STILWELL ? As one missed shot turned into several, Lawrence HighâÂÂs boys basketball coach Chris Davis kept waiting for his team to catch a break.

But before he knew it, LeeâÂÂs Summit (Mo.) North had opened an eight-point lead and his Lions still hadnâÂÂt found their offensive rhythm.

As one poor-shooting quarter turned into two, then three, Davis watched his team struggle to a 69-49 loss in the semifinals of the Blue Valley Shootout on Friday.

âÂÂWe forced a couple of shots,â Davis said. âÂÂThey werenâÂÂt terrible shots, but they werenâÂÂt good shots. And when they didnâÂÂt go in, it spilled into the whole game.

âÂÂWhen that happens, it becomes a mental game.âÂÂ

LHS (2-1) was 4-of-18 in that decisive first quarter, unable to put back offensive rebounds or get a friendly bounce. The Broncos (5-1) converted on nearly everything inside in staking a 16-8 lead, then used their full-court pressure to shut down LHS in the second quarter. Lawrence took just seven shots in the second period, five of which were three-point attempts.

In those first two quarters, the Broncosâ experience was evident – theyâÂÂve been practicing for two weeks longer and have played in twice as many games.

âÂÂThey have more tools at their disposal as far as the offense and defense is concerned,â Davis said. âÂÂWe tried running three defenses – thatâÂÂs it.âÂÂ

When LHS junior guard Taylor Parker asserted himself in the third quarter by driving the lane and spreading out the LeeâÂÂs Summit defense, LHS still had some shooting shakes.

When senior Bryan Cargill nailed a couple of three-pointers, the Lions struggled again, despite ParkerâÂÂs penetration.

âÂÂIt pretty frustrating, but the important thing is that we were getting those shots,â Parker said. âÂÂJust getting those opportunities was huge.âÂÂ

Besides the shooting woes – LHS made 15 of 57 shots to LeeâÂÂs SummitâÂÂs 27-of-60 shooting – the Lions were outrebounded for the first time this season and forced just five turnovers.

With five LeeâÂÂs Summit players in double figures – led by Drew Korschot with 16 points and Tyler Northway with 13 – the outcome wasnâÂÂt hard to figure. LHS just didnâÂÂt have the firepower.

Brian Seymour led LHS with nine points, and Parker finished with eight.

But when the Lions play in the third-place game against Blue Valley at 5 p.m. today, theyâÂÂll try to shrug off the loss and hope that this time, they get a few bounces their way.

âÂÂThis is one of the things we will recover from,â Davis said.

Added Parker, âÂÂI think it will be pretty easy to motivate ourselves for (today). This teamâÂÂs going to learn from this loss and get better from it.âÂÂ