Olathe ? The Lawrence High boys basketball team picked up a huge win in its race to get out of the sub-state cellar Tuesday night at Olathe North.

The Lions rallied past the Eagles, 56-51, and gained the tie-breaker advantage against the North in the sub-state pairings. An LHS victory against Shawnee Mission West Friday would guarantee the Lions the No. 7 seed. So would a Free State victory Friday over O-North.

Seems nobody wants to play top-seed Olathe South right now. The Falcons are 18-1, with their lone loss a 57-51 setback against Springfield (Mo.) Kickapoo Jan. 16 in the Bass Pro Tournament. Since then they’ve won 10 straight.

“This win was huge for us,” LHS senior Joe Crane said. “If we win our next game and get out of having to play the No. 1 seed it will give us a better chance of getting farther in the tournament and maybe even going to state.”

State still is a lofty goal for the Lions (5-14 overall, 2-8 Sunflower League), but avoiding O-South would make it much more attainable. Crane said LHS felt much more confident about its chances after battling O-North.

The Lions’ usual three-point barrage didn’t work against O-North (5-14, 2-8). They shot just 9-for-33 from beyond the arc and were forced to turn to their interior players for support. LHS scored 16 points in the paint, including eight by junior Tony Anderson and six by junior Ian Handshy.

“We needed to get the ball in the basket so we looked inside a little bit and had some success with that,” LHS coach Chris Davis said. “We found ways to create shots where we needed them and when we needed them.”

Inside production kept Lawrence in striking distance. Threes from Crane and Tyler Knight allowed the Lions to pull away and handed North its seventh straight loss.

Crane led LHS with 14 points, and Taylor Parker added eight. Travis Dye led North with 16 points.

Lawrence High girls 42, Olathe North 39, OT

Lawrence High girls coach Kristin Mallory declared her team “queens of the close game” following the Lions’ overtime victory at Olathe North.

The moniker may be fitting, considering they’ve played five overtime periods in their last six games.

“We’ve been finding different ways to win and had different people stepping up,” Mallory said. “Defensively, the girls are really coming through, and they’re proving they can play.”

Beating Olathe North (7-12, 3-7) may have been the Lions’ biggest growth spurt of the season. They were forced to play most of the game without their leading scorer, junior forward Megan Klingler, who was plagued with foul trouble, so that put the scoring responsibilities squarely on senior Cherrale Ricks’ shoulders.

Ricks delivered with a game-high 17 points and 15 rebounds, including nine-for-11 shooting at the free-throw line.

“It was real, real tough because defenses usually concentrate on both of us,” Ricks said, “so now they were just focusing on me and packing it in defensively.”

The Lions had 23 turnovers but were tough enough defensively that they never trailed by more than six. North forced a slow tempo, however, and made it difficult for Lawrence to go on a run.

Senior guard Jodie Cochrane scored five straight at the end of the third quarter and jump-started the LHS offense. Then Ricks took over with seven fourth-quarter points and forced overtime. Sophomore Kayla Nolte’s rebound and free throw with 10 seconds left in overtime iced the win.

Cochrane scored 10 points for Lawrence and Drew Huff added seven.

Lawrence has won eight of its last 10 games. Senior Night is Friday against Shawnee Mission West, and postseason play begins next week. Beating North guaranteed the Lions a home game in the first round of sub-state.