In basketball, sometimes you just have to grind it out and find a way to win. The Lyon County Lyons did just that Monday evening, overcoming troubles at the free throw line and a strong home court effort from a fiesty Dawson Springs team to pick up a 75-65 win.
The Lyons picked up the win despite at one point in the 4th quarter being just 6 of 14 at the free throw line. Lyon County did warm up a bit at the stripe coming down the stretch, hitting 9 of their last eleven to help seal the victory.
Behind the strong play of senior big man Braxton Cotton, the Panthers got the evening off to a solid start. Cotton scored 9 points in the opening quarter as Dawson Springs took a 22-17 lead after the opening eight minutes.
The Lyons then looked like they were ready to run away and hide in the second quarter. Using a balanced team effort, Lyon County opened the second quarter on a 12-0 run to take a 29-22 lead. Travis Perry, Nick Whalin, Jackson Shoulders, and Gunnar Bingham all contributed to the Lyons making the big move. By the end of the half, the Lyon County lead would grow to 39-28.
Lyon County’s lead could have been even bigger, if not for the Lyons’ struggles at the line. Lyon County was only 1-8 from the charity stripe in the first half of play.
The Panthers used a 7-0 run to open the second half to get themselves right back in the game. Dylan Dawson and Skyler Clark keyed the run for Dawson Springs. Braxton Cotton scored nine points over the remainder of the quarter, as the Panthers would take the lead, and then end the quarter trailing by just one at 53-52.
With Travis Perry leading the way, Lyon County would push the lead out to 62-56 early in the final quarter. Dawson Springs then hit the Lyons with a 7-0 run to go up 63-62. Dilyn Skinner came up with 5 points during the run.
Lyon County then took the lead for good with a 7-0 run of their own to go up 69-63. The Lyons would then go 6 of 6 at the free throw line to pull out to the 10 point win.
Travis Perry had a monster game for the Lyons, finishing with 38 points. Jackson Shoulders added 14 points and 15 rebounds. Gunnar Bingham also hit double figures for the Lyons with 13 points. Nick Whalin finished the night with 8 points.
For Dawson Springs, Braxton Cotton came up big with 23 points. Skyler Clark was right behind him with 22 points. Dylan Dawson was the other Panther in double figures with ten points.
With the win, Lyon County improves to 12-8 on the season. Dawson Springs falls to 7-12.
