The last time we saw the Lyon County Lyons, they were walking off the court after a disappointing loss to Henderson County in the 2nd Region semifinals. A game that was there for the taking for the Lyons in the final two minutes, as the Colonels rallied from a late six-point deficit to pull out an overtime win and end the Lyons’ bid to win a fourth straight regional championship.
The Lyons ended the season at 25-8, another outstanding season for the 2023-2024 state champions, and it was so close to being another special season. Six of the losses were single-digit games, three of them coming in the Lexington Catholic holiday tournament. All three of those games saw the Lyons lead in the second half of play.
Lyon County also reached the championship game of the 2025 All A Classic before losing to Danville Christian, another of the single-digit losses after the Lyons had rallied from an 18-point second-half deficit.
Multi-sport athletes Eli Baker and Korben Lucas are gone from last season’s roster, and filling their roles will be important, but the good news for Lyon County fans is that the entire starting lineup from last season is back to make a run at the fourth 2nd Region championship in the past five seasons.
Lyon County enters the 2025-2026 season ranked in the Top 25 in the state in most preseason polls and hold the position of favorite in the 2nd Region. With the talent and the experience the Lyons have returning, you can understand why.
Senior Bray Kirk, who played a big role in the Lyons’ state tournament run in 2023-2024, is back after leading the Lyons in scoring last season. He averaged 22.1 points per game and pulled down 4.4 rebounds. Kirk shot 52.8 percent from the field and knocked down 51 3-pointers, third on the team. Kirk has reportedly been battling an injury leading up to the start of the season.
Junior Nolan Coffman transferred over from Madisonville-North Hopkins before last season and quickly became an integral part of the Lyons. Coffman averaged a double-double with 17.4 points and 10.4 rebounds per game. He made 48.4 percent of his shots and was second on the team in made 3-pointers with 52. He also shot better than 77 percent from the free throw line.
Senior Isaac Defew has developed into one of the region’s best big men down in the lane. Defew averaged 10.9 points and 7.8 rebounds per contest last season. Anchored by Defew and Coffman, the Lyons were one of the best rebounding teams in the state last season as evidenced by their performance in the first three rounds of last season’s All A Classic state tournament.
Lyon County’s fourth double figures scorer last season was Cooper Collins. The Lyons’ ‘long ranger bomber’ put up 10.7 points per game last year. He was the top 3-point shooter on the team, making 72 shots from behind the 3-point line, shooting at a 36.4 percent clip. His barrage from behind the arc in the championship game of the All A Classic very nearly rallied the Lyons to an All A state title.
The other half of the ‘Collins Crew’, Carson Collins, just missed being a fifth double digit scorer for Lyon County, putting up 8.6 points per game. He also pulled down 6.5 rebounds.
Sophomore Jett Reddick saw action in 24 games last season and figures to be among the first players off the bench for the Lyons this season.
There are some young players moving up to varsity level this year for Lyon County that could see some key minutes this season spelling the starters.
One area the Lyons need to improve on from last season is ball security when facing pressure from opponents. The Lyons had moments where turnovers opened the door for opponents to stay in a game or take over the lead in big moments.
On the other side of the coin, the Lyons were among the best shooting and the best rebounding teams across the state. That combination means that they will always be a tough out and a tough team to put away. Just ask Danville Christian about that after they had to sweat it out down the stretch of the All A Classic title game.
The schedule for the Lyons will definitely have them tested b y the time the All A Classic and then the 5th District tournament rolls around.
Home games for the Lyons will include Murray, Hopkinsville, Henderson County, Grayson County, and Marshall County. Road trips will include stops at Caldwell County, Christian County, Hopkins Central, and UHA.
Plus, there are showcase events this season and plenty of them. The Lyons will head back to the King of the Bluegrass and the White, Greer & Maggard Holliday Classic at Lexington Catholic. They will also play in the Marshall County Hoopfest, The Toyota of Hopkinsville Holiday Classic, and the Eagles’ Classic at Graves County.
Lyon County will officially open the season Tuesday night at home against the Murray Tigers.
