The Lyon County Lyons were just simply determined not to let it happen again. After getting knocked out of the All A Classic in the first round of the 2nd Region tournament last year by University Heights, the Lyons made sure early Saturday evening that the Blazers would not repeat the feat in this year’s championship game.
After seeing the Blazers score the first three points of the game, Lyon County scored ten straight and took a lead they would not give back on their way to ringing up a 114-68 win over the defending All A regional champs.
Travis Perry, Brady Shoulders, and Bray Kirk came out firing, but it was not their offense that was the big story of the night. The Lyon County defense frustrated the Blazers early and forced turnovers and some rushed shots, which, as many teams have found out this season, leads to easy Lyon baskets at the other end.
Lyon County led by as many as 15 on their way to a 26-14 first-quarter lead.
Sparked by Quinton Quarles, Tylin George, and Gavin Grubbs, the Blazers scored the first six points of the second quarter and had Blazer Nation roaring its approval as the lead was cut to 26-20 and UHA appeared to be getting on track.
Brady Shoulders was a force for the Lyons in the paint and helped Lyon County respond with a 12-2 run that gave them a 38-22 lead. Isaac Defew contributed some big minutes in the first half as the Lyons kept at least a 14-point lead for the rest of the half, taking a 56-36 lead at the break.
A big problem for UHA in the first half was the foul problems for Elijah Walton. Walton picked up three first-half fouls and spent significant time on the bench in the half. Walton would end up being held scoreless for the night.
Over the past couple of seasons, the Blazers had pulled off some big second-half comebacks, but there would be no such rally against the extremely focused Lyons. Lyon County used an 8-0 run and an 11-0 run in the third quarter to run the lead out to 86-48 and bring the running clock into play.
One of the bright spots for the Blazers in the second half was the play of Matthew Hauret, who finished the night with 7 points and added some nice effort plays over the final half.
The Lyons kept the pedal pushed firmly to the floor as the 4th quarter got underway. Lyon County would run away from the Blazers to claim the 46-point win.
Travis Perry wound up with 33 points. He knocked down seven shots from behind the 3-point line. Brady Shoulders added 29 points and was a significant factor on the glass. Bray Kirk had one of his best nights of the season with 22 points.
One of the few negatives in the game for the Lyons was Jack Reddick’s late-game injury. Reddick was injured in a fourth-quarter scrum for the ball and was on crutches after the game with his right ankle heavily wrapped.
Quinton Quarles ended up as UHA’s leading scorer with 23 points. He connected on six 3-pointers. Tylin George added 22.
UHA falls to 11-4 with the loss. They are set to host South Warren on Tuesday.
Lyon County moves to 18-1 with its 15th straight win. During the All-A regional, the Lyons averaged 103.3 points a game with an average margin of 51.7 points.
The Lyons move on to the All A Classic state tournament. The boys’ side of the tourney gets underway on Thursday, January 25 at Corbin Arena. The Lyons will open play with 3rd Region champ Owensboro Catholic. The Aces beat McLean County in their regional final.
The last meeting between the teams was in February of 2021 with the Aces winning 71-47.
The Lyon County-Owensboro Catholic game is set for Thursday, January 25 at 11:30 am.
UHA — 14 22 12 20 – 68
LCHS — 26 30 30 28 – 114
University Heights – Quarles 23, George 22, Grubbs 16, Hauret 7
Lyon County – Perry 33, Shoulders 29, Kirk 22, Defew 9, Car.Collins 7, Reddick 7, Breedlove 4, Coop.Collins 2, Crawford 2
