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LYON CO. BOYS BEAT LEX. CHRISTIAN – 2007

All A effort Balanced attack advances Lyons into semifinal matchup with I Lex. Christian • KHSAA PAIRINGS: The pairings for March's KHSAA boys and girls state tournaments are HIGH SCHOOL BASKETBALL By Joey Fosko The Paducah Sun jfosko@paducahsun.com RICHMOND, Ky. - It was a tough decision for the powers that t be of the All A Classic, determining the identity of the Most Valuable Player of Lyon County's mild quarterfinal-round upset of Cumberland County. They eventually settled c on center Allison Mussato, who received the post-game award for her 17-point, 11-rebound performance. But Mussato's play was just one of the reasons the Lady Lyons slipped past Cumberland County 63-59 to advance to the final four of the small-school state tournament - the plaque could have easily been split four ways. Abbey McLeod, her tagteam partner in the paint, had 17 points and 16 boards. Olivia Akridge had 12 points and seven assists and was the primary defender that held Cumberland County star Kristen Rowe to 10 points, less than half her regular output. Hayley Parent's 15 points included a breakout fourth quarter - back-to-back 3-pointers to give Lyon the lead early and four big free throws in the final 1:13 to seal the win, including two with 11 seconds remaining. And the Lady Lyons (15-5) needed each and every one of them to become the first Second Region team to reach the semifinals since 1996, when West Hopkins lost to eventual champion Louisville Holy Cross. "When you get four players in double figures, , that's a lot of balance, and it makes you tough to defend," Lyon coach Malissa Thomas said. "We had everybody doing what they had to do for us to win. "Abbey dominated the game early, and her energy and aggressiveness inside really got us going. Olivia took care of the ball and did a good job on Please see LYONS / 4B Lakers turn up with regional The All A Classic GIRLS BRACKETS FRIDAY'S QUARTERFINALS at McBrayer Arena, Richmond Newport Central Catholic 44, Bardstown 24. Paris 27, Somerset 22 Lexington Christian 69, Carroll County 41 Lyon County 63, Cumberland County 59 TODAY'S SEMIFINALS Newport Central Catholic vs. Pars, 8 a.m. Lyon County vs. Lexington Christian, 9:30 a.m. BOYS BRACKETS FRIDAY'S QUARTERFINALS at McBrayer Arena, Richmond Bishop Brossart 45, Gallatin County 44 University Heights 56, Clinton County 46 Hazard 35, Cumberland 34 Bardstown 75, Paintsville 60 TODAY'S SEMIFINALS Bishop Brossart vs. University Heights, 2 p.m. Hazard vs. Bardstown, 3:30 a.m.
Lyons draw tough semifinal hurdle Continued from 1B Rowe. Hayley hit some big shots that kind of relaxed us a bit when they came back and took the lead on us. "It was a team thing, no doubt." Lyon's six-point halftime lead disappeared in a flash, with the Lady Panthers (18-3) running off 10 straight points to start the third quarter. But Parrent got it back early in the fourth period, n nailing a pair of threes on inbounds plays to put Lyon up 48-46 at the 5:30 mark. Mussato, set up in the midpost, found McLeod on the block, and McLeod's rebound triggered a fast break that saw Akridge hit Parrent with a long pass for a layup that extended the lead to six. "They're a complete team," Cumberland County coach Brian Miller said. "They really hurt us early with their physical girls, and then when we went to a zone and packed it in, (Parrent) hit some big threes. They're a complete team." Lyon exploited its advantage in the post early and often, pounding the ball inside to Mussato and McLeod. The pair combined for 24 points and 16 boards in the first half as Lyon took a 32-26 lead at the break. "Having two post players like that is something most teams don't have," Thomas said. "Allison is our leading scorer, and people know about her, but Abbey really showed us over the summer that she was capable of doing this." Thomas also had a special shout-out for defender Kalyn Carter, whose assignment var- Racers try to follow up win Continued from 18 and made tough shots. They got real physical with us and we backed down.. We made it a big deal to come in and not back down, but go at them for 40 minutes. "We have just had to find what ied a bit from the norm. Most of the time, Carter guards the other team's top scorer, but against Cumberland County, she was paired with point guard Sarah Fletcher. "We thought it was more important to put pressure on the point to make it tough for them to get the ball to Rowe," Thomas said, "and we felt that Olivia's quickness would give her a good chance to deny her the ball. She didn't get it as much as they would have liked." Fletcher led the Lady Panthers with 21 points, much of it in transition, and Carter had to deal with a little foul trouble, but she also hit two free throws with 30 ) seconds left after Rowe was called for an intentional foul - her only two points for the game. Lyon converted 10 of 12 free throw attempts in the final two minutes to hold off the Lady Panthers' late charge. Cumberland County prefers a up-tempo style, and was never quite able to coax the Lady Lyons into joining it in a breakneck pace. "We needed to be patient in the halfcourt and get the ball inside," Akridge said. "We were able to keep it under control. That was pretty big, because we can get a little crazy sometimes." Next up for the Lady Lyons is powerful Lexington Christian, the clear favorite to win the tournament. In each of its first two games, wins over St. Mary and Carroll County, Lexington Christian has built a 30-point lead with its fullcourt pressure, then coasted through the second half - after Wednesday's 69-40 win over St. Mary, the Lady Eagles beat Carroll 69-41 in the quarterfinals. In the two wins, Lexington Christian has forced 64 turnovers. "We're the underdog. Everyone knows that," Thomas said. Cumberland County (18-3)10 26 44 59 Lyon County (15-5) 14 - 32 42 63 CUMBERLAND COUNTY Rowe 10, Groce, Murphy 7, Sullivan Fletcher 21, Griffith 3. White, Dyer 6, Mcintyre 3. Field goals 21/50. 3-pointers 2/9 (Sullivan, McIntyre). Free throws 15/21. Rebounds 33. Fouls 22. LYON COUNTY - Carter 2, McLeod 17. Mussato 17, Parrent 15, Akridge 12, Greene, White. Field goals 20/54. 3-pointers 3/9 (Parrent 3). Free throws 20/27. Rebounds 38. Fouls 16.

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