Category: Team News

ABA Power Rankings for Dec. 5

ABA Power Rankings – thru Sunday, Dec 4th 
(Minimum 4 games)
1.  Steel City Yellow Jackets 5-0
2.  Chula Vista Suns 5-0
3.  Binghamton Bulldogs 6-0
4.  Pensacola Lightning 5-0
5.  Alamo City All Stars 5-0
6.  Baltimore Hawks 5-0
7.  Team Trouble 7-1
8.  Excelsior Springs Scream 5-1
9.  413 Elite 5-1
10. Texas Red Wolves 5-1
11. Southwest Desert Cats 5-1
12. Nassau Pride 4-0
13. Burning River Buckets 5-2
14. San Francisco City Cats 4-1
15. North Alabama War Dawgs 4-1
16. Providence Pirates 4-2
17. Texas Seraphim 4-2
18. St. Louis Spirits 4-2
19. Herkimer Originals 4-2
20. Clarksville Phoenix 3-1
21. T- Golden State Tigers 3-1   Chicago Rebels 3-1
22. T – Atlanta Aliens 3-1
23. Las Vegas Royals 3-1
24. Fresno Flaming Sun Rays 3-1
25. Central PA Kings 3-1
Scores from around the Midwest Region:
Excelsior Springs Scream 110, Indiana Lyons 80
Missouri Capitals 112, Illinois Skulls 92
St. Louis Spirits 127, Clarksville Phoenix 112
Music City Jazz ?, Huntsville Rockets ?

ABA Power Rankings for Nov. 21

ABA Power Rankings – Week Ending Sunday, Nov 20
1.  Steel City Yellow Jackets 3-0
2.  Chula Vista Suns 3-0
3.  North Alabama War Dawgs 3-0
4.  Pensacola Lightning 4-0
5.  Binghamton Bulldogs 4-0
6.  Alamo City All Stars 4-0
7.  Herkimer Originals  3-0
8.  Southwest Desert Cats 3-0
9.  Wyoming Valley Clutch 3-0
10. Burning River Buckets 3-0
11. Clarksville Phoenix 3-0
12. Cal Golden Tigers 3-0
13. Baltimore Hawks 3-0
14. Team Trouble 5-1
15. Texas Seraphim 4-1
16. Providence Pirates 3-1
17. Las Vegas Royals 3-1
18. Texas Red Wolves 3-1
19. T – Fresno Flaming Sun Rays 3-1 413 Elite 3-1
20. T – Ohio Kings 2-0  Atlanta Aliens 2-0
21. T – San Diego Geniuses 2-0  Nassau Pride 2-0
22.. Garden State Warriors 2-1
23. East Bay Kings 2-1
24.  Catskill Cardinals 2-1
25.  Columbus Skyhawks 2-1
Scores from around the Midwest Region:
Clarksville Phoenix 101, Indiana Lyons 93
St. Louis Spirits 129, Music City Jazz 84
Excelsior Springs Scream 105, Missouri Capitals 89
Burning River Buckets 110, Indiana Lyons 102

Indiana Lyons Drop Two at Home

DANVILLE, INDIANA – The Indiana Lyons’ struggles in the 2022-23 American Basketball Association (ABA) season continued over the weekend of Nov. 19 and 20 with two eight-point home losses.

On Nov. 19 in Bosstick Gym, the Lyons faced an ABA Midwest Region foe, the Clarksville Phoenix (3-0), who came into the game ranked No. 14 in the ABA out of more than 150 teams. Clarksville had revenge on their minds since the Lyons eliminated the Phoenix from the Midwest Region tournament last season.

Revenge is exactly what the Phoenix got on their road trip from Tennessee by way of a 101-93 win against the home team.

Clarksville jumped out to an early lead with precision shooting, multiple three-pointers, aggressive rebounding, and solid ball control. The same could not be said for the Lyons, who struggled to make field goals and free throws and who seemed uninterested in collecting rebounds.

The Lyons managed a slim 25-24 lead at the end of the first quarter and extended it to 28-24 briefly in the second quarter, but it was all downhill from there. They could find no answer for Clarksville forward Jimario Rivers, who dominated on both sides of the ball.

A herculean effort on offense and defense throughout the game by five-year veteran Mike Pugh kept the Lyons close enough to the Phoenix to make the contest interesting, but Clarksville never faced a serious threat to notching a victory.

Looking to rebound on Nov. 20, the Lyons welcomed the defending ABA North Central Region champions, the Burning River Buckets, who drove through a massive snowstorm in Cleveland to visit the Lyons Den. The Buckets were ranked No. 13 in the ABA and sported a 3-0 record on the season heading into Sunday’s game.

That record improved to 4-0 after the visiting Buckets handed the Lyons a 110-102 loss.

As has been the theme throughout the 2022-23 campaign so far, the Lyons could not get field goals or free throws to fall with any regularity, nor were they aggressive in seeking out rebounds.

Not helping matters was the absence of 7’0” Alex Brown, who was injured in the Clarksville game, as well as the absences of Kendric Lee, Jai Wright, and Trey Pool.

For most of the game, the Buckets led comfortably, extending their advantage to more than 20 points several times. A furious rally in the third quarter brought the Lyons to within four points of the Buckets, but Indiana could not close the deal.

The Buckets only brought six players, but they were all lethal. Gabe Kynard led the attack with 34 points, while Anthony Coleman added 22 and Justin Fritts contributed 20. As a team, the Buckets went 17-for-34 from three-point range.

Jordan Hidleburg led the Lyons with 21 points and 6 assists, scoring on 4 of his 6 three-point attempts.

The Lyons drop to 1-3 on the season, 0-2 in Midwest Region play, and an unprecedented 0-3 at home. Their next game is on the road on Dec. 3 against the Excelsior Springs Scream. The Lyons will return home for games on Dec. 10, 11 and 17.

ABA Power Rankings for Nov. 14

The ABA Power Rankings, as of Nov. 14, 2022:

1.  Steel City Yellow Jackets 2-0
2.  Chula Vista Suns 2-0
3.  North Alabama War Dawgs 3-0
4.  Pensacola Lightning 4-0
5.  Providence Pirates 3-0
6.  Binghamton Bulldogs 3-0
7.  Las Vegas Royals 3-0
8.  Herkimer Originals 3-0
9.  Alamo City All Stars 3-0
10. Southwest Desert Cats 3-0
11. Wyoming Valley Clutch 2-0
12. Columbus Skyhawks 2-0
13. T- Burning River Buckets 2-0  East Bay Kings 2-0
14. T-Cal Golden Tigers 2-0   Clarksville Phoenix 2-0
15.T – Chicago Rebels 2-0  Catskill Cardinals 2-0
16. T – Baltimore Hawks 1-0  San Diego Geniuses 1-0
17.  Ohio Kings 1-0
18,   Nassau Pride 1-0
19.. T-Atlanta Aliens 1-0  PG Valor 1-0
20.  T – Harlem Underdogs 1-0  Central PA Kings 1-0
21.  Team Trouble 3-1
22.. Fresno Flaming Sunrays 3-1
23.. Texas Seraphim 3-1
24.. Music City Jazz 2-1
25.  Texas Red Wolves 2-1
Scores from the Midwest Region:

Clarksville Phoenix 137, Music City Jazz 79

St. Louis Spirits 96, Excelsior Springs Scream 91

Indiana Lyons 97, Southland Saints 80

Indiana Lyons Notch Road Win in Chicago

PALOS HILLS, ILLINOIS – The Indiana Lyons hit the road for their second game of the 2022-23 American Basketball Association (ABA) season on Nov. 13 and returned home from Chicago with a 97-80 victory against the expansion Southland Saints under their belts.

For the second week in a row, the Lyons (1-1) faced an expansion team and for the second week in a row, they struggled. Shots would not fall, and the stifling Saints defense soaked up the rebounds and turnovers throughout the first three quarters of the contest.

Trailing 18-14 after the first quarter, the Lyons found a little bit of rhythm in the final two minutes of the half to take a 37-36 lead into the locker room.

The Saints (0-2) were coming off a close five-point loss last week to the No. 15 team in the ABA, and they looked hungry to earn their first victory in franchise history. Meanwhile, the Lyons were listless coming out of halftime, allowing the Saints to hold a 57-52 lead after three periods.

With only 52 points in three frames, the Lyons were on pace to set a franchise record for fewest points scored in a game.

And then the fourth quarter began.

As sluggish and discombobulated as the Lyons were through three quarters, they were equally as cohesive and well-oiled in the final twelve minutes.

Gerald Campbell drove the ball to the hoop for two points on the Lyons’ opening possession, which the Lyons followed up with three emphatic slam dunks on subsequent possessions – one by 6’8” Dillon Ware and two by 7’0” Alex Brown.

The quick strike and sudden swing in momentum gave the Lyons a lead that they would never relinquish, putting the Saints on their heels and leading them to force three-point shots that would not fall.

The Lyons started aggressively hunting down rebounds and forcing turnovers, and in the blink of an eye, they were on a 16-0 run before the Saints could register a basket. Scootee Walker, Kendric Lee, and Mike Pugh all forced multiple turnovers to frustrate the home team.

Later in the quarter, the Saints started shaking off the early haymaker, putting together a couple of scoring drives. Adonis Cubas-Hughes drove to the basket to attempt a layup, but Brown aggressively blocked the shot straight into the floor. On the next possession, Pugh launched a three-pointer while being fouled, sunk the trey and buried the ensuing free throw.

That sequence proved to be the knockout blow, as the Saints could never get back up off the mat.

The Lyons return to their home court in Bosstick Gym at 49 N. Wayne Street in Danville on Nov. 19 against the No. 14-ranked Clarksville Phoenix and Nov. 20 against the No. 13-ranked Burning River Buckets. Tipoff for the Clarksville game is at 5 p.m. while the Buckets game begins at 4 p.m.

QR Codes for Phoenix, Bucket Games on Nov. 19, 20

Lyons Pride, we have an exciting new opportunity for our players this season! You can now purchase game tickets from your favorite player, and by doing so, he will receive a percentage of each ticket he sells! You get to watch him play in the Lyons Den, and he gets a little coin in his pocket. Win, win!

It’s super easy to support your favorite Lyon. Simply use his QR code and purchase your tickets online! Easy as that!

We have computer magic to know how many tickets each player sells for each home game to make sure he gets credit for your purchase.

Ready to support your favorite player at Saturday’s game against the Clarksville Phoenix on Saturday, Nov. 19 and the Burning River Buckets on Sunday, Nov. 20? Go for it!

Indiana Lyons Suffer Rare Home Loss in Season Opener

DANVILLE, INDIANA – The Indiana Lyons began their fifth season in the American Basketball Association (ABA) on Nov. 5 with a home game at Bosstick Gym in Danville against the expansion Excelsior Springs Scream but couldn’t find a winning combination in a 93-87 loss.

The Lyons (0-1) opened up the scoring with five-year veteran Mike Pugh drilling a three-pointer as the home team sprinted to an early 14-5 lead in the first four minutes of the game. Pugh, Dillon Ware and Alex Brown led the early assault. The quick start fired up the crowd of more than 600 fans who stayed loud for the rest of the back-and-forth contest.

However, the Scream (1-0) were not intimidated by the noise or the Lyons, storming back with a 15-1 run of their own, spearheaded by Jaelen Brown, Quantel Denson, and Tavares Sledge. The visitors eventually took a 51-47 lead at halftime.

The tightly-contested second half saw neither team take more than a five-point lead at any time until the final two minutes of the game.

Gerald Campbell and Scootee Walker led the Lyons to a five-point lead late in the third quarter, but the home team’s missed opportunities to score on possessions, make free throws and grab rebounds late in the game ultimately cost them the contest.

Sledge proved particularly problematic for the Lyons, doing most of his offensive and defensive damage in the second half. He buried three of his five treys in the third quarter and scored most of his points in the final two frames.

Campbell led the Lyons in scoring with 24 points, including four three-pointers. Walker notched 19 points, including three treys, while Pugh poured in 12 points, including two from beyond the arc. Ware added 13 points.

The Scream were led by Sledge and his 28 points. Denson and Brown each scored 18 points and each hit two three-pointers for the visiting team.

The game was broadcast by ISC Sports Network and can be viewed on the Indiana Lyons YouTube channel.

The Lyons had won all four of their previous home openers in their history, and they entered the game against the Scream with a gaudy .814 home winning percentage.

The expansion team from the Kansas City metropolitan area, however, proved too large and too physical for the Lyons. Ten of the 12 players on the Scream’s roster are 6’6” or taller. Only four Lyons players meet that criteria.

The Lyons travel to Chicagoland in Week 2 of the ABA season to face another expansion team, the Southland Saints. They return to the Lyons Den on Nov. 19 against the Clarksville Phoenix and Nov. 20 against the Burning River Buckets.

Learn more about the Indiana Lyons, including how to purchase game tickets, at IndianaLyons.com.

For game stats, click here.

Purchase Tickets from Lyons Players; Players Get Percentage

Lyons Pride, we have an exciting new opportunity for our players this season! You can now purchase game tickets from your favorite player, and by doing so, he will receive a percentage of each ticket he sells! You get to watch him play in the Lyons Den, and he gets a little coin in his pocket. Win, win!

It’s super easy to support your favorite Lyon. Simply use his QR code and purchase your tickets online! Easy as that!

(Not into QR codes? Click on his graphic, and it’ll get you to the same place.)

We have computer magic to know how many tickets each player sells for each home game to make sure he gets credit for your purchase.

Ready to support your favorite player at Saturday’s game against the Excelsior Springs Scream? Go for it!

Indiana Lyons Open Regular Season on Nov. 5

DANVILLE, IN – The Indiana Lyons of the American Basketball Association (ABA) open their fifth season in the league at home on Saturday, Nov. 5 against the expansion Excelsior Springs Scream with a special offer for kids who hang on to their Halloween costumes for a few extra days.

The Lyons play their home games at Bosstick Gym, 49 N. Wayne Street in Danville, affectionately known as the Lyons Den. Tipoff on Nov. 5 is scheduled for 5 p.m., with doors opening at 4 p.m.

Mike Pugh of the Indiana Lyons (CREDIT: TOPPLevel Entertainment)

In their regular season opener, the Lyons are offering free entry to kids in costume with a paid adult admission. Come scream at the Scream, and after the game, kids are encouraged to trick-or-treat from Lyons players on the court.\

The Lyons are scheduled for 23 games in the 2022-23 regular season with 13 of those games being played at home in the Lyons Den. Opponents will visit Danville from Missouri, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Illinois and Tennessee. The Excelsior Springs Scream are from the Kansas City metropolitan area.

Notable home games this season include facing the defending ABA champion Steel City Yellow Jackets out of Pittsburgh on Feb. 26, playing against the defending ABA North Central Region champion Burning River Buckets out of Cleveland on Nov. 20, and taking on the defending ABA Midwest Region champion Music City Jazz out of Nashville on Dec. 17.

The Lyons will play more than half of their games against teams that are ranked in the preseason Top 25 in the ABA. The league is made up of more than 150 teams across North America and Japan.

The team finished the 2021-22 season as finalists in the Midwest Region Tournament Championship Game and posted a 19-8 overall record, 15-2 at home. They were ranked No. 20 in the ABA.

In four years of existence, the Lyons have turned in four winning records, four appearances in the ABA Playoffs, and the North Central Region Championship and an appearance in the ABA’s Final Eight Tournament in 2020-21.

General admission tickets during the 2022-23 campaign are just $10 each. Adults ages 55 years and older, active and former military, and children ages 5-17 are only $5 each. Children under the age of 5 are admitted to all home games for free. Tickets can be purchased online in advance or at the door on game days.

Learn more about the team, including its schedule and how to purchase tickets online, at www.IndianaLyons.com or by following them on Facebook, Instagram and YouTube.