All-time leading scorer Travis Perry was not ready for his season to be over

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Les Nicholson Photo

Lyon County junior Travis Perry, who has a Kentucky scholarship offer along with many others, became the state high school all-time leading scorer at the state tournament. He broke King Kelly Coleman’s record with his 23-point performance in a win over Newport and then added 19 points in a quarterfinal loss to George Rogers Clark.

That boosted his career total to 4,359 points — 22 more than Coleman had at Wayland High School from 1953-56.

“It was never about the scoring record,” Perry said after he set the record. “Scoring points is fun. Winning is more fun. I am proud of the way we fought and stepped up on the big stage.”

That’s why it was no surprise when he was visibly disappointed after his team lost 60-56 to GRC. Lyon also had a close loss to Covington Catholic in the 2022 state tourney quarterfinals.

“It sucks losing on this stage with the crowd we had there,” Perry said. “We had some big plays and everybody in the gym was standing up. It’s always a good season when you end at Rupp (Arena). But there are always a couple of things we could have cleaned up to affect the outcome..

“Overall we fought as hard as we could. The motivation to get back here (for the state tournament) is always there. Like I said last year, losing by two points is not something you want to experience.”

Perry, the Kentucky Gatorade Player of the Year who averaged 32 points per game this season, has scholarship offers from Cincinnati, Creighton, Iowa, Michigan, Mississippi, Missouri, New Orleans, Ohio State, Purdue, Stanford, Vanderbilt, Wake Forest, Western Kentucky, Nebraska and Wisconsin.

Vanderbilt watched him play in the regional tournament and Michigan was at the state tournament to watch him. However, Perry said he was in no hurry to make a college decision even though he might narrow his list soon.

He insisted chasing Coleman’s record — along with the recruiting attention — had not been exhausting.

“I wasn’t ready for it (the season) to be over. I was looking forward to fighting for two more games,” Perry said. “It will take a while to get over this. I am just thankful for the great season we had. I am really just proud of all of our guys.

“Things don’t always go your way. We’ve got to bounce back and work harder for next year.”

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