One down.

Four more to go until perfection for the Pinson Valley boys’ basketball team.

The top-ranked Indians improved their immaculate record to 28 wins without loss as they cruised to a 75-45 victory over Hartselle in Tuesday’s Class 6A subregional.

Pinson Valley allowed the Tigers to take a 3-0 lead early in the opening frame but responded with a 16-0 run before Hartselle scored again with one made free-throw at the end of the period. The Indians stretched the lead to as many as 21 points in the second period, but Hartselle hit an 11-0 run to pull within 10 points. Pinson Valley held a 32-21 entering the halftime break.

The Indians opened the second half with a 16-4 run and held Hartselle to two made field goals in the final minutes of the third period. Entering the final frame with a 60-33 advantage, Pinson Valley emptied the bench and allowed the Tigers to make only three shots in the period while going 5-for-7 at the charity stripe.

Star of the Game: Clyde Walters. The freshman produced a double-double for the Indians, scoring 12 points and grabbing 10 rebounds, and also had 3 steals and 2 blocks.

“We learned a lot, we have to take it one game at a time. We lost last year, and it’s a different approach this season,” he said.

Stat sheet: Pinson Valley – Terry Coner Jr. finished with a game-high 18 points, adding 2 rebounds and 4 assists, and Caleb White had 14 points, 3 rebounds and 2 steals. Amari Bowen had 10 points, 6 rebounds and 4 assists, and Raymon McCants had 8 points and 2 boards. Camron Frost added 5 points and 3 rebounds, and Jamison Green and Cameron Jennings each had 3 points. Chauncey Thirkill contributed 2 points, 2 rebounds and 2 blocks.

Hartselle – Rylan Smothers finished with a team-high 11 points and 8 rebounds, followed by Ryan Dunn with 9 points and Markus Tapscott with 8 points and 6 rebounds. Kiah Key added 5 points, 7 rebounds and 2 steals.

Coachspeak: “First off, hats off to Hartselle, I have a lot of respect for those guys. We started out hot in the second quarter and we kind of slowed down a bit. But we had a nice talk at halftime, and I really liked how we came out in the third quarter. You’re going to find out a lot about yourself because it’s win or go home.” — Pinson Valley’s Darrel Barbers

What’s next? Pinson Valley advances to the Class 6A Northwest Regional semifinals at Wallace State’s Tom Drake Coliseum.