The Indiana Lyons were scheduled for a doubleheader at Bosstick Gym in Danville on Saturday and Sunday in American Basketball Association (ABA) action but ended up officially playing only one of those games. The other contest was awarded to the Lyons by way of a forfeit.
The Lyons (13-6, ranked No. 17 in the ABA) hosted the Southland Saints (4-7) from Chicagoland on Saturday in the Lyons Den, and after Southland led for the first 6:45 of the game, the Lyons kicked things into gear, pulled away from the Saints throughout the game, and eventually won comfortably by a score of 136-75.
The Saints only had 8 players while the Lyons fielded 11, and Southland was clearly gassed in the second half, allowing the home team to win by a wide margin. The Saints, while quite talented and athletic, were unable to keep up with the constant rotation of Lyons players throughout the contest.
Tee Williams led the Lyons’ scoring attack with 21 points. Williams added 5 assists, 4 rebounds, and a steal to his stats line. Jordan Hidleburg tallied 20 points, 8 rebounds, 9 deflections, 4 assists, and 4 steals. Gerald “Cam” Campbell contributed 19 points, 6 rebounds, and 2 steals to the cause.
Lleon Tillman and Danville Community High School graduate Jackson Stone each appeared in their third game of the season for the Lyons, thus making both eligible to compete in the postseason per ABA rules.
The Lyons were scheduled to face the defending ABA champions, the Steel City Yellow Jackets, in the Lyons Den on Sunday, but the No. 5-ranked Yellow Jackets notified the Lyons on Saturday afternoon that two of their players tested positive for COVID and a third player was ill. Due to the late cancellation, the league office awarded the Lyons a victory over Steel City by forfeit.
At the last minute on Saturday evening, the Gary Sun-Rays from Gary, Indiana, agreed to travel to the Lyons Den on Sunday for an exhibition game to entertain fans. The Sun-Rays, like the Southland Saints, compete in the ABA’s North Central Region.
The undermanned Sun-Rays could not withstand the Lyons’ player rotation, stifling defense, and torrid shooting, and the home team won the exhibition contest handily.
Videos of both games can be found on the Indiana Lyons’ YouTube channel.
The Lyons swept the season series against the Saints, who are an expansion team in the ABA this year. The Lyons beat the Saints in Chicago in November.
With the win on the floor and the win by virtue of a forfeit, the Lyons (15-6) continue to hold sole possession of first place in the Midwest Region with one game left to play in the regular season.
The last regular season game of the 2022-23 campaign for the Lyons takes place on Saturday in Bosstick Gym against the Ohio Bruins during Fan Appreciation Night. Tipoff is scheduled for 5 p.m. with doors opening at 4 p.m.
The Bruins and Lyons have a long history of playing closely-contested games against each other, including two narrow wins – one in overtime – by the Lyons this season.