Kansas City, Mo. ? With four games in an eight-day span coming up, Lawrence High’s girls basketball team needed what some might call a warm-up game coming off the holiday break.

Others might call it a cakewalk.

Regardless, the Lions looked rested and ready to begin the second half of their season with an 84-21 trouncing of Kansas City, Mo., Northeast on Friday morning in the Hy-Vee Metro Shootout at Avila University.

Though it was tough not to look good against the Vikings.

LHS led 12-0 before KC Northeast hit its first basket with 3:39 remaining in the first quarter. A 20-5 first-quarter lead grew to 46-11 by halftime, with LHS applying ball pressure throughout to force turnovers and dictate tempo — all according to game plan.

“We wanted to control the tempo and expose some of their problems, and I think we did that,” LHS coach Kristin Mallory said. “It was a little more successful than it normally is.”

The Lions (4-1) notched 11 steals and outrebounded the Vikings 25-9 by halftime, dominating in every phase of the game. Hold the Vikings to one shot? Check.

Hold them to no shots? Check.

Steal the ball before it reaches halfcourt? Check.

The only thing LHS couldn’t dictate was its opponent. The Shootout, now in its eighth year, matches up teams before the break. As first-time competitors, the Lions drew a mid-morning matchup that with a team that’s struggled recently.

Still, that’s not all bad.

“At this point in the season we probably need to play more competitive teams, but after the break, this isn’t a bad game to have,” junior Rachael Klingler said.

Klingler, who finished with a game-high 22 points as well as four steals and six rebounds, outscored the Vikings in the first and second quarters, and for the game. Junior Cherrale Ricks hit nine of 10 shots for 18 points, while junior Josie Polk added 12 and sophomore Megan Klingler had 11.

Bottom line: everybody played and most scored.

And with that stretch coming up — starting with Thursday’s trip to Shawnee Mission East and culminating with a Jan. 16th trip to Shawnee Mission Northwest — Mallory said the game came at the right time.

“There’s still stuff we need to improve on,” she said. “But I’m ready to start league. I’m ready to see where we’re at.”