PREVIEW – Defending Champ Lyon Stays in Region Spotlight

Junior guard Travis Perry leads the Lyons after averaging 27.5 points a game last season.

The spotlight has never shone brighter for Lyon County basketball — and the Lyons are enjoying their time on the big stage.

A 2nd Region championship last season — the first for Lyon since 1951 — and an opening-round win at the Sweet 16 in Rupp Arena only has Lyon Nation dreaming of even bigger things this season.

With junior wunderkind Travis Perry leading another talented outfit, the Lyons enter the season as regional favorites and ranked in the state’s Top 10 in most polls.

If there’s a scary thought for 2nd Region opponents this season, it’s that Lyon’s “Big Three” returners of Perry, Brady Shoulders and Jack Reddick appear to be even-more formidable than they were last season.

Let’s start with Perry, who already owns so many college scholarship offers that it’s difficult to keep up with them all. Kentucky, Ole Miss, Michigan, Purdue and Virginia headline the list, with Perry showing no signs of favoring one school over any of the others at this point.

Perry, a 6-2 guard, figures to reach one milestone pretty early in the season. The school’s all-time scoring mark held by Ty Rogers is 3,300 points, and Perry is just 111 behind that.

Perry is knocking on the door of the Top 10 career scorers in Kentucky state history and is on pace to break the state record of “King” Kelly Coleman of Wayland. Coleman’s mark of 4,337 points has stood since 1956.

Perry was ninth in the state in scoring last season at 27.5 points a night. He also grabbed 5.7 rebounds a game and shot over 38 percent from 3-point range.

Shoulders, a 6-5 junior, has returned with more bulk this season and figures to take on a larger role in the offense after getting 8.9 points and 7.9 boards a contest. He can score inside or out.

Then there’s junior guard Jack Reddick, who doesn’t get quite as much publicity but came into his own during Lyon’s regional title run last season. Reddick scored 10.5 points a game last season and figures to only improve on those numbers this year.

Lyon added another intriguing piece over the summer when 6-2 Bradin Nelson moved in from Webster County for his senior season. He was one of the Trojans’ top players, getting 14.4 points and 6.6 boards a contest. However, Nelson’s status is still up in the air as Lyon waits to get approval from the KHSAA on the transfer.

Another potential area of concern for Lyon could be who replaces the beef the team lost inside from last year. Jackson Shoulders was a double-double waiting to happen last season, scoring 19.5 points a game while grabbing 10.4 rebounds. His loss can’t be understated.

Senior returners Jonathan Downing (6-2 center/forward) and Walker Suitor (5-10 forward) will provide leadership and depth.

Luke Burchett, a 6-foot junior forward, and 6-1 freshman forward Lukas Breedlove could help bolster Lyon up front along with 6-1 sophomore Jonah Reddick.

Freshman guard Bray Kirk will also see playing time.

Lyon County is the clear-cut favorite to repeat in the 2nd Region All A Classic this season but will get an early challenge from University Heights in the regional tournament in January.

UHA could also be on the list of challengers in the year-end 2nd Region tourney, with Hopkinsville, Madisonville-North Hopkins and Henderson County lining up to challenge the Lyons.

The 2022-23 season tips off Tuesday night with a home date against Ohio County. A difficult regular-season slate awaits as Lyon looks to prepare itself for another postseason run.

With Perry leading the way, all of Lyonville is making plans for another trip to Lexington in March.