When the coaches preseason high school basketball poll came out, the Lyon County Lyons were ranked in the Top 10 in the state. They looked every bit the part as they got the season up and going Tuesday night. Led by the trio of Travis Perry, Jack Reddick, and Brady Shoulders, the Lyons used a late second-quarter run to take control and then a third-quarter blitz to put the game away as Lyon County routed Ohio County 81-52.
The Lyons opened the game like they might just leave the Eagles stranded in the nest as they scored the first nine points of the night. Ohio County battled back however and got as close as one point in the first quarter at 12-11 before the Lyons nudged the lead back out to 20-15 as the quarter ended.
With Ohio County playing very physical against Travis Perry, Brady Shoulders was able to roam some inside the lane, scoring nine points in the first eight minutes of the contest.
The physical play continued from the Eagles in the second quarter and was effective most of the quarter. Note I said for most of the second quarter. With the Lyon County lead at 26-23 late in the half, the Lyons delivered a big blow over the final couple of minutes in the form of a 17-5 run to take a 43-28 lead into the break.
The old adage about not being able to keep a good man down held true for Lyon County. Travis Perry and Jack Reddick knocked down three from behind the arc to key the run late in the half. Perry would finish the half with 17 points, 14 of them coming in the second quarter, and most of those during the run where the Lyons did the damage.
It was not just the outside shooting that keyed the late half run but the Lyon County defense played a big part in that as well, and that continued as the second half got underway. Lyon County would limit the Eagles to just seven points in the third quarter as Perry, Reddick, and Shoulders pushed the gas pedal through the floor on the offensive end.
The Lyon defense forced the Eagles into numerous turnovers that led to Lyon County runouts in the other direction. Travis Perry would finish the night with ten steals for Lyon County.
The ‘Three Amigos’ combined to score 22 points in the third as the Lyon County lead exploded to 65-35 at quarter’s end.
Lyon reserves would see extensive action over the final eight minutes as the Lyons cruised on out to the 29 point win.
Travis Perry led the Lyons with 24 points. He now stands at 3213 for his career. He passed both Austin Crawford, of Bracken County, and Tim Stephens, of McCreary County, on the state’s all-time scoring list.
Brady Shoulders added 23 points, while Jack Reddick finished with 21.
Elijah Decker paced Ohio County with 23 points.
Lyon County (1-0) will be back in action Thursday night as they take on South Warren in the Marshall County Hoopfest.
Ohio County (0-1) returns to the court Thursday for their home opener against Breckinridge County.
OCHS – 15 13 7 17 — 52
LCHS – 20 23 22 16 — 81
Ohio County (0-1) – Decker 23, Young 10, Morse 6, Kennedy 5, Culbertson 5, Allen 2, Ward 1
Lyon County (1-0) – Perry 24, Shoulders 23, Reddick 21, Kirk 9, Breedlove 2, Suitor 2
