Shawnee ? Strolling across the parking lot toward the team bus, Lawrence High boys basketball coach Chris Davis turned to senior Cameron Hershiser and offered some words of enlightenment.

“You know, Cam, those are the types of games we need to have,” said Davis, already thinking about how his team’s Sunflower League opener against Shawnee Mission Northwest might pay dividends down the road. “I don’t mean have to win, but to prepare for later in the season.”

Such was the long-term view Friday night.

Everyone else milling about in the frigid air was more concerned with the short term.

In a contest featuring several “Can you top this?” moments, SM Northwest capitalized on a pair of free throws with 7.6 seconds remaining in the second overtime to outlast LHS for a 70-68 victory.

“That one, I know our kids are going to remember for a long, long time,” SM Northwest coach Ben Meseke said.

It was enough to cause a large portion of the student body – the Cougar Crazies – to pour out of the west bleachers and onto the playing floor. Nevermind the fact it came with eight minutes of basketball still to be played.

The reason behind the premature celebration came with three seconds left in regulation, when, after dribbling near midcourt to run down the clock, SM Northwest guard Dusty Burdolski canned a three-pointer from 22 feet for what appeared to seal a 55-52 victory.

However, Davis alertly called timeout and was fortunate to have one of the three game officials recognize it in the midst of the mayhem. After a clock malfunction halted the Lions’ first inbound attempt, LHS swiftly moved the ball upcourt on its second try, and junior Chance Riley promptly made Burdolski’s shot seem pedestrian, drilling his own three from approximately 30 feet at the buzzer to force overtime.

“That’s not the way it was supposed to work out, but Kristian (Pope) found me, and I was open,” said Riley, who made six three-pointers as part of his 20-point showing. “Before I released it, I was thinking if I should hurry because of the time. But once I released it, I knew it was good.”

He wasn’t the only one armed with such confidence.

“All the way up, you could read ‘good’ on the side of the ball,” Meseke said.

The fireworks hardly stopped once Riley’s shot swished.

The first overtime saw LHS (5-1 overall, 0-1 Sunflower League) go up by four points on three occasions, the final time with just 46 seconds left.

However, SM Northwest (5-0, 1-0) rallied with five points – including another Burdolski three-pointer – to take a 66-65 lead with eight seconds remaining.

With the luxury of enough time to drive to the basket, Lions guard Tyler Knight was hacked in the process, and after missing on his first attempt, calmly swished the back half to force a second extra frame.

“Being in front of that crowd, it’s tough,” Knight said. “You’ve got to keep your adrenaline down, keep your composure – don’t get out of control and make stupid mistakes.”

Unfortunately for LHS, one of those hiccups reared its head at an inopportune time in the final OT. After weaving through traffic for a game-tying lay-up with 15 seconds left, Pope tried to make it two big plays in a row by gambling for a steal near midcourt.

Instead, he was called for a foul, and Burdolski – who else? – made both foul shots with 7.6 seconds left.

The Lions’ couldn’t extend the game. Nathan Padia’s 15-foot jumper from the left wing missed and sent the home fans into another frenzy – but limited to the bleachers thanks to a ring of security guards and school administrators.

Knight and Burdolski tied for game-high scoring honors, each tossing in 21 points. LHS finished with 11 three-pointers, while SM Northwest had nine.

“We stepped up in pretty big moments and came through,” Davis said. “That’s what I’m most proud about, that we proved we really had the mettle and hit some big shots when we needed to.

“I’m not disappointed at all with anything that happened in the game.”

Davis need not worry about any hanging heads, either. The perfect antidote for a heartbreaking loss awaits the Lions next week – a home date with rival Free State in their final game before the new year.

“Games don’t get any bigger than that,” Davis said. “I look forward to us being there.”