.
He hit back to back threes and then made a beautiful pass to Logan Jeffrey after a made Kevin Williamson basket. Jeffrey put the ball in the basket to end the first quarter with the score tied at 10.
Barbourville started off the second quarter on a 5-0 run, with two Williamson free throws sandwiching a Beck three pointer.
Then Pineville started playing the way they did in the All ‘A’ Tournament a few weeks ago. Their offense became very methodic and effective as they moved the ball around with silky smoothness. Shawn Madon started and finished an 8-0 Lion run with baskets inside. Strange hit a very nice finger roll in the lane and Brandon Hollingsworth got in on the action with a bucket of his own as the Lions took an 18-15 lead.
The teams swapped baskets the rest of the half, including a last second 3-pointer from by Strange from about 50 feet out and Barbourville took a 27-26 lead into the locker room.
Pineville started off the third quarter with a 5-0 spurt as Madon hit two free throws, and then Strange was fouled on a layup. The layup was good and so was the free throw.
That was when Beck and Josh Mills took over for the Tigers. In a two minute time span, Barbourville scored 13 straight points with Mills hitting a basket and two free throws, and Beck nailing three, 3-point baskets.
Beck would add another three in the quarter, while Strange and Hollingsworth would add three point baskets of their own to go into the final frame down by eight, 47-39.
There were two stories in the fourth quarter that led to Pineville’s inability to make a comeback. Travis Beck kept hitting three point shots, and James David Strange fouled out with a little over two minutes left to play.
Billy Rye and Michael Cunningham hit three’s late for Pineville, but without their general on the floor to take the pressure off the other shooters, the closest they could get was within nine points.
Strange closed out his outstanding career at Pineville with 24 points while Shawn Madon added 10 and Michael Cunningham 6.
Beck was the only Tiger to reach double figures with his 30 points. Mills finished with nine while Brad Marsee and Williamson added eight each.
Pineville ends the season with a record of 17-12.
Barbourville (15-11) will play Knox Central (15-8) Friday at 7 p.m. for the District 51 Championship.
Tonight at 7 p.m. the Pineville Lady Lions will play Knox Central tonight for the girls title.
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Pineville 10 16 13 20 – 59
Barbourville 10 17 20 21 – 68
PINEVILLE (59): James David Strange 24, Shawn Madon 10, Michael Cunningham 6, Brandon Hollingsworth 5, Logan Jeffrey 4, Jesse Fuson 3, Billy Rye 3, Dalton Simpson 2, Tyler Tuttle 1, Travis Napier 1, Mike Clifton 0.
BARBOURVILLE (68): Travis Beck 30, Josh Mills 9, Brad Marcee 8, Kevin Williamson 8, Garrett Clark 7, Darrin Mills 6, Cody Thompson 0, Garrett Vaughn 0, Micah Corey 0, Josh Hildebrand 0, Tyler Tye 0, Ben Stuber 0, Tyler Fuson 0, Steve Rudd 0, Ben Hammons 0.
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