LEXINGTON, Ky. — Travis Perry wiped his hands on his shorts, took one dribble, eyed the basket and swished a free throw to make Kentucky high school basketball history.

The free throw marked the 4,338^th point of Perry’s five-year high school career at Lyon County High School, making the 6-foot-2 junior the Kentucky High School Athletic Association’s all-time leading scorer for boys basketball.

It came with 3:48 remaining in the Lyons’ 61-46 victory over Newport on Thursday in the first round of the UK Healthcare Boys Sweet 16 before 13,964 fans at Rupp Arena.

Perry broke the 67-year-old record of “King” Kelly Coleman, who scored 4,337 points during a four-season career from 1952-56 at Wayland High School in Floyd County.

While Coleman had no clue he was making history at Wayland — the KHSAA didn’t start publishing official records until the 1980s — Perry has been in the spotlight all season as he got closer and closer to Coleman’s mark.

“It’s something that’s been really fun, something I’ve been thankful for and very humbled by,” Perry said. “Not everybody has that opportunity. Not everybody gets to be put in positions I’ve been put in, my teammates have been put in.

The new king:Lyon County's Travis Perry embraces chase for scoring record in Sweet 16

“But it’s the same message I’ve been saying since the beginning. It’s about winning. The more games we win … the more points I get to score and everybody gets to score more points. It’s about winning the games.”

Lyon County coach Ryan Perry called a timeout following the free throw, allowing his son to receive hugs from teammates and coaches. After the game ended, the Rupp Arena public-address announcer recognized Perry’s accomplishment.

Perry made 8 of 19 shots and finished with 23 points, giving him a career total of 4,340 entering Friday’s 8:30 p.m. Sweet 16 quarterfinal against George Rogers Clark.

“King Kelly Coleman was a legend in high school basketball,” Ryan Perry said. “For Travis to be in the same sentence mentioned with him is just humbling. Just to be in that conversation with him is enough. It’s something we’ll all hold forever. It’s a big deal.”

Perry joined the Lyon County varsity team as a seventh-grader — his father became head coach the following season — and has been the team’s leading scorer every season since.

Day 1:Sweet 16 first round results, highlights from Rupp Arena

Perry scored 638 points as a seventh-grader, 852 as an eighth-grader, 709 as a freshman and 990 as a sophomore and now has 1,151 this season. He’s averaging 32 points per game, ranking second in the state behind Covington Holy Cross senior Jacob Meyer (36.8 ppg).

Perry’s teammates said the record chase hasn’t overshadowed the team’s success.

“The scoring record is obviously a big thing, but he never talks about it,” junior Brady Shoulders had. “He’s just coming out here to play basketball for the team.”

Entering the game, Perry needed 21 points to become No. 1 on the scoring list. He had 10 points at halftime and reached 18 on a 3-pointer with 7:49 remaining. He missed his next three shots and then tied the record on a layup with 4:40 remaining.

At the 3:48 mark, he was fouled by Newport’s Marquez Miller, stepped to the free-throw line and swished the record-breaker.

“It was like, ‘Man, don’t miss that free throw,’” Perry said. “It’s something obviously very neat. But (Coleman) didn’t have the 3-point line. It’s never been about the scoring record. It’s been about going out and playing basketball. Scoring points is fun, but winning games is a lot more fun.”

Ranking the field:Where did Jason Frakes rank your Sweet 16 team? Find out

Newport freshman Taylen Kinney guarded Perry much of the game.

“Real crafty,” Kinney said. “They run a lot of stuff for him. It’s kind of hard (on defense), and we weren’t talking that much.”

After the game, Perry addressed a packed media room for the postgame news conference.

Kentucky’s new scoring king was humble, trumpeting his team’s accomplishments over his own.

“The way he’s handled it, it’s not a front he puts on,” Ryan Perry said. “It’s just the way he is. He’ll say, ‘If I score two or 22 or 52, I just have to make sure we score one more point than the other team because I have to ride home with my dad.’

“He’s ridden home with me from a lot of different places complaining about the way a championship game ended or something like that. So he really just wants to get one more point than the other team so he doesn’t have to listen to me.”

NEWPORT          11          9            10          16 - 46

LYON COUNTY   13          13          14          21 - 61

Newport (28-7) – James Turner 3, Marquez Miller 17, Taylen Kinney 11, Dashawn Anderson 6, Jabari Covington 7, Amonte Lowe 2.

Lyon County (31-5) – Brady Shoulders 12, Jack Reddick 17, Travis Perry 23, Bradin Nelson 2, Bray Kirk 5, Jonathan Downing 2.

Jason Frakes: 502-582-4046; jfrakes@courier-journal.com; Twitter: @kyhighs.

This article originally appeared on Louisville Courier Journal: Kentucky high school basketball: Travis Perry new KHSAA scoring 'King'