The Lyon County Lyons are going back to Rupp Arena as the Boys’ Region 2 Basketball Tournament champions.
The Lyons needed double overtime, but held off defending Region 2 champion Henderson County 64-61 on Tuesday night at Madisonville-North Hopkins High School.
Lyon County (29-6) led 13-11 after one quarter and held a 24-23 advantage at halftime over Henderson County (26-5), which saw its 15-game winning streak come to a halt.
The Colonels came out of halftime to score the first 10 points and took their biggest lead at 33-24.
However, the Lyons responded with a run of their own and led 39-35 entering the fourth quarter.
The teams traded leads several times in the fourth quarter but ended up tied at 49-49. Lyon County missed two free throws late and Henderson County was able to rush down the court and get off a good shot, but the ball bounced off the rim and the game went to overtime.
In the first extra period, the two teams continued to battle. The Lyons led 53-51, but the Colonels’ Braden Williams tipped in a miss at the buzzer to send the game into the second extra period.
Lyon County’s Cooper Collins broke a 61-61 tie with a free throw and Nolan Coffman hit two more free throws with less than 10 seconds remaining to give the Lyons a 64-61 advantage.
Henderson County missed a shot and Lyon rebounded. Thinking the game was over, a Lyon player tossed the ball into the air and it hit the roof of the gym. Officials ruled there was 1.1 seconds remaining and gave Henderson County the ball.
Although the Colonels got an open look at a 3-pointer, the shot didn’t fall and the Lyon County fans could celebrate their fourth Region 2 championship in five years and their first since winning the state title in 2024.
Bray Kirk led the Lyons, who made only 16-of-32free throws on the night, with 24 points. Coffman added 14 points and Collins added 10.
Henderson County was led by Xavion Johnson, who had 19 points, including making 13-of-14 free throws. Zeph Thomas added 11.
Lyon County will play Region 8 champion North Oldham at 5 p.m. in the UK Healthcare Boys Basketball Sweet 16 State Tournament on March 19 at Rupp Arena.
Score by Quarters:
Lyon County 13 11 15 10 4 11 – 64
Henderson Co. 11 12 12 14 4 8 – 61
Individual Scoring:
LCHS (29-6) – Co. Collins 10, Reddick 3, Kirk 24, Ca. Collins 9, Coffman 14, DeFew 4.
HCHS (26-5) – Stewart 9, Johnson 19, Martin 2, Taylor 9, Townsend 3, Little 3, Williams 5, Thomas 11.
3-Point Goals: LCHS – Co. Collins 3, Reddick, Ca. Collins 2; HCHS – Stewart, Townsend, Little, Thomas 2.
Photo by Jeff Sisk