By Shane Shackleford
Sports Writer

The opening week of Pineville Mountain Lion basketball action has ended with the squad leaving the starting blocks with a strong 2-1 start.
The Lions opened the season with a 59-53 victory over Model in the Jersey Mike’s Classic held at Great Crossing High School in Georgetown on Saturday.
From there, the Lions broke even in the prestigious WYMT Mountain Classic, falling narrowly to 14th Region power Breathitt County 72-69 in the opening round Tuesday night and rebounding to defeat Prestonsburg 79-72 in the consolation round Wednesday evening.
Top Performers of the Week
● Sawyer Thompson: The senior point guard has dominated the court to open the season, averaging 24.7 points per game. Thompson also became the all-time leading scorer in Pineville history by scoring his 2,151 career point against Breathitt, breaking the mark held by star Lion center Dustin Day. He was also named to the WYMT all-tournament team, the WYMT Leadership Scholarship
winner, and the player of the game against Model for his efforts.
● Ashton Moser: The senior sharpshooter has also come up big for the Lions in the early going, averaging 22.3 points per game. Moser exploded for 35 points in the Lions’ win over Prestonsburg.
● Cam Puckett: Puckett has significantly impacted the Pineville lineup with an 11.3 scoring average. The senior transfer from Berea poured in 21 points against Breathitt.
The Week Ahead: The Lions will continue their run of playing strong clubs with a visit to Manchester to face 13th Region contender Clay County on Tuesday night. From there, the Lions will begin their holiday schedule by visiting Gatlinburg and participating in the Smoky Mountain Christmas Classic. Pineville will open play against Briarwood Christian (AL) on Thursday night at 8:30.
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Pineville (59) — Sawyer Thompson 25, Ashton Moser 17, Preston Zachery 3, Cam Puckett 8, Sebastian Kyle 2, Dylan Abner 4.
Model (53) — Marcello Zorzi 6, Jayden Bingham 4, Landon Kidd 21, Harrison Parkhurst 2, Riley Mollette 20.
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Breathitt County (72) — Aaron Stallard 11, Payton Collins 5, Brantlee Campbell 2, Braxton Terry 4, Austin Sperry 22, Canaan Gross 19, Joseph Honeycutt 3.
Pineville (69) — Sawyer Thompson 20, Ashton Moser 15, Cam Puckett 21, Kaiden Robbins 4, Zander Garrison 3, Dylan Abner 6.
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Pineville (79) — Sawyer Thompson 29, Ashton Moser 35, Preston Zachery 2, Cam Puckett 5, Kaiden Robbins 2, Zander Garrison 2, Dylan Abner 4.
Prestonsburg (72) — Connor Napier 15, Graham Shutts 8, Kaden Allen 16, Braxton Keathley 21, Waylon Butcher 12.