Topeka ? Brennan Bechard stood at the free-throw line Thursday night with 61 seconds on the clock and his Lawrence High basketball team leading Topeka Seaman, 59-55.

Seaman coach Charles Glotta screamed at his team, “Box out! Box out!”

Lawrence High's David Freeman, left, shoots over Topeka Seaman's Mark Herbster in the first half. The Lions won, 65-63, Thursday night in Topeka at the Topeka Invitational Tournament.

The Vikings did, but there wasn’t much point. Bechard — who entered the game shooting 82.5 percent at the foul line — sank both free throws, then made two more with the Lions leading 63-60 with four seconds left.

The Lions — who nearly squandered a nine-point, fourth-quarter lead — hung on for a 65-63 victory in the first round of the Topeka Invitational at Highland Park High.

“I like to be the guy they foul,” said Bechard, who also made eight of eight free throws in the final two minutes of 67-61 victory Jan. 7 at Leavenworth. “I like to try to step up and knock them down.”

The Lions (7-2) also were knocking down shots from long range, making 12 of 23 three-point shots. That helped make up for an eight-point night by leading scorer Tony Anderson.

“They tried to pack it on Tony,” said sophomore reserve Chance Riley, who made four of seven three-pointers and finished with a career high 14 points. “We would drive to the basket and kick it out, or Tony would dish it out to us, and we were wide-open.”

LHS will face Highland Park (10-0), the top-ranked team in the Class 5A coaches poll, in the semifinals at 8:30 tonight. Hi Park rolled past Kansas City Washington, 89-49, in its first-round game.

6Sports video: Lions hold on against Seaman (01-20-05) Photo Gallery: LHS vs. Topeka Seaman

“I don’t think there’s any question they’re the best team in the state,” LHS coach Chris Davis said of the Scots.

Thursday’s game featured a bizarre series of scoring runs. LHS took an early 13-5 run with an 8-0 spurt, which included three-pointers by Riley and Tyler Knight. But the Lions committed seven first-quarter turnovers, and Seaman (5-4) took advantage with an 11-0 outburst and led 16-13 after one quarter.

Lawrence High's Chance Riley, right, shoots over Topeka Seaman's Dallas Blocker. The Lions won, 65-63, Thursday night in Topeka at the Topeka Invitational Tournament.

The score was tied four times in the second quarter, but LHS pulled away again with a 9-0 run and led 36-29 at the break. Lawrence High took better care of the ball in the second quarter and sank five of 10 three-pointers in the quarter, including a pair by Bechard.

LHS made an 8-0 run in the third quarter and led 47-39 after Riley’s three-pointer with 1:50 left in the quarter. Seaman cut the deficit to 49-48 early in the fourth quarter on consecutive buckets by Mark Herbster, but the Lions answered with a 10-0 spurt and led 59-50 on Larry Barber’s putback with 5:07 to play.

Herbster scored nine of his 22 points down the stretch, but the Lions hung on for their fourth straight victory.

“Every game in this tournament is going to be tough,” said Bechard, who finished with 12 points. “It’s good to get a grind-it-out win. It builds confidence and gives us experience in close games. We know how to pull it out in the end.”

Barber and David Freeman each added nine points in Lawrence’s balanced offense. Anderson led the team with eight rebounds.