Lyon County knew if they were to pull the upset of Christian County in the region tournament, they would have to control the tempo and limit the second chances of the Lady Colonels. They were able to do one of those as Christian County held off the Lady Lyons 50-39 Thursday in Marion.
Christian County had 11 offensive rebounds that led to 12 second chance points in the contest. Their tenacity on the glass helped them overcome a 31-percent shooting night from the field.
The early tempo favored Lyon County as they worked the clock with several passes before attempting a shot.
Lyon County led 10-9 after one quarter and was up 12-10 when leading scorer Allison Murphy picked up her third foul with 4:24 left in the half. Christian County responded with a 9-4 run to take a 19-16 lead at halftime. Both teams shot 21-percent from the floor, but Christian County had eight second chance points off seven offensive rebounds.
After missing all nine of their 3-point attempts in the first half, Christian County hit their first three of the second half. Bianna Snorton hit one, and Trinity McGee hit two as the Lady Colonels built a 28-21 lead. The 3-pointers were the first of the season for McGee.
The Lady Lyons, however, would not go away, as they stayed within seven points the rest of the third quarter.
Lyon County got as close as 36-31 early in the fourth quarter but could never get closer as the Lady Colonels hit 4-of-7 free throws in the final frame and 6-of-9 in the second half.
McGee and Aaliyah Hampton led Christian County with 15 points each. McGee added 10 rebounds. Talitha Bryant, and Bianna Snorton each scored seven points, and both had seven boards.
Eighth grader Cathryn Brown led Lyon County (15-12) with 11 points. Kenttavia Matthews and Allison Murphy each scored seven points with Murphy adding eight rebounds and three assists in her final game as a Lady Lyon.
Christian County (18-12) moves into Monday’s semifinal where they will face Webster County in a rematch of last year’s region championship game.
