The Lyon County boys’ basketball team picked up its second-straight win Thursday night, knocking off visiting Livingston Central 48-39 in a 5th District tilt. The Lyons now stand at 3-10 overall and 3-2 in district play, while the Cardinals slip to 11-8 and are also 3-2 in the district.
It took two and a half minutes for either team to get on the board, with Lyon freshman guard Travis Yancy knocking down a three-pointer to open the scoring. Yancy would also score the last points of the quarter, hitting a jumper at the buzzer to give the Lyons an 11-6 lead.
Yancey got things started in the second quarter as well, nailing a three-pointer from the corner to help the Lyons to a 14-6 lead. The teams both only managed 8 points each for the remainder of the period, giving Lyon County a 22-14 halftime lead.
Yancey led the Lyons in scoring in the first half with 8, followed by senior forward Max Wadlington’s 7. Senior center Seth Hosick scored 7 to lead the Cardinals.
The Lyons came out of the locker room and took control of the game in the third quarter. The Lyons’ stellar defensive effort continued, holding the Cardinals to only 7 points in the quarter, after also holding them to single digits in both the first and second quarter. Junior point guard Gabe Board sparked the Lyons with 8 points in the frame, and they took a 37-21 advantage into the fourth quarter.
The Cardinals began to get their offense going, cutting the Lyon lead to 10 at 39-29 with just over four minutes to play. Twice, Lyon County went to the line for one-and-one opportunities, missing the front end both times and failing to put the Cardinals away. A Livingston three-pointer cut the lead to 42-36 with 2:40 to play, and would get closer still after two free throws brought them to within 4 at 43-39. However, that’s as close as the Cardinals would get, with Wadlington and junior center Gabe DeFew both stepping to the line and knocking down 2 each, and Board adding 1 of 2 for the much-needed 48-39 win.
Wadlington led the Lyons with 19 points, including 7 in the fourth quarter, followed by Yancey and Board with 11 each. Hosick tossed in 13 for the Cardinals, with senior forward Cameron Dean finishing with 12.
The Lyons are scheduled to return to action on Saturday with a trip to face 2-8 Fort Campbell, but weather may interfere. On Monday, the Lyons open play in the 2nd Region All “A” Classic when they travel to Crittenden County to face Livingston Central for the second time in five days.