By Patrick Ledington
The main event of the evening at the 51st District Tournament lived up to the hype as Barbourville had to earn its spot in the championship game.
The Lady Tigers jumped out early behind the play of freshman Breanna Engle, who scored six points in the first quarter. Barbourville mixed strong inside play with timely three-point shooting to take a 14-10 lead after one.
Barbourville continued to attack the paint in the second quarter while Marleigh Martin and Sadie Hoffman added long-range shooting. Pineville stayed close behind the strong play of Rachel Howard, who scored 10 points in the quarter. Barbourville led 32-23 at halftime.
Pineville came out of the break with renewed energy, pushing the ball inside to Howard and getting shots to fall. The Lady Lions cut the deficit to one by the end of the third quarter, trailing 40-39.
The fourth quarter was physical and hard-fought, with both teams battling for every loose ball. Pineville briefly took the lead, but Barbourville responded and closed the game at the free-throw line. The Lady Tigers made 18 free throws, including 12 from Engle, to pull away for a 58-50 win.
Engle led Barbourville with 20 points. Martin finished with 19, and Hoffman added 12 in the district semifinal victory.
