The Indiana Lyons hosted the St. Louis Spirits at Bosstick Gym in Danville on Sunday in American Basketball Association (ABA) action and skated to a 119-80 victory, moving them into the top spot in the Midwest Region as the postseason tournament looms just a few weeks away.

The Lyons entered the game with a 12-6 record and a No. 20 ranking in the ABA, while the Spirits sported an 8-4 record and the No. 22 ranking in the league. The Lyons fell to the Spirits in St. Louis earlier this month by a score of 102-96.

The Spirits only brought six players on the road trip to central Indiana, and they were beaten by the Indianapolis-based Naptown Pros on Saturday. That pulled the Lyons even with the Spirits in win percentage going into Sunday’s contest, putting the two teams in a tie for first place in the region.

The Lyons never trailed in this game, completely dominating the Spirits from start to finish. The home team went into halftime with a 20-point lead and did not let off the gas pedal in the second half, ultimately winning by 39 points. The undermanned Spirits appeared exhausted in the final two quarters and simply could not keep up with the Lyons.

It was arguably the best 48 minutes that the Lyons have played all season to this point. The home team’s defense was absolutely suffocating for the entire game.

Gerald “Cam” Campbell stole the show for the Lyons, piling up 43 points, 9 rebounds, and 5 assists. After going a perfect 9-for-9 from the free throw line last week, Cam went 11-for-11 from the charity stripe on Sunday. He also buried 5 three-pointers.

The Lyons and Spirits split their season series, with each team winning at home, and the overall series is also now tied, 4-4. Based on winning percentage, the Lyons now hold sole possession of first place in the Midwest Region with three games left to play in the regular season.

The Lyons have a doubleheader at home in Bosstick Gym this weekend as the Southland Saints visit from Chicagoland on Saturday. Then on Sunday, the Lyons face their toughest challenge of the season when the defending ABA champions, the Steel City Yellow Jackets from Pittsburgh, bring their No. 5 ranking and 13-2 record to town for what is sure to be an epic showdown.

Saturday’s game against the Saints begins at 5 p.m. with the doors opening at 4 p.m. Tipoff for Sunday’s game against the Yellow Jackets is at 4 p.m., and entrance to the Lyons Den opens at 3 p.m.

Game Video

Scorching Hot Performance

The Indiana Lyons engaged in a back-and-forth battle with the Ohio Bruins at Bosstick Gym in Danville on Saturday in American Basketball Association (ABA) action and emerged with their 11th win in their past 13 games by a score of 109-97.

Jordan Hidleburg wasted no time drawing first blood for the Lyons by burying a three-pointer just 10 seconds into the game, and Tee Williams followed it up with a field goal just 40 seconds later to give the home team a quick 5-0 lead.

The Bruins (8-6) and Lyons (11-6) have a long history of playing extremely close and competitive games against each other, and this contest was no different. Ohio battled back from 10-point deficits three times in the first half, and the two clubs went into the locker room at halftime all tied up, 50-50.

The Bruins – based in Columbus, Ohio – took the lead early in the third quarter, but the Lyons would not quit. Eric Messer beat the buzzer with one of his 5 three-pointers at the end of the third frame to give the Lyons an 81-70 lead.

The battle raged on throughout the fourth quarter until the Lyons finally pulled away from the undermanned Bruins in the final two minutes of the game.

Gerald “Cam” Campbell led the charge for the Lyons with 38 points, 8 rebounds, and 7 assists. He was a perfect 9-for-9 from the free throw line. Brownsburg High School alum Kendric Lee put 11 points on the board, vacuumed up 13 rebounds, and swiped the ball from the Bruins 5 times. Hidleburg notched 16 points, 6 rebounds, and 3 steals. Messer registered 15 points.

Coming into the game ranked No. 17 in the ABA out of more than 150 teams across North America and Japan, the Indiana Lyons are now 12-6 overall and in third place in the ABA Midwest Region. The Midwest Region tournament begins March 11, with the regional champion earning a spot in the ABA Final Eight Tournament in Atlanta in April.

The Lyons face another tough opponent on Sunday at home in Bosstick Gym when the St. Louis Spirits (8-3) visit the Lyons Den. St. Louis is in second place in the Midwest Region and ranked in the ABA Top 25. They beat the Lyons in St. Louis by a score of 102-96 earlier this month, so the Lyons will be looking to earn a season split with the Spirits in a contest that will play a crucial role in tournament seeding.

Tipoff for Sunday’s game is at 4 p.m., and the doors to the Lyons Den open at 3 p.m.

Game Video

Powerful Performances

The No. 20-ranked Indiana Lyons (11-5) went on the road to St. Louis, Missouri on Feb. 5, 2023 to face the No. 24-ranked St. Louis Spirits (7-3) in an ABA Midwest Region showdown. The Spirits won the game, 112-96.

The team fell to 11-6 on the season but has won 10 of its last 12 games.

Live Stream STL broadcast the game live.

The No. 20-ranked Indiana Lyons (10-5) went on the road to Moberly, Missouri (Columbia metro area) on Feb. 4, 2023 to face the Missouri Capitals (4-6) in an ABA Midwest Region showdown. The Lyons won the game, 119-103.

The team won its 7th game in a row, its 10th game in its last 11, and improved its record to 11-5 on the season.

The Indiana Lyons traveled to Tennessee over the weekend and returned home with two crucial American Basketball Association (ABA) Midwest Region wins.

The Lyons hit the road to the Volunteer State with an 8-5 record, a No. 22 ranking in the ABA, a four-game win streak, and a stretch of winning seven of their last eight games.

On Saturday, they visited the No. 24-ranked Clarksville Phoenix (7-4) at Austin Peay State University. The game featured several scoring runs by both teams, but ultimately, the Lyons defense shut the Phoenix out for the final 3:00 of play and came away with a 112-106 victory.

Gerald “Cam” Campbell had a particularly productive game, tallying 32 points, 9 assists, 7 rebounds, a block and a steal. He buried 3 three-pointers in the contest.

Tee Williams was also on fire, racking up 22 points, 5 assists, 8 rebounds and two steals. He drained 4-of-6 shots from beyond the arc.

Danville Community High School alum Dillon Ware added 19 points to the effort, along with 9 rebounds, 5 assists and a steal. Jordan Hidleburg scored 14 points and registered 6 assists, 4 rebounds, 9 steals and 3 treys.

The Lyons avenged a home loss to the Phoenix earlier in the season, returning the favor by beating Clarksville in their house. The teams split the regular season series and are now tied in the all-time series.

On Sunday, the team traveled 45 minutes south to Nashville to face the defending ABA Midwest Region champions, the Music City Jazz.

The Jazz (1-8) sport a vastly different roster than they did last season and are having a tough go of it in 2022-23. They put up a spirited fight for the first half but ultimately, the Lyons pulled away in the final two quarters and won comfortably, 128-87.

Sunday’s victory gives the Lyons a regular season sweep of the Jazz and a 4-1 all-time series lead.

The Lyons have now won 6 games in a row and 9 of their last 10 to improve to 10-5 on the season. Two more road Midwest Region battles loom on the horizon on Saturday and Sunday as the team visits Missouri to face the Missouri Capitals (4-6) and the No. 19-ranked St. Louis Spirits (7-3).

The team returns home on Saturday, Feb. 11 in Bosstick Gym against the Ohio Bruins.

Indiana Lyons at Clarksville Phoenix

Indiana Lyons at Music City Jazz

The Indiana Lyons won their fourth game in a row on Saturday with a commanding 118-96 victory over the Naptown Pros at home in Bosstick Gym in American Basketball Association (ABA) action.

The Pros jumped out to a quick 4-0 lead to start the game, but a three-pointer by Phil Bessick and a field goal by Jordan Hidleburg gave the Lyons a 5-4 advantage, and they never trailed again in the final 46 minutes of play.

The Naptown Pros are from Indianapolis, and three former Lyons – Roger Davis III, Tracey Ganow, and Damon Craig – now play for the Pros. Between the physical proximity of the two teams and the familiarity between players of both squads, the battle on Saturday had the feel of two brothers playing against each other.

The crowd of about 300 in the Lyons Den enjoyed dominant performances from Hidleburg, who led the team with 25 points and went 5-for-6 from three-point range, and 7’0” Alex “A.B.” Brown, who racked up 21 points and 8 blocks. Brownsburg High School alumnus Kendric Lee added 17 points, including three baskets from beyond the arc.

All 12 Lyons played in the contest, and all 12 scored.

The Lyons entered the game ranked No. 25 in the ABA out of more than 150 teams across North America and Japan. After a rocky start to the season, the team has now registered seven wins in their last eight games to improve their season record to 8-5. They are in fourth place in the ABA Midwest Region.

The team travels to Tennessee this weekend for games against Midwest Region foes, the Clarksville Phoenix and the Music City Jazz. Clarksville is in second place in the region and ranked in the ABA Top 25. They beat the Lyons in the Lyons Den back in November by a score of 101-93, so the Lyons will be looking for some payback in Clarksville on Saturday.

The Jazz are the defending ABA Midwest Region champions, but the Lyons cruised past them in December in the Lyons Den, 106-94, in a game that was not as close as the final score indicates. The Lyons will strive to repeat that performance in Nashville on Sunday.

After a road series in Missouri during the first weekend of February, the Lyons will return home on Saturday, Feb. 11 in Bosstick Gym against one of their spirited rivals, the Ohio Bruins. The Lyons and Bruins have a long history of playing closely-contested games that are decided in the final seconds of the contest.