Fast-forward to 1,000: Holbrook's Perkins wastes no time reaching milestone in blowout win

HOLBROOK – Armani Perkins was venturing where Owen Burke had gone before. So, of course, the latest 1,000-point scorer for the Holbrook High boys basketball team wanted to help the previous 1,000-point scorer out.

Burke reached the career mark last season for the Bulldogs, and he was back at his alma mater Tuesday night to watch Perkins join the club. He had one request.

"He said he had an appointment," Perkins said, "so he told me to get it done quick so he could get out of here."

Perkins obliged. Needing 8 points to reach the milestone, he wasted little time, racing out of the gate with an 11-point first-quarter barrage. The big basket came with 2:09 left in the quarter when he received a pass on the left wing, glided down the baseline and finished with his right hand at the hoop.

"It felt great," said Perkins, who scored all 22 of his points in the first half in a 77-37 blowout win over Excel Academy Charter. "Last year, we were all hyping (Owen) up and this year they were hyping me up. It felt good to finally accomplish that in my high school career."

"He was waiting for this moment for a long time," said sophomore point guard Allen Brown Jr., who added 19 points. "He was coming in a little nervous, but he stepped up. He achieved his goal, so he's very happy."

Perkins could have hit 1,000 points with a breakaway dunk, but he came up a little short on the attempt and on the next shot he put up – a corner three. A few minutes later, though, he was gliding to the basket for a 19-5 Holbrook lead and a place in history.

"I thought about (taking) the three, but the lane looked open," Perkins said of the hoop. "I just wanted to get to the basket and get an easy one."

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Perkins is the 10th player in program history to reach the mark. Burke, who left with 1,192 points, hit it on Jan. 14, 2023, in a win over South Shore Christian Academy, scoring off an assist from his brother Keagan, an eighth grader who was elevated to varsity that day to be part of the celebration.

Before Burke, the last Bulldog to get to 1,000 had been all-time leading scorer Jeremiah King in 2019. Holbrook coach Rich Gifford also coached Kyree LaPlanche to the mark.

"He's a great kid," Gifford said of Perkins. "He's just a great leader, great kid. They don't make them any nicer than him."

Gifford said he's seen Perkins improve his game over his time on varsity, noting, "He's taken it to a great level. He can shoot the 3 now. He can shoot off the dribble. He's probably our leading rebounder. And if it wasn't for Allen, he'd be the leading assist guy. He's come a long way."

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After Perkins hit the mark – the basket pushed him to 1,0001 points – the game was halted for a brief on-court ceremony in which Gifford presented Perkins with a trophy in the shape of a basketball.

Perkins' personal cheering section included his mom, Anjella, and his dad, Allen, who played at Hyde Park High back in the day.

"It was amazing," his mom said. "He used to have a shirt that said, 'Eat, Sleep, Breathe Basketball.' Everything is basketball with him."

Added his dad: "With all the hard work he's put in since he was little, just to see him make this milestone was good."

Perkins' AAU coach, Travis Rhodes, also was in attendance.

"He's the best kid and the best teammate, one of the best I've ever coached," said Rhodes, who has Perkins with the Dana Barros Elite program. "I've known him since the third grade. He's a great teammate. He's gifted, athletic, scores at all three levels. He's just a completely selfless team player who just loves to win."

Holbrook did plenty of winning last year, making it all the way to the Division 5 semifinals and finishing 20-5. Graduation hit hard, and senior center Cam Campbell is still out with an injury, but the Bulldogs are off to a 3-1 start and dreaming big again.

"We're just getting used to everybody, the new people who have come in," Perkins said. "Once we get in a flow, I think we'll be a really good team and make it deep in the playoffs again."