For half of the first quarter, Pineville held a lead of Morgan County. That would be about all the time the Lions would have to enjoy as the Cougars used several runs throughout the game to pull away to a 62-49 victory on Wednesday during the Pine Mountain Classic.

Pineville struggled offensively after being held to single digits in the first and second quarters. The Lions closed the gap with a 22-point third quarter, but the deficit was too much as the team lost by double digits for the fifth time this season.

Garrett and Josh Adkins gave Pineville trouble combining for 28 points. Both players scored 14 points. Josh Adkins went a perfect 6-for-6 from the charity stripe while scoring four baskets from the field. Garrett Adkins scored nine of his points from beyond the arc.

Michael Prater led the team with a 15-point outing.

Braxton Caldwell was the one shining star for the Mountain Lions during Wednesday’s game. The sophomore forward provided instant offense off the bench in the second half while nearly cutting the game to single digits. He finished with a game-high 20 points while shooting 63.6 percent from the field and going 5-for-8 from three-point range.

Josh Lawson chipped in 12 points, while Ben Goodin added five points to the scoreboard. Landon Couch ended the night with a team-high 15 rebounds to go along with his four points.

After holding a 4-2 lead at the midway point, Pineville fell behind by two points, 6-4, with less the four minutes to go in the opening quarter after free throws and a jumper by Josh Adkins.

A quick layup by Couch tied the game at 6-6 temporarily before the Cougars went on a 7-0 run that increased their lead to 13-6 with 1:22 remaining in the first. A free throw by Goodin ended the run and cut the deficit to 13-7 at the end of one.

Morgan County opened the second with an 8-0 run that stretched over four minutes. A pull-up jumper by Garrett Adkins capped the run giving the Cougars a 21-7 lead. Pineville finally got on the board with 3:39 remaining in the half after a basket by Brendan King cut the deficit to 21-9.

Morgan County outscored the Lions 8-4 down the stretch to take a 29-13 lead into halftime.

The third quarter was about as even as it got with Pineville notching the Cougars 22-21 in the period. Caldwell came off the bench and scored 13 of his points. He cut the lead to 13 on two occasions in the quarter — once a 3-pointer halfway through the third and again on a jumper that narrowed the deficit to 38-25.

Each time the Lions inched closer to getting within single digits, Morgan would go on a run. The Cougars took a 50-35 lead into the fourth. Pineville outscored Morgan 14-12 in the final period, but the Cougars walked away with the 13-point victory.

Up Next

Both teams continued play in the Pine Mountain Classic on Thursday. Morgan County competed against Williamsburg, while Pineville takes on Garrard County at 5 p.m.

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Morgan County 62, Pineville 49

MORGAN COUNTY (10-2)

Blake Evans 3 0-0 7, Josh Adkins 4 6-6 14, Garrett Adkins 5 1-1 14, Zach Gilliam 0 1-2 1, Michael Prater 5 5-9 15, Jake Helton 3 3-5 9, Will Hembree 1 0-2 2. Totals: 21 16-25 62.

PINEVILLE (3-6)

Josh Lawson 5 2-4 12, Ben Goodin 1 3-4 5, Clay Goodin 0 0-0 0, Chris Saylor 0 0-0 0, Landon Couch 2 0-0 4, Braxton Caldwell 7 1-3 20, Hayden Callebs 1 2-3 4, Brendan King 1 0-0 2, Jonathan Simpson 1 0-0 2. Totals: 17 8-14 49.

Morgan County 13 16 21 12 — 62

Pineville 7 6 22 14 — 49

3-point goals: Morgan County 4 (G. Adkins 3, Evans 1), Pineville (Caldwell 5).

Reach Anthony Cloud at 606-302-9090 or on Twitter @AnthonyCloudMDN