GOREVILLE — Carterville handed Goreville its first loss of the season, holding off the Blackcats 69-66.
The Lions led by 15 with 5:50 to play, only to watch Goreville rally to tie the game at 63-all with 43 seconds to play. Colton Hawkins hit a pair of free throws with :35 put Carterville back on top as the Lions scored six straight. Nick King hit a three-pointer in the final second for final margin of victory.
Hawkins led the Lions with 28 points. Maddox Gulley added 15 and Harper Lustenberger 13. King led all scorers with a career high 37 points, 17 of those coming in the fourth quarter. Zech Green added 17.
Carterville improves to 7-1. The Lions will host Nashville Saturday afternoon. Goreville falls to 8-1. The Blackcats are off until the day after Christmas when they will face Red Bud in the opening round of the Sesser-Valier Holiday Tournament.
