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'They made it tough': Newport loses a physical Sweet 16 contest to Lyon County

brendan connelly, cincinnati enquirer
·4 min read

After a run to the Ninth Region title that few could have predicted, the Newport Wildcats took part in their first Sweet 16 since 2010. Their opponent, Lyon County, made its second straight state tournament appearance.

A back-and-forth first half saw Lyon County take a 26-20 lead at the half, but the Lyons pulled away in the second half thanks to a stout defense and high-octane offense.

"They made it tough for us. They were making us uncomfortable. They were physical," Newport head coach Rod Snapp said.

When the final buzzer sounded, Lyon County emerged with a 61-46 victory and a berth in the quarterfinals.

Jabari Covington (2) drives into the lane looking for a Newport score at the KHSAA Sweet 16 state basketball tournament, March 16, 2023.
Jabari Covington (2) drives into the lane looking for a Newport score at the KHSAA Sweet 16 state basketball tournament, March 16, 2023.

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What went wrong for the Wildcats?

The most notable statistic from the game was that Newport shot 32% from the field (17-for-53) and 6-for-24 from behind the 3-point arc. This was forced by a tough Lyons' defense. They mixed in a zone to prevent forwards Marquez Miller and James Turner from getting touches, forcing Newport to take low-percentage shots.

"They kind of pushed us out of our comfort zone. Our shots were a little bit further than what we're used to doing," Snapp said.

James Turner drains a free throw for Newport at the KHSAA Sweet 16 state basketball tournament, March 16, 2023.
James Turner drains a free throw for Newport at the KHSAA Sweet 16 state basketball tournament, March 16, 2023.

Besides Newport's low shooting percentage, the Lyons kept the Wildcats off the glass, owning a 40-26 rebounding advantage with 14 of their rebounds on the offensive end, leading to 14 second-chance points.

The game was always going to come down to which team controlled the pace or adapted to the tempo. Lyon County made a pre-game decision to slow their game down and it clearly paid off. Every time Newport made a run to close the deficit, Lyon County responded, usually in the name of Travis Perry, Jack Reddick or Brady Shoulders.

The Newport Wildcats are ready for action in the opening round at the KHSAA Sweet 16 state basketball tournament, March 16, 2023.
The Newport Wildcats are ready for action in the opening round at the KHSAA Sweet 16 state basketball tournament, March 16, 2023.

"I thought Jack Reddick was huge today," head coach Ryan Perry said.

The Newport team that took the floor in Lexington started two freshmen and a sophomore and will have just one senior next year. That kind of athletic youth combined with this experience gives the Wildcats hope for a deeper run next year.

"Us losing puts more momentum behind us for next year," forward James Turner said.

Perry breaks all-time Kentucky high school scoring record

With a free throw in the fourth quarter, junior Travis Perry broke Kelly Coleman's 77-year-old record of 4,337 career points.

"Scoring points is fun, but winning games is a lot more fun, so that's the thing I'm most proud of today," Perry said.

The record was a little bit more special since he got to do it in front of his dad, who has coached Travis since he was in second grade.

"For it to be Travis and your own son, it's just really special," Ryan Perry said.

Perry finished with 23 points for the game, bringing his total to 4,340 points. This is the second time Snapp has witnessed a high school record fall, as Perry's free throw reminded him of when Damon Bailey broke the Indiana high school record in 1990.

Newport's Taylen Kinney (0) rejects the jump shot of Lyon County's Travis Perry at the KHSAA Sweet 16 state basketball tournament, March 16, 2023.
Newport's Taylen Kinney (0) rejects the jump shot of Lyon County's Travis Perry at the KHSAA Sweet 16 state basketball tournament, March 16, 2023.

Impact player

Taylen Kinney, Newport: The freshman scored 11 points and dished out 4 assists. Kinney also guarded Perry on defense. Even though Lyon County's leading scorer finished with 21 points, Kinney made the game difficult, even blocking two of his shots.

Senior salute

Lone senior Marquez Miller finishes his Newport career with 1,199 points and 558 rebounds in 103 career games. During his freshman year, the Wildcats were 15-15 before enduring two losing seasons. He led the team in scoring in his junior and senior seasons and was a top-three rebounder for three straight years.

"Everybody thought we weren't gonna win a lot of games, or be here. So now that we're here, it's great that we made it. I hope they do it again," Miller said.

Marquez Miller (5) power his way to the hoop for Newport at the KHSAA Sweet 16 state basketball tournament, March 16, 2023.
Marquez Miller (5) power his way to the hoop for Newport at the KHSAA Sweet 16 state basketball tournament, March 16, 2023.

Lyon County 61, Newport 46

Newport (28-7): Miller 6 4 17, Kinney 4 0 11, Covington 3 0 7, Anderson 2 1 6, Turner 1 1 3, Am. Lowe 1 0 2.

Lyon County (31-5): Perry 8 3 23, Reddick 7 0 17, Shoulders 5 2 12, Kirk 1 3 5, Nelson 1 0 2.

Halftime: LC 26-20. 3-pointers: N 6 (Kinney 3, Miller, Anderson, Covington), LC 7 (Perry 4, Reddick 3).

This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: Newport basketball loses in Sweet 16 against Lyon County