The UHA Blazers will have the chance to play for a 7th straight trip to the All A Classic state tournament Saturday afternoon. The Blazers advanced to the 2nd Region All A title game Friday night with a 86-63 win over Lyon County before a packed house at Dawson Springs High School. The Blazers used big runs in the 2nd quarter and the 3rd quarter to put the game out of reach.
The game and the crowd was electric right out of the gate. Less than 2 ½-minutes into the game both teams had already scored 10 points. The battle was back and forth throughout the first eight minutes, with nine lead changes during the opening quarter. With Lyon County up 21-18, the Blazers scored the final seven points of the quarter to take a 25-21 lead after one. Jackson Shoulders and Travis Perry had big opening quarters for the Lyons, while KyKy Tandy kicked off what was to be a big night for him with 12 points.
With UHA holding to a narrow 27-25, the Blazers delivered a roundhouse from which the Lyons could never quite recover. Kicked off by a Drew McGowan three, UHA went on a 13-0 run to grab a 40-25 lead. The Lyons fought back and got within six points at 42-36. Tandy then outscored the Lyons 6-2 for the rest of the half to give the Blazers a 48-38 lead going into the locker room. Tandy finished the half with 26 points.
UHA then opened the 3rd quarter with a 15-4 run to push out to a 63-42 lead. The Blazers were never seriously threatened from that point forward. Taquan Hollowell had a huge quarter for the Blazers coming up with nine points in the quarter, as UHA pushed out to a 73-48 lead heading into the final eight minutes.
While the game was never contested in the final quarter, things did turn a little testy after injuries to Lyon County’s Gabe Board and UHA’s KyKy Tandy in separate trips down the court. Tandy was assessed a technical foul after starting towards a Lyon County player after he spent some time on the floor in obvious pain. Tandy would return to the game. Board was injured in a collision with a UHA player and the close to the court end wall at the Dawson Springs gym. Board did not return to the game.
Tandy led the way for UHA with 30 points, 26 of those coming in the first half. Taquan Hollwell added 15, Drew McGowan 14, and Will Bryan 12 for the Blazers.
7th grader Travis Perry scored 24 for the Lyons. Gabe Board added 12 before leaving the game with an injury. Jackson Shoulders added 8.
With the win, UHA improves to 16-3 and advances to Saturday afternoon’s championship game. Lyon County falls to 12-7.