Kansas City, Mo. ? Seems that when the Lawrence High girls basketball team needed to force a few bricks, Kansas City (Mo.) Hickman Mills had the accuracy of a marksman.

In what turned into a shootout between the Cougars and Lions, Hickman Mills — and, specifically, junior Keisha Walker — refused to miss a target in the late going, leading to a 76-66 victory Friday over LHS in the Hy-Vee Shootout at Avila University.

Walker, one of the top juniors in Kansas City, scored 33 points, hitting nearly all of her uncontested shots — and many of her contested ones as well.

She was matched nearly point-for-point by Lawrence’s Josie Polk, who finished with 31, but Walker’s were louder, coming at times Lawrence couldn’t afford to give up any buckets.

“She’s a great player,” LHS coach Kristin Mallory said. “She’s difficult to defend, and she hit her shots today.”

Three of Walker’s points came as the buzzer sounded to end the third quarter. With Hickman Mills clinging to a 46-43 lead, Walker missed a three, but after grabbing her own rebound, she flung a shot from the corner of the court as she was falling out of bounds at the buzzer. Nothing but net.

It was just one of those days for Hickman Mills. It was just one of those days for Lawrence, too.

“We know we need to get better on the defensive end,” Mallory said. “But we were doing what we needed to do. Most of their shots were contested — they just hit them.”

6Sports video: Lawrence High girls fall to Hickman Mills

It certainly didn’t help matters, but the buzzer-beater didn’t deflate the Lions.

Lawrence (2-2) opened the fourth quarter with a 5-0 run following baskets by Polk and sophomore Sydney Wilson, putting the Lions within one at 49-48. They wouldn’t get any closer, though, and when it came time for the Lions to foul in an attempt to rally, Hickman Mills (8-4) hit 13 of 14 free throws down the stretch.

It was Lawrence High’s last tuneup before Sunflower League play starts next week against Leavenworth, but it wasn’t a complete indication of what the Lions — or any other team — should expect.

Senior Jodie Cochrane, another outside threat, was out with a sprained ankle, and senior Rachael Klingler, another inside presence, didn’t play, either. They both likely will be back next week.

“They’re athletic,” Mallory said of Hickman Mills. “That wouldn’t necessarily be a problem for us, but we’ve got injuries right now.”