The Harlan boys basketball team exploded out of the starting blocks on both ends of the court Friday night at the Wallace “Wah Wah” Jones Gymnasium and cruised to an 84-61 victory over the visiting Pineville Mountain Lions.
Harlan’s smothering defensive pressure helped force 10 first-quarter turnovers, and the Green Dragons knocked down four shots from behind the 3-point arc during the opening eight minutes.
Pineville turned the ball over four times before the game was three minutes old, and four different Green Dragons combined for a 10-3 scoring run to stake Harlan to a lead it would not relinquish.
A triple by Pineville sophomore Jacob Grubbs pulled the Mountain Lions to within four points, but Harlan ran off a 12-2 scoring spurt that was fueled by 3-pointers from senior Dylan Cox and sophomore Kobe Noe.
Pineville was unable to claw its way back to within any fewer than 14 points of the Green Dragons for the balance of the contest.
Harlan’s intensity on the glass was on full display during one possession early in the second quarter when the Green Dragons grabbed four offensive rebounds before junior Legend Mimes’ putback basket made it 29-13.
Cox sandwiched two more triples around a basket from long distance by sophomore Izack Saylor during a 21-point second quarter, and the Green Dragons led 48-26 at halftime. Cox scored 17 of his game-high 22 points during the first two quarters.
“The first half we played well on the defensive end and that helped us establish a lead,” Harlan coach Derrick Akal said. “Dylan stepped up on the offensive end tonight, along with his defensive pressure.”
Harlan continued to apply defensive pressure during the third quarter and dominated the painted area throughout the period. The Green Dragons scored 16 of their 19 third-quarter points from close range and Mimes knocked down a triple to make it 67-38 heading into the final eight minutes.
Akal pulled his starters with 4:25 remaining in the game, and the final quarter was highlighted by triples from junior reserves Caden Mefford and Dylan Collins, along with the fourth 3-pointer of the game by Cox.
Noe scored 17 points for Harlan, while Mimes finished with 12 points. In all, 10 players scored at least two points for the Green Dragons.
Pineville, which was playing its fourth game in five nights, got 14 points, apiece from freshman Noah Slone and sophomore Kenton Brock.
Next up for Harlan (10-13) is a home game Monday against Knox Central. Pineville (10-11) will conclude its busy week with a game Saturday against Heritage as part of the Smallwood Classic in Berea.
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Harlan (84) – Jaxson Perry 8, Izack Saylor 9, Dylan Cox 22, Ethan Huff 5, Kobe Noe 17, Legend Mimes 12, Eli Noe 2, Braxton Rowe 3, Caden Mefford 3, Dylan Collins 3.
Pineville (61) – Anderson Gentry 5, Jacob Grubbs 7, Brayden Hatmaker 9, Preston Zachery 7, Noah Slone 14, Kenton Brock 14, Eli Knuckles 0, Alvaro Cuadrado 5, Peyton Lawson 0.

Harlan 27 21 19 17 – 84
Pineville 11 15 12 23 – 61