Lyon County Advances to State Championship with 58-49 Win Over Great Crossing
Western Kentucky, stand up.
On Saturday afternoon, No. 3 Lyon County shocked the number one team in the state to advance to the state championship. Travis Perry and his fellow Lyons battled with Great Crossing and Malachi Moreno in front of a packed Rupp Arena. In a game that featured five future Division I players, the talent was exceptional, and thus was the matchup.
Lyon County purple lined the western end of Rupp while Great Crossing’s green even spilled into the 200s sections. However, Lyon County fans roared as their trio of Perry (Kentucky), Jack Reddick (FGCU), and Brady Shoulders (undecided) trotted on the floor as they’ve been doing for the last 10+ years.
The Lyons left no doubt who the better team was either, coming out with a 58-49 win and locking up a spot in tonight’s championship.
How they got here
Perry’s star has only gotten brighter as the KHSAA all-time leading scorer was brilliant in Lyon County’s quarterfinal matchup with 21 points in a win over Adair County. Lyon barely survived a first-round matchup with Ashland Blazer, a game in which most would call the game of the tournament. All of this to say, Lyon County entered Saturday’s semifinal feeling pretty confident that they could spoil the number one team in Kentucky’s bid for a title.
For Great Crossing, an 11th Region championship matchup with Lexington Catholic was widely viewed as the real state championship. However, there’s a reason you play the games. Even as Great Crossing held onto a narrow victory over the Knights, it seemed they evaded their one hurdle towards gold. Great Crossing then dismantled Spencer County and Magoffin County in the Sweet 16, striking fear into the hearts of most.
However, it seemed destiny may have been on the side of Lyon County, as their superstar Perry announced his dominance to the nation.
Game Recap
Rupp Arena was as packed as a November non-conference Kentucky game, which is very impressive. Less impressive was the parking situation outside of Rupp which caused many to scramble for spots all over. As much as this ruined a lot of days, it showed how excited people were for such a high-class matchup. For a long time, the state of Kentucky has been overlooked for producing high-major basketball talent.
Coach Ryan Perry spoke on the talent of Great Crossing, “Great basketball game, you know, that’s a team with leaders. Just a really, really good team. That’s when you start watching film on them and you notice you got to play them. You know, they’re a matchup problem with every decision.”
As soon as the ball was lifted at tip, it seemed every player on the court was looking to prove that wrong. Both teams came out of the gate hot, combining for 31 points in the first quarter. Great Crossing took a 16-15 lead into the first stoppage, as the Warhawks seemed poised to dispatch the Lyons. Perry did not start the game great, but still had five points including a three-pointer.
The second quarter showed what makes Lyon County so dangerous throughout the whole season.
Brady Shoulders nailed a three to start the quarter, with Perry quickly following with a three of his own. Then, Perry knocked down another three that sent shockwaves throughout the lower bowl. Great Crossing battled back to only trail 28-24 at the half.
Second Half
After three straight free throws made by Moreno (one to end the first half), Great Crossing only trailed by two.
Lyon County’s trio then did what they’ve done all year. Shoulders went 1-2 from the line, Perry hit a three, then Jack Reddick nailed a three — nine-point game. Within three possessions, the group showed how darn good the Lyons are outside of just Perry. Gage Richardson and Jeremiah Godfrey kept Great Crossing in the game with timely buckets, but the Warhawks still trailed 44-36 after three.
The fourth quarter showed many things. For one, Perry has great ball handling and game-ending ability with the rock in his hands. For another, high school basketball desperately needs a shot clock. Lyon County proceeded to milk the clock in the fourth, with their lead only getting down to six throughout the whole period.
Lyon County’s Perry spoke on their ability to hold the ball, “I think we did that for probably six minutes and you know, it’s just something that honestly it’s just about keeping the ball in the guy’s hands and trying to close the game. I feel like we got a lot of guys that are comfortable on the line.”
Every time Great Crossing looked to have life, Perry would weave through three defenders, waste 15 seconds, then get fouled. It was exactly what you’d expect out of a star guard; all the confidence, all the ability. Perry scored eight points in the fourth including a beautiful layup around Great Crossing’s length to lead Lyon County to the 58-49 victory.
Lyon County will represent Western Kentucky in the state championship game tonight at 7:30 p.m. EST inside Rupp Arena. Travis Perry, the future Wildcat, finished with 24 points going 6-8 from the line and making four threes.
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