On Friday night, the Lyon County Lady Lyons decided it was time to create some history of their own. In Jason White Gym, the Lyon County Lady Lyons defeated McCracken County 60-54 with to two free throws from Jenna Coursey with 11 seconds remaining.
It was 58-54 thanks to two free throws from Coursey. Trinity Taylor scored the game’s last basket off the subsequent inbounds pass to give McCracken County the final six-point lead after the team turned the ball over.
The victory marked the Lady Lyons’ first victory over the Lady Mustangs in four tries. In addition to being Lyon County’s first victory against McCracken County in girls’ play, it was also the Lady Mustangs’ first defeat by a 5th District opponent.
At the start of the game, the Lyon County defence clamped down on McCracken County, preventing the Lady Mustangs from scoring for more than two minutes. The Lady Lyons’ issue was that McCracken County’s defence was as strong, giving them only two points in a short period of time.
The Lady Lyons took a 10-5 lead in the middle of the first quarter because to their strong defensive play. The Lady Mustangs ended the quarter with an 11-1 run to take a 16-11 lead, while the Lady Lyons had a dry spell from the field for the remainder of the first and committed a few turnovers against the McCracken press.
However, McCracken County did not maintain that momentum throughout the first part of the second quarter. The Lady Lyons began the second quarter with a 14-0 blitz, led by Piper Cotham and Trinity Taylor, which helped them overcome the deficit and take a 25-16 lead.
The Lady Lyons led 28-19 at the half and appeared to have all the momentum as Lyon County held McCracken County to just one field goal and one free throw in the second half. Apparently.
However, “Uncle Mo” is a petty old man. The Lady Mustangs were the ones who swiftly turned the tide in their favour after the interval. Ava Hughes scored all but five of the McCracken County points in the first half, but as the third quarter began, she began to receive some assistance. The Lady Mustangs began the second half with a 14-4 run to take a 33-32 lead, led by Reagan Hill and Arriannia Brison.
However, honour the Lady Lyons. They did the exact opposite whenever they had the opportunity to falter against the Lady Mustangs. Lyon County went on a 7-2 run at the end of the third quarter to regain the lead 39-35 after making a few important offensive plays and steals.
Early in the fourth quarter, Ava Hughes and Anna Hammonds made three-pointers as part of an 8-2 run that restored McCracken’s lead at 43-41. Before Lyon County fought back again, the lead increased to 47-43. The Lady Lyons regained the lead at 53-47 with ten points in a row. Within 59 seconds, the final eight points of the run were scored on a three-pointer from Piper Cotham, a three-pointer from Trinity Taylor, and a steal and score by Cotham.
With 19.8 seconds remaining, the Lady Mustangs experienced the moment of the evening that will haunt them for a long time. The Lady Lyons were only 56-54 when Lilly Perry went to the queue. Perry missed both of the free shots, but Courtney Collins hauled down the rebound after McCracken missed her on the second attempt, forcing a timeout for the Lady Lyons. With 11 seconds remaining, Jenna Coursey was fouled after the Lady Lyons had passed the ball to her out of the timeout.
With 21 points and four steals, Piper Cotham led Lyon County. Trinity Taylor scored 18 points and pulled down 12 rebounds for a double-double. In the second half, Jenna Coursey was 6 of 6 at the line and scored 14 points. Courtney Collins finished with 15 rebounds and 5 points. Despite only scoring two points, Lilly Perr had five assists and six steals.
Ava Hughes had a fantastic night for McCracken County, scoring a game-high 33 points. Reagan Hill scored eight points for the Lady Mustangs in the end.
After winning five games in a row, the Lady Lyons (6-1) will return to play on Monday night when they face Crittenden County in a crucial 5th District game. Due to illness, the game that was originally scheduled for this past week was postponed.
