By Will Jones
NKyTribune sports reporter
Lyon County pulled away in overtime to beat Newport, 60-53, in the Sunday afternoon semifinals of the All “A” Class boys basketball tournament at Owensboro Sportscenter.
It was the third meeting in the last four years between the two teams located more than 300 miles apart. Lyon County defeated Newport in the opening round of the 2023 postseason state tournament. One year later, Newport defeated Lyon County in the All “A” Classic state semifinals.
“It’s kind of neat how we’ve met up,” Newport coach Rod Snapp said after the game. “We’ve played them three times in the last four years, so we were very familiar with them.”
After their rematch in Sunday’s semifinals, Lyon County defeated Caverna, 49-46, in the All “A” Classic championship game.
Newport got off to a slow start in Sunday’s matchup, scoring just five points in the first quarter and going 2-of-10 from the field.
But the Wildcats went on an 11-0 run to take a 16-12 lead midway through the second quarter. The game was tied 20-20 at halftime.
The third quarter stayed tight with four lead changes and three ties. Lyon County senior guard Bray Kirk, who was later named the tournament’s most valuable player, scored seven of Lyon County’s 13 points in that period to give his team a 33-32 edge heading into the fourth.
After Newport took its largest lead, 42-35, Lyon County answered with a 12-0 run and had a five-point lead with two minutes remaining on the game clock.
Newport tied the score, 47-47, on an Amontae Lowe layup. A Lyon County player then missed an off-balance shot from the free throw line at the buzzer, sending the game to overtime.
Lyon County controlled the extra period from start to finish, outscoring Newport 13-6 to secure the victory.
Lowe led Newport with 23 points, going 5-of-13 from beyond the arc. Irvan Nichols added 11 points and 10 rebounds. They were both named to the state all-tournament team.
“I feel like Amontae Lowe is tough as nails,” said coach Snapp. “He’s only a junior … but he’s a sponge, and he listens, and he wants to win super bad. He gets hit and goes through contact, and has to guard their kid (Kirk), who averages 21 points per game. He stepped up, but it was just hard to give him a break.”
Kirk scored a team-high 21 points for the Lyons and Nolan Coffman posted a double-double with 17 points and 11 rebounds.
With three weeks remaining in the regular season, Snapp needs his players to quickly regain their focus.
“You’ve got to lock in, pay attention to detail, and be ultra-attentive in practice every day,” Snapp said. “Our district and region are tough, so we’ve got to be ready.”
NEWPORT 5 15 12 15 6 — 53
LYON COUNTY 10 10 13 14 13 — 60
NEWPORT (13-5): Nichols 4 2 11, Lowe 9 0 23, Farrell 3 0 6, Andrews-Glover 3 0 7, Jackson 2 0 4, L. Petty 1 0 2. Totals: 22 2 53.
LYON COUNTY (16-5): Cooper Collins 0 2 2, Kirk 10 1 21, Carson Collins 3 5 12, Coffman 7 1 17, DeFew 2 4 8. Totals: 22 13 60.
Three-point goals: N — Lowe 5, Nichols, Andrews-Glover. LC — Coffman 2, Carson Collins.
Caverna 53, Walton-Verona 39
Caverna took a 23-13 lead in the first half and went on to defeat Walton-Verona, 53-39, in the other All “A” Classic boys semifinal game on Sunday at Owensboro Sportscenter.
Walton-Verona struggled to convert early, shooting 2-of-14 in the first quarter and scoring only six points against the bigger, stronger Caverna team.
Caverna capitalized on its size advantage at the other end of the court by scoring 10 points in the paint in the first quarter. The Colonels finished with a 38-20 scoring advantage in the lane.
Part of Caverna’s size came from recently eligible Gavin Lightning, a 6-foot-6 wing who transferred from Columbus, Ohio. He had 12 points and 14 rebounds in the win.
Senior guard Clay Shearer gave Walton-Verona a lift to start the third quarter with a 3-pointer that made it a seven-point game.
That was as close as the Bearcats would get. They trailed 35-23 entering the fourth quarter.
Walton-Verona did not make two consecutive field goals during the game. The Bearcats ended up shooting 28.6 percent (14 of 49) from the field.
Shearer finished with 13 points on 5-of-12 shooting. His younger brother, Wyatt, also scored 13 points and snagged nine rebounds. They were both named to the state all-tournament team.
CAVERNA 13 10 12 18 — 53
WALTON-VERONA 6 7 10 16 — 39
CAVERNA (15-5): Lightning 5 2 12, K. Martin 2 1 5, Craine 2 4 8, T. Martin 6 1 13, Maxey 6 0 13, Bradley 0 2 2. Totals: 21 10 53.
WALTON-VERONA (13-8): C. Shearer 5 1 13, Gutman 1 0 3, W. Shearer 5 2 13, Thornberry 3 3 9, Dryden 0 1 1. Totals: 14 7 39.
Three-point goals: C — Maxey. WV — C. Shearer 2, Gutman, W. Shearer.