A mixture of youth and experience has Lyon County poised for the start of what could be a memorable run, not only in the Fifth District but in the Second Region as well.
The Lyons are expecting quite the turnaround from last year’s 8-19 team that was upset by Crittenden County in the Fifth District title game and held their own in a 63-51 loss to Henderson County in the region tourney.
Senior guard Gabe Board earned district and region honors after averaging 15.6 points and passing the 1,000-career point mark in the region tournament. He also averaged five rebounds and hit 31-percent from behind the 3-point arc.
His ability to run the offense will help in the development of several young guards that will burst on the season in 2018-19. Freshman Gunnar Bingham has improved his game to the point of challenging for a starting role. Sophomore Kade Blackburn and Senior Trace Adams will also see time at guard.
However, a lot of the youth movement centers on seventh grader Travis Perry, who has received national attention after his play in several big events over the summer. The 5-11 Perry has already elicited some comparisons to another seventh grader that played for the Lyons – Ty Rogers. Having Board run the point will take some pressure off Perry to run the point. Perry’s ability to drive to the basket and shoot from the outside gives the Lyons a potent backcourt scoring threat.
6-3 freshman Jackson Shoulders saw varsity time the second half of last year and averaged 10.4 points. He scored 18 against Henderson County in the region tournament and was named to the all-tournament team. Senior Gabe Defew and junior Justin Crawford also give the Lyons size on the inside.
The Lyons’ roster features four seniors and four freshmen in addition to Perry. There will be some growing pains, but the results of this season are expected to lay the foundation of a successful run in Eddyville.
