Lyons falls in state boys basketball semifinals: What to know

Foul trouble and injuries were too much for Lyons to overcome during its long-awaited trip to the state final four Saturday night.

Sophomore JJ Johnson was unstoppable while on the floor, but the Lions couldn't overcome his absence, falling to Section IV's Moravia 56-45 as the star center faced foul trouble in the New York State Public High School Athletic Association Class C semifinals at Glens Falls' Cool Insuring Arena.

Johnson, a 6-foot-6 center averaging around 20 points and 12 rebounds, emerged from four defenders swatting at his shot to score almost at will Saturday. Johnson's personal fouls, however, hindered Lyons, and Moravia went on runs in his absence. Senior point guard Mikey Briggs was bothered by an injury most of the contest.

What it means

Lyons coach Dean Schott II's Lions fell to 23-3 after back-to-back Section V titles and the program's 22nd overall. Lyons' most recent final four was in 2015, and beat 2023 state champion Randolph from Section VI in a rematch of last year's region final to advance to this weekend's NYS semifinals.

The Lions' last state championship came during a federation title run that Schott II played on under his father — the former coach was in attendance Saturday — in 1989. Lyons' other state title came in 1980 under coach Rod Verkey. Their other finals appearances came in 1982 and 1997.

Moravia coach Todd Mulvaney's Blue Devils improved to 22-3. They'll play Section I champion Haldane's Blue Devils (21-3) — a 67-59 winner over Section VII's Moriah (21-3) in the other semifinal — in the NYSPHSAA Class C final at 8:45 p.m. Saturday. Moravia's only state championship came in 2017 and lost to Randolph in the 2023 NYS semifinals. Haldane lost to Randolph in last year's state final.

Players of the game

JJ Johnson

Lyons' towering center had 13 points, nine rebounds and a block in just 14 minutes. Johnson made 6-of-10 field goals as Moravia's entire zone defense collapsed on him with every paint touch, daring Lyons' shooters to make open jump shots. They could not, converting just 3-of-21 shots from 3-point range. In regionals, Johnson overcame being face guarded by Section VI champion Randolph's players, and Lyons shot better from outside.

Johnson had eight points three minutes into the second quarter when he sat down with two fouls. Moravia led 20-16 at the time and took a 32-25 lead into halftime. The Blue Devils held a 42-31 advantage as Johnson fouled out 26 seconds into the fourth. Johnson shook hands with his teammates as he exited the floor.

Johnson finished his first season as Lyons' go-to offensive weapon after their top three scorers from 2022-23 left. That included JC Walker, the 2023 NYS Class C Player of the Year. With more experience and fine tuning, Lyons may soon again have the one of the state's best players in Johnson.

Kyler Proper

Moravia's senior scored a game high 21 points on 9-of-14 shooting. Proper also had eight rebounds and five assists. Senior Abram Wasileski , who scored 31 points in regionals, finished with 19 points on 7-of-20 from the field. The Blue Devils converted 21-of-48 field goals as a team.

Game balls

Dezmen Bell

The Lyons senior finished the game with 10 points. Bell shot 4-of-11 from the floor and 1-for-4 from 3-point range. He also collected a block and a steal. Mikey Briggs shot 2-of-6 and finished with four points, three assists and two steals. Moravia's initial run came as the Lions coughed up turnovers with Briggs and Johnson benched in the second quarter. Briggs originally hurt himself in the section finals. He missed the regional qualifier but played in the region final.

Stephen LeBrecht

Lyons' sophomore scored nine points on 4-of-15 shooting. LeBrecht also pulled down eight rebounds and recorded a block and a steal. He opened the game with a 3-pointer, but the Lions missed 18 of their next 20 shots from downtown. Many were open looks. Lyons shot 20-for-53 from the field as a team.

— Marquel Slaughter is a journalist for the Democrat and Chronicle, specializing in high school sports. He has been reporter for 14 years. Follow him @MarquelSports on X or on Instagram. You can contact him at mslaughter1@gannett.com.

This article originally appeared on Rochester Democrat and Chronicle: Lyons falls in state boys basketball semifinals: What to know