Ramsey: Lyons could help Falcons restore a roar

Michael Lyons was the best player on the court, which explains why Air Force defeated Utah on Wednesday night at Clune Arena.

It’s been a long time since one of the Falcons could be called a legitimate star.

In 2007-08, guard Tim Anderson placed a limited team on his back and carried the Falcons to eight conference wins.

That was a long time ago. Since Anderson’s departure, the Falcons had found ways to lose 31 of 32 Mountain West Conference games.

Lyons, a sophomore guard, refused to let the number climb to 32.

He seized control of the game in the second half, scoring 18 of his 26 points.

He scored from point-blank range.

He scored from the outer limits.

And he’s only a sophomore. This could only be a glimpse of what’s ahead.

Lyons had plenty of help. Only 1,362 fans gathered at Clune, but nearly all of them were loud and supportive. The losses of the past two seasons have drained the Falcons of much of their fan base.

But those who remain are devout. This game had a emotional, uplifting vibe from start to finish.

Less than 3 minutes into the game, fans were standing and shouting. The Falcons were slapping hands and celebrating.

You would have thought the Falcons had upset Duke. They didn’t. The fans and players were rejoicing about a 7-0 lead.

All those conference losses delivered a blessing to this season’s Falcons.

They will intensely prepare for every MWC game this season.

They will never overlook an opponent, even one as ravaged by mass exodus as Utah.

They will be supported by fans who want victory as badly as they do.

Let’s make this clear: The Utes are down, way down. Marshall Henderson and Carlon Brown should be leading Utah to victories, but both abandoned the program after last season.

Utah is not what it used to be, and that’s bad news for Utes fans.

But the biggest story of this game is Air Force might not be what it used to be, either, and that’s great news for Falcons fans.

Coach Jeff Reynolds said he was “thrilled” by the victory, but took care to take a realistic approach.

“I don’t know if it tells us anything but that we’ve grown,” he said. “I don’t know if it tells we’re going to win any more games or not.”

Still, there are reasons to be optimistic.

The best reason for hope came with 14:50 left in the game.

The shot clock was running down when Lyons grabbed the ball near the 3-point line and decided to take control.

He exploded into the lane, daring Utah’s entire defense to stop him.

He won this dare, taking the ball all the way to the basket for a layup and foul.

He looked assertive, confident, even defiant.

Most of all, he looked hungry for victory.