By Terry Boehmker
NKyTribune sports reporter
The stage is set for a showdown between two boys basketball teams ranked among the state’s top 10 in the semifinals of the All “A” Classic small school state basketball tournament at Corbin Arena.
Lyon County, ranked No. 2 in the latest state media poll, will face No. 6 Newport at 4 p.m. Saturday with the winner advancing to the championship game at 2 p.m. Sunday. Last March, the two teams met in the first round of the “Sweet 16” postseason state tournament and Lyon County came away with a 61-46 victory.
Saturday’s game will also feature two of the state’s top players in Newport sophomore Taylen Kinney and Lyon County senior Travis Perry, a prime candidate for Mr. Kentucky Basketball and the state’s all-time scoring leader.
In the All “A” Classic quarterfinals on Friday, both of their teams won by 12-point margins. Newport defeated Danville Christian, 46-34, and Lyon County knocked off Walton-Verona, 64-52.
Kinney scored a game-high 14 points in Newport’s win after seeing limited action in the previous game due to a sore ankle. He got six of his points during the Wildcats’ decisive 17-8 scoring run in the fourth quarter.
Danville Christian took an eight-point lead, 19-11, in the second quarter, but the Wildcats trimmed it to 23-19 by halftime.
The Wildcats had a slim 26-23 lead going into the fourth quarter and didn’t pull away until the final four minutes when sophomore forward James Turner scored four of his 12 points.
During its 27-11 scoring blitz in the second half, Newport shot 64.7 percent (11 of 17) from the field compared to Danville’s Christian’s 22.2 percent (4 of 18). It was the 11th consecutive win for the Wildcats and put them in the semifinals for the first time in three appearances in the small school state tournament.
Murray (18-5) will take on defending champion Evangel Christian (16-4) in the other semifinal game at 5:30 p.m. Saturday.
NEWPORT 7 12 10 17 — 46
DANVILLE CHRISTIAN 11 12 3 8 — 34
NEWPORT (19-3): Kinney 5 3 14, Covington 2 0 5, Jackson 3 0 6, Turner 5 2 12, Starks 3 0 7, Lowe 0 2 2. Totals: 18 7 46.
DANVILLE CHRISTIAN (13-5): Ayiei 1 0 2, Dut 4 1 10, Fugate 3 0 8, Boyd 3 0 8, Imfeld 2 2 6. Totals: 13 1 34.
Three-point goals: N — Kinney, Starks, Covington. DC — Fugate 2, Boyd 2, Imfeld 2, Dut.
Lyon County 64, Walton-Verona 52
Walton-Verona’s bid for a stunning upset against Lyon County in the quarterfinals of the All “A” Classic looked pretty good when the Bearcats made the first basket in the fourth quarter to pull within two points, 54-52.
But that turned out to be Walton-Verona’s only points in the final period and Lyon County, ranked No. 2 in the latest state media poll, came away with a 64-52 win on Friday at Corbin Arena.
Lyon County (20-1) will play Newport (19-3) in a semifinal matchup at 4 p.m. Saturday with the winner advancing to the championship game at 2 p.m. Sunday.
Both teams had three double-figure scorers in Friday’s game. Lyon County senior guard Travis Perry, who holds the state’s career scoring record, finished with a game-high 23 points and Walton-Verona junior forward Aaron Gutman had a team-high 15.
Walton-Verona senior Julian Dixon posted a double-double with 13 points and 14 rebounds. His teammate, Max Montgomery, made four 3-point goals in the first half, but he couldn’t get a shot to drop in the second half when the Bearcats went 7-of-22 from the field.
Walton-Verona (15-7) led by five points in both the second and third quarters, but Lyon County was on top at the end of both periods. In the fourth quarter, Walton-Verona failed to score on its last seven possessions and the Lyons ended the game with a 10-0 run.
LYON COUNTY 22 12 20 10 — 64
WALTON-VERONA 15 18 17 2 — 52
LYON COUNTY (20-1): Breedlove 1 0 2, Reddick 7 2 17, Kirk 2 0 4, Perry 10 1 23, Shoulders 5 4 14, Defew 1 2 4. Totals: 26 9 64.
WALTON-VERONA (15-7): Montgomery 4 0 12, Smith 4 0 8, Bach 1 0 2, Dixon 4 5 13, Gutman 5 3 15, Kerns 1 0 2. Totals: 19 8 52.
Three-point goals: LC — Perry 2, Reddick. WV — Montgomery 4, Gutman 2.
All “A” Classic boys state tournament schedule
SATURDAY
Newport (19-3) vs. Lyon County (20-1), 4 p.m.
Murray (18-5) vs. Evangel Christian (16-4), 5:30 p.m.
SUNDAY
Championship game, 2 p.m.