Perry

Lyon County junior Travis Perry scored 27 points on Tuesday night, Dec. 27 in their first game of the White, Greer & Maggard Holiday Classic at Lexington Catholic High School.

 JENNIFER HAINES | Herald Ledger

LEXINGTON — The Lyon County Lyons defeated the Covington Holy Cross Indians in the first round of the White, Greer & Maggard Holiday Classic at Lexington Catholic High School in Lexington on Tuesday, Dec. 27, 95-79.

The game was closely contested in the first half, with the score mostly tied or only a few points separating the two teams. Brady Shoulders tied the score at 24 with just 31 seconds left in the first quarter on a made free throw, but Jacob Meyer’s 3-pointer just before the horn put the Indians up 27-24 going into the second quarter.

Covington Holy Cross got its largest lead of the night at the 44-38 mark on a three point bucket from Javier Ward with 2:32 left in the first half. Travis Perry followed up six straight points, which turned into nine thanks to a stolen possession and assist from Lukas Breedlove for the 47-44 lead. Meyer converted a fouled trip in the lane into three points to knot things up once again 47-47 with 35 seconds on the clock. A buzzer beater from Shoulders closed out the first half with the Lyons leading 50-47.

The Lyons were able to pull ahead for good at the end of the third quarter. Full court pressure in the final three minutes of the frame pushed the Lyons 60-59 lead to a generous 77-68 cushion. The Indians came as close as 77-70 in the final eight minutes, but would get no closer as they crept towards a 20-point lead before allowing the reserves to play out the final minute of the contest.

Shoulders led the way for the Lyons with a standout performance, scoring 31 points and adding three steals to his stat line. He was joined in double figures by Jack Reddick and Perry, who both finished with 27 points.

The 27 points from Perry moved the talented junior in the top four scorers in Kentucky history with 3,576 career points.

Meyer was the only player in double figures for Covington Holy Cross, finishing with 49 points. However, it wasn’t enough to overcome the balanced attack of the Lyons, who had four players score in double figures.

Rebounds were also key to the Lyons’ victory, with the team finishing with 39 rebounds for the game. Shoulders led the way with 17 rebounds, 10 of which came in the second half.

Lyon County:

24 26 27 18 — 95

Covington Holy Cross:

27 20 21 11 — 79

Lyon County — Shoulders 31, Perry 27, Reddick 27, Kirk 8, Crawford 2.

Covington Holy Cross — Meyer 49, Ward 11, Gibson 9, Dreas 3, Smith 3, Ambrocio 2.