Survive and advance.
That’s the name of the game when it comes to this point of the season, and Chris Taylor’s Barbourville Tigers did just that on Tuesday.
It wasn’t the prettiest wins but Barbourville will take it.
The Tigers (17-10) held off Lynn Camp’s upset attempt in the semifinals of the 51st District Tournament, slipping past the Wildcats with a 48-44 win.
Barbourville held a slim 43-42 advantage with 1:55 remaining in the game before outscoring Lynn Camp, 5-2.
Four players scored in double figures for the Tigers with Travis Scott, and KT Turner leading the way with identical 12-point scoring efforts. Matt Warren and Ty Clark each finished with 10 points apiece.
Lynn Camp’s Micah Engle finished his career as a Wildcat, scoring a game-high 24 points while accumulating more than 2,000 career points.
Tate Mills followed with nine points while Ethan Burd scored four points.
The game was tied at 16 apiece entering the second quarter before Lynn Camp (5-24) took a slim 23-21 advantage into the locker room at halftime.
Barbourville outscored the Wildcats, 16-9, in the third quarter to take a 37-32 lead. Clark hit two clutch 3-pointers while Turner added six points during the period.
The game remained nip and tuck throughout the fourth quarter before the Tigers sealed the deal by hitting 9-of-16 shot attempts from the free-throw line in the final eight minutes. Scott scored five points during the period while Turner added four points.
Engle scored four points in the fourth quarter for Lynn Camp while Burd and Mills scored three points apiece, but it wasn’t enough in the end.
Barbourville will play the winner of Knox Central and Pineville in Friday’s 51st District title game. It’s slated to begin at 7 p.m.
