In Thursday's league outing, the Fort Chiswell Pioneers (Max Meadows, VA) basketball squad edged the visiting Giles Spartans (Pearisburg, VA), by a count of 66-65.

The Pioneers (6-6) will now prepare for their outing against Bland County (Rocky Gap, VA). The Bears go into the Mountain Empire outing with a 4-8 record. In their last outing, Bland County was nipped by George Wythe (Wytheville, VA), 81-30, in a league match.

With the defeat, Giles moves to 3-9 on the year. The Spartans host Grayson County (Independence, VA) to face the Blue Devils in a Mountain Empire match on Friday, January 12. The Blue Devils enter the match with a record of 4-10. Grayson County won 51-41 in their recent league match against Galax (Galax, VA)