With their matchup with Kentucky Country Day wiped out due to the cancellation of the All-A State Tournament, Lyon County instead picked up a game with 8th-Region All-A champs Walton-Verona on Tuesday before making the trip back to Eddyville on Wednesday.
The result was the Lyons’ second-straight defeat, with the Bearcats getting a second-half scoring explosion from Conner Davis to overturn a double-digit halftime deficit and top the Lyons 74-70.
While it may have been difficult for the Lyons to get up for the game after missing out on a chance at the small-school title, they used a 25-point second quarter to build a 39-28 lead at the halftime break.
Travis Perry scored 8 points and Jackson Shoulders added 7 to help the Lyons outscore the Bearcats by 12 points in the second. Brant Smithers had 13 first-half points to keep Walton-Verona within striking distance.
But the second half was a different story, with the Lyons managing only 10 points in the third quarter and Walton-Verona’s Davis taking over. Davis connected on a pair of 3-pointers and Trey Ferguson added 5 points to trim the Lyon County advantage to a point at 49-48 with a quarter to play.
Davis continued his assault from beyond the arc with a trio of 3s on the way to 13 points in the fourth, with Carter Krohman adding 6 for the Bearcats. Freshman Brady Shoulders caught fire for the Lyons with 8 points, including a pair of 3-pointers, but it wasn’t enough to avoid the loss.
Lyon County 14 25 10 21 — 70
Walton-Verona 15 13 20 26 — 74
Lyon County (14-2) — Perry 22, J. Shoulders 19, B. Shoulders 10, Bingham 7, Gilbert 5, Reddick 4, Whalin 3
Walton-Verona (11-5) — Davis 25, Smithers 21, Krohman 11, Ferguson 7, Christy 7, Donato 3
