The Indiana Lyons won their first and second American Basketball Association (ABA) playoff games in franchise history becoming the ABA North Central Region Champions. They advanced to the Final Eight tournament in St. Louis April 15-18.
The team will host a community celebration Saturday at 4 p.m. at Danville Town Hall, 49 N Wayne St. Visit IndianaLyons.com and the team’s Facebook page for more details.
After finishing with a 14-4 regular season record and a No. 12 ranking in the ABA out of more than 75 teams, the Lyons earned a first-round bye in the regional tournament and faced the No. 22 Ohio Bruins out of Columbus, Ohio, March 20 in Noblesville.
Trailing for most of the game, the Lyons mounted a furious comeback in the final two minutes of regulation, forced overtime and won 107-102.
Though they’ve made it to the playoffs in the team franchise’s three years it was the first postseason victory for the Lyons. The 2019-20 ABA playoffs were cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
In the championship game, the Lyons battled the Midwest Guardians out of Westfield who were ranked No. 1. The Lyons finally took control late in the fourth quarter and won 121-114.
ABA All-Star nominee Gerald Campbell led the Lyons with 45 points, nine rebounds and five assists in the game, while Brownsburg graduate and ABA All-Star nominee Kendric Lee poured in 19 points, 10 assists, five rebounds and two steals. Danville Community High School graduate Dillon Ware added 11 points, seven rebounds and two assists.
“We focused on perseverance this weekend,” said coach Tyrone Brown of Avon who owns the team with his wife Deborah. “We faced all sorts of adversity this season and this weekend, and we persevered.
The team will host a community celebration of their regional championship on Saturday at 4 p.m. at Danville Town Hall, with more details to be posted later this week on IndianaLyons.com and on the team’s Facebook page: https://m.facebook.com/INLyons/
