Indiana Lyons have eye on ABA championship after North Central Region crown
AVON, Ind. (BVM) — Despite the Covid-19 pandemic, the American Basketball Association (ABA) is one of many sports leagues that has soldiered on. And similar to college basketball, its season is nearing its conclusion.
The ABA Final Eight is scheduled to be held April 15-18 in St. Louis. The league championship game will be held Sunday, April 18.
One team who will be vying for the ABA title is the Indiana Lyons, who recently claimed the North Central Region championship. In the process, the Lyons earned their first two playoff wins in franchise history in just their third year of existence.
The first win came against the Columbus Bruins in a game where the Lyons made a big comeback to force overtime and take home a 107-102 victory. The second was in the regional championship game against the Midwest Guardians, as the Lyons would outscore their local foe 121-114.
After a 1-2 start to the season, the Lyons rattled off wins in eight of their next nine games to prove they were a contender. They head into the Final Eight hot on a five-game winning streak.
Led by coach Tyrone Brown, Indiana maintains a potent offense that averages nearly 102 points per game. One of the biggest reasons for their offensive success is the play of Gerald Campbell, who averages 28.3 points per game. Campbell — who had a 45-point outing in the regional championship against the Guardians — also leads the team in rebounding with nearly eight per game on the season.
Kendric Lee is also a versatile player for the Lyons who leads the team in assists per game and also grabs three steals per contest. Indiana has several other solid contributors on its squad including Jermaine Harris, Mike Pugh and Dillon Ware, to name a few.
The Lyons currently sit at a record of 14-5, and were ranked 12th overall in the league’s final power rankings of the season a couple weeks back. Ranked No. 2 was one of the toughest teams in the area, the Chicago Fury. The Lyons suffered a close 95-91 loss to the Fury in mid-February, and it appears they could meet again in the Final Eight.
Indiana will enter the Final Eight tournament as the No. 7 seed, and its first game will take place during the afternoon of Friday, April 16. Although it will be long past March, the Lions are hoping they can still create some madness in April, and perhaps take home a coveted ABA title.
