Piper Cotham

Lyon County eighth grader Piper Cotham led her team with 15 points in their narrow 64-62 overtime loss to Bourbon County. Her performance earned her player of the game for Lyon County.

 JENNIFER HAINES | Herald Ledger

The Lyon County Lady Lyons fell just short in a nail-biting overtime loss to the Bourbon County Lady Colonels in the semi-final round of the Kelly Holiday Classic at Bourbon County High School in Paris on Wednesday, Dec. 28.

The Lady Lyons got off to a strong start, taking an early 18-6 lead in the first quarter.

But Bourbon County chipped away at the lead in the second quarter, culminating in a 8-0 run capped off by two made free throws from a technical foul on the coaches, tying the game 28-28. Ella DeFew hit a long shot in the final seconds of the half to give the Lady Lyons a 30-28 lead heading into halftime.

The Lady Colonels took their first lead of the night in the third quarter, thanks to an 8-2 run from Zaida Villanueva.

But the Lady Lyons fought back, with Trinity Taylor giving them a 37-36 advantage heading into the fourth quarter.

The final quarter was a whirlwind of action, with the Lady Lyons leading 45-40 after a three-point basket from Lilly Perry with six minutes left to play.

But by the time the clock had 1:45 left on it, Bourbon County had taken a 52-47 lead.

Piper Cotham converted the extra point on a fouled shot to cut the deficit to 52-50, but the Lady Lyons needed to foul to stop the clock, sending Laiken Hardin to the line for Bourbon County, who put the Lady Colonels back ahead 54-50.

Taylor made one of two free throws to cut the Bourbon County lead to 54-51.

Perry then tied the game at 54 with a 3-pointer, sending the game into overtime.

In overtime, the Lady Lyons led by as much as four points until the final 44 seconds, when a three from Villanueva cut the lead to a single point 62-61.

The final seconds came down to the free throw line, and while Bourbon County’s shooting percentages were slightly higher than Lyon County’s in both two-point and three-point range, Lyon County still converted more shots to points on the scoreboard.

Ultimately, Bourbon County claimed the win from the free throw line, shooting 14 out of 17 compared to Lyon County’s four out of 10.

Player of the game, Cotham, led the Lady Lyons with 15 points, scoring 10 points in the first quarter alone to help the team get the early advantage.

Taylor just missed a double-double with 14 points and nine rebounds, while DeFew had 11 points and six rebounds.

Courtney Collins led Lyon County’s defensive efforts, grabbing 13 rebounds.

For Bourbon County, Hardin led the offense with 25 points, while Villanueva finished with 19 points and Bethany Simpson added 13 points and 12 rebounds.