University Heights Academy has won the last seven 2nd Region All A Classic championships — and nine of the last 10.
The Blazers will get a chance to improve upon those numbers on Saturday after running past Lyon County 78-58 in semifinal action Friday night in Smithland.
Amani McGee scored 21 points, DJ Quarles had 20 and KJ Crump had 19 for UHA, which will play Caldwell County in Saturday’s 7 p.m. championship game at Livingston Central High School.
Lyon (10-7) was thought to be UHA’s biggest challenger in the All A regional this season. However, the Blazers (9-8) grabbed the upper hand in the first quarter and never really allowed the Lyons much of a chance to get back in it.
Lyon led 10-7 early following a putback by Travis Perry.
But UHA answered with a 12-0 run started by 3-pointers by Will Bryan and Crump.
The Blazers went up by 17 midway through the second quarter, highlighted by another 3 from Crump to make it 32-15.
Lyon’s best run came over the rest of the half as the Lyons tried to make a game of it. A 12-4 burst got Lyon as close as 36-27 and put some hope into the Lyon faithful.
But that would prove to be as close as the Lyons could get.
UHA scored the first six points of the second half and went on to build a 56-38 lead through three quarters.
The Blazers led by as much as 28 points in the fourth quarter, going up 73-45 on a Quarles trey with 3:43 to play.
Perry finished the night with 25 points to lead Lyon, but he was the only double-figure scorer for his team. Jackson Shoulders had nine points.
Lyon has won the All A regional three times — the last in 2009.
University Heights 24 12 20 22 — 78
Lyon County 12 15 11 20 — 58
University Heights (9-8) — McGee 21, Quarles 20, Crump 19, Bryan 9, Wood 6, Hall 3.
Lyon County (10-7) — Perry 25, J. Shoulders 9, Whalin 5, Crawford 4, Reddick 3, Parker 3, Hawkins 2, Bingham 2, B. Shoulders 2, Cissell 2, Gilbert 1.
