Brady Shoulders

Brady Shoulders slams one home as part of his 27-point performance against the Dawson Springs Panthers.

 JENNIFER HAINES | Herald Ledger

University of Kentucky men’s basketball Head Coach John Calipari got a front row seat on Thursday, Feb. 16 for yet another record breaking moment for Lyon County’s Travis Perry. Perry set the bar for a personal high of 61 points, while also erasing another name from history as he set a new single-game scoring record.

Lyon County, which is currently ranked No. 5 in the latest Kentucky Sports Radio high school poll, breezed past Dawson Springs 114-56 as Perry scored more by himself than the opposing team did as a whole. With a focus on the postseason run and a trip back to Rupp Arena, Perry is now just 178 points away from breaking the KHSAA all-time scoring record, which is held by Kelly “King” Coleman and his 4,337 career points.

“Having Coach Cal in the gym, we had to find a way to have fun and put on a good show for him and the crowd,” Perry said.

Perry admitted early on that he had no idea early on how many points he had.

“I never worry about points. I just wanted to play hard, make the right reads and have a good game,” Perry said. “I didn’t know until after halftime when I started getting told I was getting closer to 60.”

Perry and teammate Brady Shoulders worked as a dynamic duo as Shoulders also posted a big night for the Lyons with a triple double, featuring 27 points 14 rebounds and 13 assists to help Perry in his achievement.

When Dawson Springs Head Coach Mickey Blue found out that Lyon County Head Coach Ryan Perry was going to remove Travis Perry from the game short of this achievement in light of sportsmanship, Blue requested that he be left in the game to allow him the opportunity. When Blue stopped the game and came across the PA system to announce that Perry had just broken the scoring record, one would expect that the other team would not be quite as thrilled about the accomplishment.

“They (Dawson Springs) are a great group of kids and are one of my favorite teams to play against. They even compliment you during the game. I am really thankful for their fans and how respectful they were,” Perry said. “I will always appreciate that.”

Perry scored 18 of the Lyons’ 37 first quarter points with Shoulders and Bray Kirk combining for 17 more to give the Lyons an explosive 37-11 first quarter lead. A 19-0 run highlighted by a dunk from Shoulders gave Lyon County a comfortable cushion and paved the way for the historic night.

Dawson Springs stepped up their outside game in the second quarter. Double three’s from Rex Blue and Jayden Plunkette gave the Panthers momentum. Even with the Lyon bench playing significant minutes, eight points each from Shoulders and Perry kept the advantage with the Lyons up 59-31 at the half.

With a captive audience and Coach Cal in the crowd, Perry ramped up his efforts to score 16 more, giving the Lyons a healthy 87-45 margin. But with a running clock midway through the third, Perry would need to be quick.

Perry entered the final frame hauling 42 points, just three points shy of his previous personal record set this season in a 90-83 win over Kentucky commit Reed Sheppard and North Laurel.

Perry’s eighth three of the night with just under three minutes to play set him just behind the record at 56 points. Perry put the finishing touches on the 61-point performance with a layup at 1:28 left to play, leaving the game with a standing crowd and a smiling Coach Cal looking on. Lyon reserves relished in the victory as Lyon County broke the 100 point threshold to a 112-56 final margin.

To add to the nostalgic night, Perry also posted a career high 15 rebounds. Kirk also had a standout performance for the Lyons with 10 points and five assists.

For Dawson Springs, Blue posted a double double with 21 points and 11 rebounds, Plunkette had five threes to finish with 19, and Montgomery Johnston added 10.

The Lyons finished the regular season 25-5 overall, 14-1 in the region with the single loss coming from the All “A” classic game against University Heights Academy, and a spotless 6-0 in the district. Dawson Spring finished the season 11-16.