The beat goes on.

OK, maybe it was a slightly different rhythm Thursday as Lawrence High’s girls basketball team didn’t spread Olathe North by 30 points — the average winning margin for LHS in its last seven games. But the Lions’ winning streak reached eight games in their 55-46 victory at LHS.

“It’s really exciting right now,” said senior guard Audrey Pope after 8-1 Lawrence matched its longest winning streak in 10 seasons.

“When people hear LHS girls basketball, they expect us to lose. But while we’re excited with the wins and the streak, obviously we have a higher goal for this season.”

Lawrence took another step toward its goal of a trip to the state tournament by outscoring Olathe North 11-3 in the first four minutes.

Lawrence pushed its lead to 31-21 at the half, despite an outstanding individual performance from Olathe North’s Tamara Whitaker.

Whitaker, in her first game back after suffering a lacerated pancreas in early December, scored 16 of her game-high 26 points in the first 16 minutes.

“She’s the real deal,” said Lawrence High coach Kristin Mallory. “Especially for how she played in her first game back from her pancreatic problem.

“But I thought we played pretty good defense against her. We didn’t allow her wide-open shots; instead we sent her to the line a few times. She’s a creator and a big-time player.”

Lawrence High's Leigh DeBiasse passes while surrounded by Olathe North defenders. The Lions won their eighth straight, 55-46, Thursday night at LHS.

So were juniors Josie Polk and Rachael Klingler for Lawrence, as they combined for 23 points.

Despite suffering a 4-for-14 shooting performance, Polk tallied 13 points, including a three-pointer with 5:20 to play in the third after the Eagles had cut the lead to eight.

Klingler was the Lion in the lane, controlling the post with a workmanlike 10-point, eight-rebound effort.

Klingler, though, wasn’t exactly satisfied with Thursday night’s victory — which marked only the second time during the Lions’ streak that an opponent finished within 10 points.

“This game definitely provided another lesson for us to continue to learn from,” she said. “We didn’t warm up too well and we let them hang around too long.”

Lawrence, which had 12 turnovers in the second half, still led by as many as 14 points with 4:17 to play when Megan Klingler swished two free-throws.

Olathe North went on an 11-6 run to close the game, but the Lions were never in jeopardy.

“We could never completely put things away. They kept hanging around just enough, but we didn’t fall apart,” said Mallory, whose team will begin the Firebird Winter Classic on Thursday at Free State.