Heading into the final weekend of the American Basketball Association (ABA) regular season, the Indiana Lyons hosted the Ohio Bruins on Saturday in Danville’s Bosstick Gym. The home team walked off the hardwood with a 121-101 win and the #1 seed in the ABA Midwest Region postseason tournament.
The Lyons (15-6) boasted their highest ABA ranking of the season at No. 15 when the Bruins (9-8) rolled into town from Columbus, Ohio for the third tilt of the year between the two teams. Indiana won both of the previous matchups, one in Columbus and one in Danville.
Both offenses were sluggish in the first quarter, with each squad missing shots and turning the ball over. After the first 4:30 of the game, the Bruins held a 7-2 advantage. Eric Messer scored on a short jump shot right after the first timeout of the contest and immediately followed that up with a steal and a fast-break layup. His efforts seemed to ignite the Lyons’ offense, and they fought their way back to a 23-22 lead at the end of the first frame.
Indiana earned itself a little breathing room over Ohio in the second quarter as Jordan Hidleburg began sending three-pointer after three-pointer raining down on the Bruins. Hidleburg finished the day going an astounding 8-for-11 from long range. He played in all 22 regular season games this season, making him the only Lyons player to do so.
Coming out of the locker room from a 47-40 halftime lead, the Lyons blew the lid off the contest with a monster third quarter that saw them outscore the visitors 44-27. Hidleburg continued his aerial assault from beyond the arc, while both Messer and Gerald “Cam” Campbell also threw it into high gear.
The Lyons led by as many as 30 points in the second half and cruised to a 20-point victory. Every member of the Lyons scored in the contest, and Indiana notched its 15th win in its last 17 games to finish the regular season with a 16-6 record.
Campbell led the Lyons in scoring with 38 points. He also collected 14 rebounds and 6 assists on his way to a double-double. Hidleburg rang up 31 points to go with his 6 assists and 2 steals. Messer finished with 15 points, 7 rebounds, and 2 steals.
Alex “A.B.” Brown tallied 12 rebounds and 11 points for his 10th double-double in 20 games played. He notched an additional double-double in an exhibition game on Feb. 26. Tee Williams unleashed a multi-pronged attack, racking up 11 points, 8 rebounds, 6 assists, and 3 steals.
Video of the game can be found below.
The Lyons will be the #1 seed in the ABA Midwest Region postseason tournament, earning a bye in the first round. They automatically advance to the ABA Midwest Region Final Four, which will be held at Bosstick Gym over the weekend of March 18-19.
The team is hosting a special event for the public on Saturday at Bosstick Gym during their bye week. More details can be found on the Lyons’ website and social media.
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