The Lyon County Lyons did not want to play from behind against Caldwell County for a second time.
On Dec. 28, Lyon fell behind early and still trailed by 12 in the second half before rallying for an 83-77 victory at Caldwell’s West Kentucky Hoops Classic.
The two teams met again Saturday night for the 2nd Region All A Classic championship at University Heights Academy in Hopkinsville.
This time, the Lyons opened the game with a 10-0 run and led from wire to wire in turning back the upstart Tigers 74-63.
It’s the second straight All A regional title for Lyon.
Caldwell still has never won the small-school regional basketball tournament.
Travis Perry started the game with a 3-pointer and finished with 33 points for Lyon, which will play in the state All A Classic starting Jan. 27 at Eastern Kentucky University’s McBrayer Arena in Richmond. The Lyons will face 14th Region champion Breathitt County at 8 p.m. Eastern time in the next-to-last opening-round contest.
Jackson Shoulders added 14 points and 12 rebounds for the Lyons.
Caldwell’s Jabrion Spikes finished with 22 points and 13 rebounds, and hit a milestone in the fourth quarter. Spikes became the 20th Tiger to top 1,000 career points on a putback with 1:58 left in the contest.
However, eight of his points came in the final 2 minutes, as Lyon held him below his 32-points per game average.
Zavy Bumphus added 17 points for Caldwell, which could never recover after Lyon’s early onslaught.
It took Caldwell almost 4 minutes before putting up its first points of the night.
Lyon (10-4) led 20-7 after one quarter, and turned away Caldwell each time the Tigers threatened to make a game of it.
Down 31-18 at halftime, Caldwell appeared to be gaining momentum when a Bumphus 3-pointer capped an 11-4 burst that cut Lyon’s lead to 37-29 with 3:03 left in the third period.
But Perry answered with a 3 at the other end, and Lyon took a 44-31 advantage to the fourth quarter.
Caldwell (11-4) crept to within seven points twice in the fourth quarter — the final time on a drive by Spikes with 5:47 to play. Spikes was fouled on the play, but could not convert the free throw, leaving Lyon with a 50-43 edge.
Lyon extended its margin to 16 points late before settling for the 13-point triumph over its former 5th District rival.
Lyon and Caldwell were not only the final two teams standing in the All A Classic, but figure to be among the top four or five teams in the 2nd Region overall. Caldwell and Lyon were ranked 1-2 in the KHSAA RPI entering Saturday’s showdown.
The contest was a spirited one, with even the head coaches briefly exchanging words late in the game.
Caldwell and Lyon are scheduled to meet for a third time this season on Feb. 5 in Eddyville.
Next up for Lyon is a trip to Madisonville-North Hopkins on Tuesday.
Caldwell will visit 7th District foe Hopkins County Central on Monday.
Lyon County 20 11 13 30—74
Caldwell County 7 11 13 32—63
Lyon County (10-4) — Travis Perry 33, Jackson Shoulders 14, Nick Whalin 9, Brady Shoulders 7, Jack Reddick 6, Bray Kirk 3, Luke Gilbert 2.
Caldwell County (11-4) — Jabrion Spikes 22, Zavy Bumphus 17, Collin Whittington 9, Carter Whittington 8, Demaurius Thompson 3, Dewey Riley 2, Elijah Shaheen 2.
