LONDON — Two 13th Region heavyweights battled it out in The Jungle on Thursday with Tony Pietrowski’s Corbin Redhounds outlasting North Laurel with a 63-58 win.
The Redhounds were led by Evan Ellis, who led Corbin in scoring with 28 points during his first game wearing red, grey and white. Dawson Farmer added 16 points while Eli Pietrowski scored seven points.
“Proud of my team,” Corbin coach Tony Pietrowski said. “We’ve had some tough losses of late. We continued to practice with a purpose, stayed together and focused on the bigger picture. Tonight we were rewarded by beating one of the best teams in our region.”
The game was close throughout with the Redhounds holding an 18-10 lead at the end of the first quarter, a 32-24 edge at halftime, and a 43-41 advantage heading into the fourth quarter.
Connor Middleton and Ellis scored six points apiece during the fourth quarter to help Corbin hold onto the win.
The Redhounds knocked down 14-of-16 free throw attempts in the final eight minutes and finished the game hitting 21-of-26 shot attempts from the free-throw line in the game. They also hit eight 3-pointers.
“Proud of Dawson,” Pietrowski said. “With Ryder (Akins) injured the last few games, we have worked him at the point. He’s done an amazing job.
“Eli and Zack made timely baskets and worked the glass in some key situations,” he added. “Conner Middleton continues to be a bulldog for us. Proud of his defense and willingness to step up and make foul shots. How about Evan Ellis? I’ve told people he has a high level game and skill set. Our team was certainly excited to see him shine this evening. All that said, we have a long way to go and plenty of tough games ahead. We will enjoy this, but get back at it tomorrow. There is work to be done.”
North Laurel was led in scoring by Reece Davidson’s 17 points while Cooper Elza scored 14 points and Jordan Rawlings finished with 10 points. The Jaguars knocked down five 3-pointers and finished 2-of-2 from the free-throw line.
“Credit to Corbin for playing well tonight,” North Laurel coach Nate Valentine said. “They made things very tough for us on both ends of the floor. I knew playing five games in seven days was going to be a tough stretch for us. We have to bounce back tomorrow and in a district game vs Jackson to secure the one-seed. I’ll continue to fight for my players till the end.”
