'The emotion is just so amazing.' Travis Perry, Lyon County secure school's first-ever state championship
Coming into the 2024 UK HealthCare KHSAA Boys’ Basketball Sweet 16 Championship game, the storylines could not have been any better. Two small schools — one from the Eastern part of the state, and the other from the Western part — overcoming the odds to compete for a state title.
You had Travis Perry, committed to Kentucky, playing against Trent Noah, committed to South Carolina. One vs Three on the state’s all-time scoring list. Plus, perhaps the two best high school fanbases in the Bluegrass filled up Rupp Arena on Saturday night in what would be a clash for the ages.
The first three quarters were back and forth, with the score being knotted at 45 heading into the final period. Then, after getting a bit of a lead, Lyon County was able to get key buckets, milk out the clock, and ultimately win the game.
And just like that, in a 67-58 win, Lyon County defeated Harlan County to secure the school’s first-ever State Championship.
After making the Sweet 16 four times (and three times in a row), the Lyons finally climbed to the top of the mountain to forever be immortalized as champions.
An unforgettable week for Lyon County
“It’s amazing. The emotion is just so amazing,” Lyons head coach Ryan Perry said postgame. “Way back a lot of years ago, they all sacrificed a lot of stuff for not just these guys, but the entire team. What we did was not easy.”
He added, “You know, we played 30 games in the summer. We traveled all over the place playing the hardest teams that we could possibly play in the summer. Same thing for the season… They just bought in as a team, and they all had a common goal… I couldn’t be more proud of what these guys accomplished today.”
This Lyon County team accomplished a lot, and so did Travis Perry individually. You name the record, he probably broke it. However, as Perry notes, this is a collective effort, and none of his accolades would have been possible without this support unit.
“Brady [Shoulders], Jack [Reddick], those guys, they carried us. They got us here,” Perry noted. “I felt like it was kind of my time to just take this home. Starting from Dad (Coach Perry) down to the end of the bench. They all trust me, and I know that when the time gets tough that it’s up to me to do what I need to do to get us a win.”
The four-star Kentucky commit would finish with 27 points on the night, shooting 10-18 overall and 5-9 from deep. He also recorded five assists and two steals in the victory.
Lyon County finishes this season with a 35-3 record, winning the last 16 games of their season. Perry finished his high school career as the all-time scoring leader in Kentucky high school basketball history, passing up the legendary Kelly “King” Coleman.
Now, Perry cements his place in history as one of the best to ever play Kentucky high school basketball — and more importantly, a state champion.
Congrats to Perry and the Lyons on an unforgettable season.
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