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The opening game of the Topeka Invitational Tournament between Lawrence High and Topeka Highland Park had the feel of a finale.

The Lions survived a frantic rally by the three-time defending tournament champion Scots (7-4), ranked fifth in Class 5A, in winning their seventh straight game, 60-51, in a first-round showdown Thursday afternoon at Topeka West High.

Lawrence High's Stephen Vinson reels in the ball as teammate David Parkinson, top, looks on. The Lions defeated Topeka Highland Park, 60-51, in the first round of the Topeka Invitational Tournament on Thursday at Topeka West.

"I love playing in games like that," LHS junior forward Brandon McAnderson said. "They played so hard. I enjoyed myself. I think that was two teams that really wanted to win. That could have been a preview of the championship. I love it."

McAnderson was one of three LHS players to score in double figures with 12, including 6-of-8 free-throw shooting. Senior forward David Parkinson added a career-high 10 points, but it was senior guard D.J. Watkins who paced the Lions (8-2) with 23 points.

Watkins was 8-of-11 from the floor including 4-of-6 from three-point range and made six of eight free-throw attempts. He led all scorers with 14 points in the first half.

"We knew that he was the hot hand after the first quarter," LHS coach Chris Davis said. "We were looking for him and we set some plays for him. When either D.J. or Stephen (Vinson) gets on a roll, we try to keep getting them the ball. D.J. had a good one."

Vinson, who had scored 44 points the past two games, was held to eight by Highland Park, but contributed on defense. He also made two diving saves along the sideline, one for a steal and another to keep an offensive possession alive.

After falling behind 21-15 with 4:08 remaining in the second quarter, the Lions responded with an 11-0 run, closing the half on a 14-2 burst to take a 29-23 into the locker room.

"It was really good to see us to stand up when they got a six-point lead early," Davis said. "We kind of said right there, 'Nope. That's it.' We stood up and went on a run and showed what we had right there."

Lawrence led by as many as 14 at 49-35 in the fourth quarter following another 14-2 bulge, before the Scots scurried back.

Sparked by senior guard Robbie Townsend (23 points), Highland Park scored seven unanswered points to pull within 54-51 with 1:37 to play. But the Scots missed their final eight shots and the Lions scored the game's final six points from the free-throw line.

Watkins continued his tendency to thrive in tournaments. Earlier this season he led the Lions to a third-place finish with 79 points in the three-game Blue Valley Shootout. A year ago he hit the game-winning three-pointer in the closing seconds of the Capital City Classic.

"We normally wouldn't get to play a team like Highland Park," said Watkins, who had ice on his left thigh after the game, but said it was fine. "It's really good to go against great competition like this, like we'll see at the state tournament. We tried to play today's game like it was the state tournament, like the first round to get a good feeling for what it's going to be like."

Thursday's game certainly had a state tournament-like atmosphere, attracting a few hundred fans, including an enthusiastic following of a couple dozen LHS students.

"It's as tough a draw as you're ever going to find in the first round," Davis said. "Everybody was talking about it, 'Wow, look at that game.' The one good thing was, what a test. We came out of it very battle tested now."

The Lions will face in tonight's TIT semifinal. Tipoff is 8:15 p.m. at T-West.

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