After seven-decade drought between trips, Lyon County earns first Sweet 16 win
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2022 Boys’ Sweet 16 coverage
Click below to read all of the coverage from Kentucky.com and the Lexington Herald-Leader during the Boys’ Sweet 16 State Basketball Tournament in Rupp Arena.
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Lyon County’s Travis Perry stepped into the Rupp Arena spotlight immediately after the two brightest stars entering the boys’ state basketball tournament, North Laurel’s Reed Sheppard and Male’s Kaleb Green, were extinguished.
The sophomore shrugged off an errant shooting start to finish with 26 points in the Lyons’ 82-65 victory over John Hardin in the UK HealthCare Boys’ Sweet 16 on Thursday. They were to get the winner of the final first-round game between Ashland Blazer and Covington Catholic in a 6 p.m. Friday quarterfinal.
BOX SCORE: Lyon County 82, John Hardin 65
A 6-foot-2 guard who’s on track to pass “King” Kelly Coleman as the all-time scoring leader in boys’ state history, Perry went 2-for-10 in the first half and 1-for-4 from three-point range, connecting on his only make with 45 seconds to play before the break. That got him into a rhythm; he made back-to-back treys as part of a 10-4 run that saw Lyon County go from down a point to up seven early in the third quarter.
The Lyons, in the state tournament for the first time since 1951, started in a 2-3 zone but — much to the dismay of head coach Ryan Perry — surrendered four three-pointers and trailed, 20-15, through eight minutes.
“That’s two or three games in a row that we have scouted and scouted and scouted, and had the perfect game plan of what we were gonna do, and it didn’t work,” Ryan Perry said. “We knew they liked to get shots up like we do, and we were banking on them having trouble making shots at Rupp with the adjustments and that stuff. So we decided to keep ‘em out of the paint and zone ‘em early.”
Lyon County went man-to-man from the second quarter onward. Travis Perry’s poor start from the field was offset by the Lyons’ tenaciousness on the glass. They ended with a 41-30 advantage on the boards and scored 23 second-chance points on 17 offensive rebounds, a big factor in its 1.2 points per possession.
Brady Shoulders, a sophomore, had 18 points, 11 rebounds, four assists and four steals. It was a breakout performance for the younger brother of senior Jackson Shoulders, who had 22 points and eight rebounds.
“You guys saw what he did tonight,” Ryan Perry said. “We’ve been trying to make him do that all year. The switch may have flipped today. If it did, he makes us a completely different basketball team.”
Jackson said the brothers from game-to-game like to compete to see who gets the most rebounds. Their “sibling rivalry” kept Lyon County in the game while its offensive focal point tried to get on track.
Ryan, Travis’ father, liked the shots his son was taking in the first half; they just weren’t falling. Travis, who has reported scholarship offers from Creighton, Ole Miss and New Orleans, improved to 6-for-9 in the second half. He ended with five assists, seven rebounds and two steals.
The Rupp Arena newcomer also survived a first round that wasn’t kind to Division I prospects. Sheppard, a University of Kentucky commit, and North Laurel failed to overcome Pikeville’s size and speed late Wednesday night, while Glenn — who’s committed to Louisville — and Male were upended by Warren Central in overtime earlier Thursday.
Lyon County’s first state tournament win in school history should raise awareness of Travis’ individual profile and the Lyons’ ability to compete at a high level. They’ll be a tough out for the next couple of seasons, particularly in the 2nd Region, and — they hope — the next two days in Lexington.
“It’s obviously a great opportunity to be able to play in front of so many people here that haven’t gotten to see myself and our team play,” Travis Perry said. “I’m not really worried about that. I’m worried about coming in, getting a win and playing hard.”
This story was originally published March 17, 2022 at 4:43 PM.
