By CHUCKIE MAGGIO
When Dean Schott II gathered his Lyons Lions during the final timeout of Friday’s Class C2 final, he didn’t want the prospect of missing the front end of a one-and-one to cross Ahmir James’s mind. The Lions prepared for made free throws and the set defense that would follow to prevent Perry from tying the game on a three-pointer.
The Lions’ best-case scenario, of course, did not occur as planned. James missed the first free throw, Perry senior Michael Hockey grabbed the rebound and the Yellow Jackets had the ball with a shot at the championship.
Hockey passed to classmate Garrett McClung, who took a hard dribble and tossed a pass to Carson DeVinney near the three-point arc. DeVinney, closely guarded, found sophomore Mitchel Hockey alone on the left wing. The younger Hockey brother fired- and hit back iron.
Lyons prevailed, 46-45, to win its third consecutive sectional title. Its second straight one-possession game, preceded by a two-point win over Geneseo in the semifinals on Monday, was a captivating way to three-peat.
Horace Betts IV was named the tournament’s Most Valuable Player, leading the Lions through an even affair that featured 14 lead changes. The junior scored 15 points, grabbed eight rebounds and swiped three steals.
Betts’s most timely plays came in the final minute. With 1:01 left, he drove to the basket for the go-ahead layup. He then intercepted a pass, followed by a drawn foul, to maintain the one-point lead. The Lions swarmed the ball to force the important turnover, which he picked with ease.
“H.B. is just cool, calm and collected. Always has been with me, knows exactly what I want,” Schott remarked. “And he knew, when we needed a bucket he got it; when we needed a steal with 11 seconds left, he got it. I knew he would.”
Betts was joined by two teammates on the all-tournament team, freshman John Walker and junior Ahmir James. Walker recorded a double-double with 12 points and 14 rebounds, six coming on the offensive end. James hit three three-pointers, including back-to-back shots from long range in the second quarter, as part of an 11-point night.
Schott admitted that Friday morning, he was “maybe a little worried” about how Walker would respond to playing in the title game, but acknowledged that “the kid doesn’t know the meaning of the word ‘fear.'” Schott also praised James, calling him “the best defensive player that I have seen in high school basketball.”
“Last year we were an offensive team,” Schott recalled. “We changed to a defensive team this year, and it all starts with that kid. Ahmir James never lets you get anything; you have to earn everything.”
Perry earned a 12-10 lead after the first quarter after Michael Hockey and Michael John Grover got the Yellow Jackets started on the offensive end. After Lyons scored the first 13 points of the second quarter, Perry responded with a 10-5 run to end the half and a 7-0 run out of the locker room to regain the lead.
Back and forth the teams went, the Yellow Jackets leading by four entering the fourth and the Lions scoring the first six points of the fourth to recover the advantage. When Michael Hockey made a three-pointer to put Perry up one with 1:24 to go, Perry had the momentum until a James jumper swung it back Lyons’ way.
Michael Hockey scored nine, Mitchell Hockey five. Grover led all scorers with 17 points, while DeVinney recorded a double-double with 10 points and 11 boards.
By game’s end, however, Betts had earned his MVP and the Lions had won a sectional championship despite star guard Justin Smith missing it with a foot injury.
Smith has been cleared to return to the court on Monday, so the Lions will have him for the regional qualifier.
“It’s amazing,” Schott said. “A lot of Class C teams lose their best player, and one of the best players in Section V, that’s big trouble. But my guys, next man up. All year we told (Smith) that we’d get him to play again. Monday, he can play again. So we’re at full strength on Monday.
“The guys that stepped up, they don’t see him out being a problem. They see it as an opportunity to make names for themselves, and that’s what they did.”
Final Box Score: Lyons 46, Perry 45
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