WILLIAMSBURG — The old adage “Defense wins championships” has proven true time and again, and if that’s the case, the Corbin Redhounds are poised for a deep postseason run.
Their impressive defensive effort during Tuesday’s 58-46 victory over Whitley County suggests they could be well on their way.
The Redhounds improved to 19-9 with the win, earning their way into Friday’s 50th District title game against South Laurel along with a berth into next week’s 13th Region Tournament.
“Excited to punch our ticket to the Regional tournament,” Corbin coach Tony Pietrowski said. “Proud of my team this evening. I felt we stuck to the game plan and executed well a majority of the night. Whitley County has a nice basketball team. We put a lot of work in on them the last couple days.”
Corbin built a 10-8 lead entering the second quarter and built on to it each quarter.
Eli Pietrowski came up big, scoring 12 of his team-best 16 points in the second half. He also hit two huge 3-pointers. Dawson Farmer added 15 points while Ryder Akins and Evan Ellis scored 11 points apiece.
“Dawson Farmer had a very nice game,” Pietrowski said. “We moved him around the entire night due to foul trouble and he played at a high level in all those positions. Proud of Eli’s performance. He made some huge shots and plays in crucial situations. His leadership was impressive as well.
“Everyone that played tonight contributed to that win,” he added. “If we keep that mentality the remainder of the season we have a chance to accomplish some great things. We appreciate Redhound Nation’s support tonight. As always Go Hounds.”
With the loss, Whitley County finishes the season with a 19-11 mark. Bryson Mahan led the Colonels with 16 points while Henry Bowling added 14 points.
Coach Eric Swords continues to lead Whitley County in the right direction, and has plenty of reason to be excited what could be in store next season.
“Tough one for us,” he said. “Proud of our kids effort. Big shoutout to Aaron Rowe and Javon Rider, those two seniors have meant a lot to me and our program. Both are incredible people and will be successful.
“I love our team, togetherness, and effort,” he added. “They have been a joy to coach. We just got to continue to get better, but you can be certain that we are coming soon.”
