Late in the first quarter, the Lyon County Lyons looked as if they might be in a little trouble. They were trailing 20-11 and outside shots were not falling. Then came the 30 seconds that changed the whole flow of their opening-round game in the UK HealthCare Boys’ Sweet 16 against John Hardin.
The Lyons got a basket and then, as John Hardin looked to be going for the last shot of the quarter, Lyon County got a steal and a layup to cut the lead to five. From there on, the game essentially belonged to Lyon County.
The Lyons used a dominant performance, especially in the second half, to outscore John Hardin 67 to 45 over the final three quarters as Lyon County rolled to an 82-65 win.
The Lyons opened quickly, with a pair of Travis Perry free throws and baskets from Brady Shoulders and Jackson Shoulders giving them a 6-2 lead over the Bulldogs.
John Hardin responded with a 7-1 spurt to go up 9-7. Devon Rogers and Jalen Tyus sparked the Bulldog rally. With John Hardin holding a 12-11 lead, the Bulldogs put a big bite on the Lyons with an 8-0 run to push the lead out to 20-11. Threes from Jeremiah Pitts and Jake Owens did a chunk of the damage.
The biggest early moment of the game came shortly thereafter. With the Bulldogs threatening to run out to a big early lead, the Lyons did as they have done so many times this season and battled back. In the final 30 seconds of the opening quarter, the Lyons got a basket from Brady Shoulders and then a steal that resulted in a layup for Jack Reddick, and suddenly the lead was down to 20-15 at quarter’s end, and there was the definite feel of a swing in the momentum.
Early in the second quarter, the Bulldogs pushed the lead out to seven at 22-15 and 24-17. But then, back again came the Lyons.
Layups from Travis Perry and Jackson Shoulders cut the lead to 24-21. After a Bulldog free throw, Travis Perry made two more, followed by a Brady Shoulders putback to tie the game at 25-25.
Rogers and Tyus came up with a quick five points for John Hardin to give the Bulldogs a 30-25 lead. The Bulldog lead would be at 34-28 when the Lyons made their final move of the opening half.
Jackson Shoulders scored in the lane and then Travis Perry buried a three to cut the lead to 34-33. The three-pointer from Perry was the only shot that Lyon County would hit from outside the paint in the first half of play. A Jackson Shoulders rebound basket with four seconds left in the half would bring the Lyons to within one at the break at 36-35.
Jackson Shoulders was a force inside for the Lyons in the opening half with 12 points and 5 rebounds.
The Lyons were within one at the break due to their inside attack, which accounted for all but one of the field goals in the first sixteen minutes of the contest. And, despite Travis Perry going just 2 for 10 in the opening half. Perry still managed nine first-half points. The good news for Lyon County was that the rest of the Lyons shot 12 of 21 in the opening half. The additional good news is that things were about to change in a big way for the Lyons.
When Travis Perry hit his first outside shot in the waning moments of the first half, you just had the feeling that something was about to happen, and that something was the dam about to break all over John Hardin.
Lyon County came out of the locker room at the break and immediately took the battle to the Bulldogs, opening the half with a 12-2 run to bolt out to a 47-38 lead. Travis Perry knocked down two threes as a part of the run as the Lyons took a lead they would never surrender.
John Hardin made one last-ditch effort to stop the landslide and try and stay in the game. The Bulldogs would outscore the Lyons 8-2 over a two-minute stretch with a jumper from Jake Owens cutting the lead to 49-46 with just under two minutes left in the third.
Led by Travis Perry, the Lyons would close out the final two minutes of the quarter with a 9-2 run to push the lead back out to double figures at 58-48.
Lyon County would then deliver the knockout blow early in the 4th quarter. With the lead at 60-52, Travis Perry scored back-to-back baskets, Brady Shoulders scored a three-point play, and the Lyons got free throws from Gunnar Bingham and Jack Reddick, and suddenly the score was 69-52 and the Lyons could start thinking about Friday night’s quarterfinals.
The celebration amongst the Lyon County throng in attendance reached its peak with 1:40 to go in the game when the starters exited the floor, and Lyon County could officially mark its first-ever win in the state tournament.
Travis Perry had a monster second half to lead the Lyon County effort. He finished the game with 26 points, 17 of them coming in the second half. Jackson Shoulders added 22 points and 8 rebounds. Brady Shoulders had one of his best days on the season, finishing with 18 points, 11 rebounds, and 4 assists.
Jalen Tyus led the way for John Hardin with 18 points. Devon Rogers added 13 points and 8 assists.
For the game, Lyon County shot 51.7 percent, while holding John Hardin to 42.4 percent. The Lyons also outrebounded the Bulldogs 41-30.
Lyon County improves to 29-6 on the season and moves on to the quarterfinals Friday night at 6 eastern time.
