It got a little interesting late in the game but for the most part, the Lyon County Lyons enjoyed a breakfast of Cardinal Thursday morning in the opening game of the boys All A Classic state tournament at the Owensboro Sportscenter. The Lyons dominated play in the paint and held one of the highest-scoring teams in the state to 25 points below their average as Lyon County took down Martin County 72-53.
The Lyons got huge games from the combination of Isaac Defew and Nolan Coffman, who both finished the morning with double-doubles.
The early start did not appear to bother the Lyons as the game got started. A three from Cooper Collins and a basket from Isaac Defew got the Lyons to a 5-0 lead out of the gate.
Martin County responded with three-pointers from Peyton Davis and Devan Maynard to briefly get to the lead at 6-5.
Then the shots quit falling for the Cardinals and the Lyons started to take advantage. Lyon County ripped off a 10-2 lead to go up 15-8. The Lyons would lead 17-10 when the quarter ended.
The story in the first quarter was Lyon County’s defense, which limited one of the state’s best offenses to just three field goals. Lyon County also held the Cardinals to 21.4 percent shooting in the quarter. Lyon County got big starts from Nolan Coffman and Cooper Collins, who combined to score 13 points in the first 8 minutes.
Lyon County’s defense continued to lock down on the Cardinals in the second quarter, allowing them just 26.7 percent shooting from the field in the second. Lyon County controlled the paint and the boards as the lead began to grow.
With Bray Kirk and Nolan Coffman leading the way, Lyon County used a 12-0 run to turn a 21-17 lead into a 33-17 lead. The margin would still be 16 points at the half as the Lyons headed off to the locker room up 37-21.
Lyon County outrebounded the Cardinals in the half 27-12 which turned into 22 second-chance points for the Lyons.
The second half opened looking like the Lyons were ready to put things away and head to down Parrish Avenue to Moonlite for an early lunch. Paced by Bray Kirk and Isaac Defew, the Lyons started the third quarter by running the lead out to 44-23. Then, Lyon County developed a case of the ‘oopsies’ in their ball handling.
Martin County cranked up their half-court defensive pressure and it took the Lyons a while to get it figured out. The Cardinals cut the lead to 49-36 after three and the run was not near over.
After three straight possession early in the fourth quarter where Martin County came up with a steal and an immediate layup, the lead was down to 51-45 and the nerves were palpable among the Lyon County fans in the Sportscenter.
The moment of the game happened on the next possession. The Cardinals came up with another steal, but this time Lyon County came up with a steal of its own. Cooper Collins then popped open on the right wing and buried a long three. Instead of being down just four, the Cardinals found themselves down 54-45. An Isaac Defew score made it 56-45 and Martin County would get no closer than 7 points after that.
The Lyons dropped the hammer for good with a 10-0 run that made it 68-51.
Bray Kirk led the way for the Lyons with 19 points and 6 rebounds. Nolan Coffman and Isaac Defew were simply too much for Martin County to handle inside. Coffman had 18 points and 19 rebounds while Defew had 18 points and 15 rebounds. Cooper Collins added 9 points including the big three pointer in the 4th quarter.
For Martin County, Devan Maynard was the leading scorer with 17 points. Parker Watts was held to half his average with 14 points. Bryson Dials also hit double digits with 11.
Lyon County dominated the Cardinals on the boards, outrebounding them 53-25. The Lyons also held Martin County to just 32.8 percent shooting from the field.
The Lyons now advance to the quarterfinals for the second year in a row. They will play Pineville Friday afternoon at 5pm at the Owensboro Sportscenter. Those Lions knocked off Bishop Brossart 75-44 in Thursday’s second game.
