PINEVILLE — Knox Central wrapped up the 51st District’s top seed Monday, rolling past Pineville 89–66 to improve to 12–6 overall and 3–0 against district opponents. The Mountain Lions fell to 8–10 on the season.
“I want to give all the credit to God for the win tonight,” Knox Central coach Tony Patterson said. “He’s the reason for everything we do!
Hayden Melton played big for us tonight with 26 and 12 boards. Trevor Smith controlled the pace tonight with 17 and 10 assists and Evan Hubbard had a very patient 19 and 5. Spencer and Luke were solid in double figures. We’re starting to figure out how to play basketball and win! It’s fun to watch such a young group figure things out. I love our team.”
The Panthers put together a strong offensive showing, with multiple players delivering big scoring runs throughout the game.
Evan Hubbard led the charge with 21 points, knocking down three three-pointers. Hayden Melton followed with 16 points in a breakout performance, scoring 10 in the second quarter, four in the third, and 12 in the fourth.
Trevor Smith scored eight of his 14 points in the first quarter, connecting on two three-pointers early to set the tone. Luke Olmstead added 11 points, Spencer Pritchard chipped in nine, and Evan Taylor scored all eight of his points in the opening quarter as Knox Central built early momentum.
Pineville stayed competitive behind strong outside shooting. Anderson Gentry led the Mountain Lions with 18 points, hitting three 3-pointers. Noah Slone also knocked down three from deep and finished with 17 points. Brady Haymaker had a big third quarter, scoring 11 of his 15 points during the period.
