After dropping their season opener against Corbin by 14 points, the Pineville Lady Lions have now won three straight games by at least 20 points after downing the Middlesboro Lady Jackets 64-28 on Friday.

“Each game we are getting better,” said Pineville coach Jamie Mills. “We still have to be a little more patient on offense. They’ve came out with a lot of energy and played hard. We just have to harness that energy and get things a little more under control.”

“We’ve been working on a lot of stuff,” he added. “These girls put in a lot of hard work. I’m real happy with everyone’s performance. Everyone played a great game. We’re just going to take things a game at a time.”

The Lady Lions were led by Whitney Caldwell with 22 points. She was followed by Raigan King with 11. Summer Partin added nine, Virginia Hall added seven, Brittany Davis added six, Alyssa Edmonson had two, Halle Jones added two, Makenzie Widner added two, McKenna King chipped in two and Alyssa Howard added one.

“We have quite a few players out with sickness and some injuries,” said Middlesboro coach Scott Overbay. “We aren’t really at 100% as a team right now, but we aren’t taking anything away from Pineville. They are a very good team. Coach Mills does a great job here.”

“We’ve just got to play,” he said. “You have to battle through adversity. It’s a learning experience for this team. They’re experiencing a lot of growing pains right now and trying to learn how to navigate them. We will probably be playing two eighth-graders and a freshmen for what appears to be about the next month.

“We just have to play and go with it. We are just going to have to take our lumps and keep improving. I think that if we can get our offense going a little bit, we will be much more competitive.

“There’s one sure thing about this team that is unquestionable. They give 110% effort all the time. They’re willing to work as hard as it takes to improve and they’re always wanting to be better. I’m very proud of them and how hard they work.”

The Lady Jackets were led by Kailey Owens with 12 points. She was followed by Grace Temple and Brynlee Foster with five points each. Emrey Glover and Gracie Moles added three points each.

By the end of the first period, Pineville had already built a 15-point lead on the Lady Jackets, leading 25-10.

The margin was closer in the second quarter, with the Lady Lions only outscoring the Lady Jackets by three at 15-12. However, after a tremendous first period, Pineville was able to hold a 40-22 advantage at the half.

Middlesboro struggled mightily in the second half, only scoring three points in the final two periods each. Pineville scored 24 second-half points, allowing them to post a 36-point victory at home.

With the victory, Pineville improved to 3-1 on the season. They were slated to take on the Williamsburg Yellow Jackets at home on Monday night.

With the loss, Middlesboro moved to 1-4 on the season. They are set to take on the Harlan County Lady Bears Tuesday on the road.

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Pineville (3-1) (64): Whitney Caldwell 22, Raigan King 11, Summer Partin 9, Virginia Hall 7, Brittany Davis 6, Alyssa Edmonson 2, Halle Jones 2, Makenzie Widner 2, McKenna King 2, Alyssa Howard 1.

Middlesboro (1-4) (28): Kailey Owens 12, Grace Temple 5, Brynlee Foster 5, Emrey Glover 3, Gracie Moles 3.