Travis Perry breaks state scoring record, Lyon County advances in Sweet 16

A building already filled with history has added another piece to its legendary lore.

On Thursday afternoon in Rupp Arena at the 2023 UK Healthcare Boys’ Sweet 16 Tournament, Lyon County shooting guard Travis Perry became the Kentucky high school basketball all-time leader in points scored, dropping in 23 points to put him at 4,340 for his career. Perry moved past Wayland’s Kelly “King” Coleman, who held the record for nearly 70 years with 4,337 career points from 1953-56.

In the process, the No. 4 ranked Lyons took down the No. 22 Newport Wildcats in the second game of Thursday’s first-round action, coming away with a 61-46 win to earn a spot in Friday night’s quarterfinals. Perry broke the scoring record after hitting a free throw in the fourth quarter with Lyon County already up big.

“A little bit,” Perry said postgame about whether or not he knew he was close to breaking the record. “I kinda could tell whenever I went to the free-throw line and I looked around for a minute and everyone was standing up, that was one of those things like man, don’t miss that free throw.

“But yeah it’s obviously something very neat, but (Coleman) didn’t have the three-point line. It’s never been about the scoring record. It’s been about going out and playing basketball. Scoring points is fun but winning games is a lot more fun. That’s the thing I’m the most proud of today.”

To start the game, Newport sophomore DaShawn Anderson opened up the scoring with a three-pointer for the Wildcats before Perry responded right back with a triple of his own. Perry would bury another deep ball a few possessions later to give Lyon County an early 10-5 advantage. Both sides continued to fire from deep but it was the Lyons that would come out with a first-quarter lead, 13-11.

Lyon County got the second quarter rolling with a made layup by Perry — who is ranked No. 89 overall in the ’24 class, according to the On3 Consensus, and holds an offer from the Kentucky Wildcats — to make it a six-point lead, but Newport continued to keep it close. The Wildcats even stole the lead back, 20-19, thanks to a 9-2 stretch over the course of three and a half minutes. Lyon County responded though behind a personal 5-0 run from junior Jack Reddick before Perry dropped in his 10th point of the afternoon ahead of the halftime buzzer.

Reddick and Perry combined for 18 of Lyon County’s 26 first-half points while Newport was powered by seven points from senior Marquez Miller along with four points and five rebounds from junior Jabari Covington. Neither side shot the ball particularly well in the opening half, but some timely runs from Lyon County gave them the edge at the break, 26-20.

With Perry on the verge of breaking the scoring record, Newport was keyed in on the four-star guard. He shot just 4-11 in the first half as the Wildcats had one or two defenders connected to his hip the entire time. That tight defense carried over into the second half, but Lyon County is much more than just Perry.

The Lyons came out of the intermission with a quick 6-0 run to make it 32-20, forcing a Newport timeout a little over two minutes into the third frame. The Wildcats would counter with four straight points but Reddick hit a well-timed triple to extend the Lyon County lead back to double-digits.

The two teams would trade baskets over the ensuing possessions, with Perry canning another triple to put him at 15 points — just six off the all-time state scoring record — as the crowd began to sit on the edge of their seats. Newport hit back-to-back shots from long range that cut the Lyons’ lead to eight, 38-30, with under two minutes left in the quarter. But Lyon County would add one more bucket to make it 40-30 in their favor as the third period came to a close.

Perry opened up the fourth quarter with a triple to put him three off the record, which also extended the Lyon County lead out to 13 points. Newport would trim the lead down to 10 on a couple more occasions, but the Lyons kept the foot on the gas the rest of the way. A made layup from Perry tied the record with 4:40 left in the game as Lyon County was in cruise control, but the entire Rupp Arena crowd knew what was about to happen.

About a minute later, Perry was fouled on a layup attempt that sent him to the free-throw line with a chance to break the record. He calmly stepped up the line and knocked down the first freebie, giving him 4,338 career high school points and setting the new state record. Lyon County head coach and Travis’ dad, Ryan Perry, quickly called a timeout so his son could soak in the moment as fans from both teams cheered him on.

Of course it ends on a free throw, but Travis Perry is Kentucky’s new all-time high school scoring leader with 4,338 career points. pic.twitter.com/GLT4zcq11E

— Zack Geoghegan (@ZGeogheganKSR) March 16, 2023

“It’s a really big deal, it’s humbling. But for it to be Travis and your own son, it’s really special,” Ryan Perry said. “The way he’s handled it, it’s not a front that he puts on, it’s how he is.”

Perry’s historic free throw gave Lyon County a 53-37 advantage as the outcome was already all but decided. The Lyons’ lead eventually grew to 20 points as benches were emptied down the stretch. Once the final buzzer sounded, Lyon County advanced to Friday’s quarterfinals with a 15-point victory.