Perhaps Lawrence High’s fans thought they saw Drew Huff’s breakthrough performance when she scored a team-high 11 points Thursday against defending state runner-up Overland Park Aquinas.

They were wrong.

Huff one-upped herself Monday night. She came off the bench early against Kansas City Washington, drained a 16-foot jumper, rattled home a leaner in the lane and canned a three-pointer as part of a 17-4 first-quarter run.

The final three quarters were simply valuable practice time as the Lions (1-1) trounced the Wildcats, 61-34, at the LHS gym.

“Can’t say enough about Drew,” said Lawrence coach Kristin Mallory, still beaming about her sophomore point guard.

Huff’s final stats spoke for themselves, however. She scored 15 points on 6-of-8 shooting, nailed two treys, had five steals and dished four assists.

She was the perfect complement to senior Josie Polk, who scored a team-high 24 points (7-for-18) in her first game back from a disciplinary suspension.

After winning the opening tip, the Wildcats (3-1) immediately turned the game into a non-stop sprint. They pushed the ball down the court on every possession and often forced out-of-control fastbreaks.

“I like this type of team,” Huff said of the Wildcats’ whirlwind pace. “It’s a little bit sloppy, but I like how fast they go.”

Lawrence High's Cherrale Ricks, center, leaps for a rebound above Kansas City Washington's Denae Stuckey, left, and Iesha Tyler. The Lions won, 61-34, Monday at LHS.

The running didn’t work. Washington came in too fast and constantly bricked layups. Other times the Lions poked the ball free and had open breakaways the other way.

If Huff

wasn’t forcing a loose ball, Polk and Jodie Cochrane were knocking it free. If the Wildcats made it to the lane, Megan Klinger and Cherrale Ricks usually were there to cut them off.

The Lions don’t play much zone defense, but they ran it to perfection Monday and forced 25 turnovers.

“They drive the ball really well,” Mallory said of the Wildcats’ guards, “and we were hoping we could shut down some of their dribbling angles into the lane and it worked pretty well.”

Washington guards Destiny Byers and Denae Stuckey rarely found room to breathe, let alone shoot. The duo went 5-for-26 from the field and 1-for-10 at the free-throw line. Iesha Tyler led the Wildcats with 11 points.

6Sports video: Lions cruise to win over Wildcats

Lawrence rode the momentum of its defense and stretched its lead to 32-17 at halftime. Polk hit just 3 of 12 shots in the first half, but she swished all eight of her free throws and had 14 points by intermission.

The Lions’ only had two noticeable glitches — a 90-second stumble at the beginning of the fourth quarter and an inability to put away a few gimmes.

Polk nailed 4 of 5 shots in the third quarter as LHS stretched its lead to 52-24, but the Wildcats opened the final quarter with a 6-0 run while LHS turned the ball over twice.

Lawrence High's Josie Polk (30) and Kayla Nolte, back, converge on Kansas City Washington's Denae Stuckey in the Lions' 61-34 victory. LHS improved to 1-1 Monday at Lawrence High.

“On fast breaks we just dominated, but on dead balls we kind of gave up a little,” Polk said, explaining the Lions’ brief letdown.

The rally was short-lived. The Lions settled down, maintained the lead and then got their reserves plenty of playing time.

Neither team shot particularly well. LHS made just 23 of 66 shots (35 percent), while Washington was an even more woeful 13-for-56 (23 percent).

“We played pretty well in that first half and the score didn’t necessarily show it,” Mallory said. “We missed a ton of lay-ups. I told the girls we’ll do a lot of layup drills tomorrow.”

Mallory will have plenty of time to quiz her players on making layups. The Lions are off until the city showdown Dec. 19 at Free State.