Olathe ? The prospects appeared bleak for the visiting Lawrence High girls basketball team during the fourth quarter Friday night, but a late rally propelled the Lions to a 58-54 victory against Olathe Northwest.

“We didn’t give up on our game,” sophomore Taylor Bird said. “We just came back and went crazy.”

The Lions employed a frenetic 9-0 fourth-quarter run – punctuated by three free throws and a three-point shot by Danielle Bird and a score by Taylor Bird – to even the score with just more than two minutes left.

Such clutch play led to the victory and helped a ravenous Lions team even its record at 3-3.

“We needed it,” LHS coach Kristin Mallory said.

Both teams shot well from

the perimeter, combining for 10 three-pointers. Perhaps their long-distance marksmanship was a result of the previous night’s dinner.

“We had some lasagna last night,” said Taylor Bird, who scored 14 points to match her sister’s score. “Maybe that’s the new team meal we should be having.”

LAWRENCE HIGH SOPHOMORE TAYLOR BIRD shoots against Olathe Northwest. The Lions won, 58-54, on Friday.

Lawrence’s interior players, however, may have served as the difference. Starting post player Tania Jackson twisted her ankle last weekend and did not dress, and sophomore Tayler Tolefree received the start instead. Abby Vestal and Tayler Tolefree’s sister, Syndei, received game balls from Mallory for their effort. They scored 10 and six points, respectively, and contained Northwest’s Alexis and Candace Boeh, a pair of 6-footers.

“(They were) way undersized in there,” Mallory said. “Boy, they fought and they clawed. We didn’t get every rebound, but we got some big ones.”

In previous contests the young Lions, who have only four seniors, came unglued and committed sloppy errors during the fourth quarter. But during Friday’s game they played with the level-headedness of a veteran team.

“That’s a big momentum swing for them,” Mallory said. “It will hopefully propel us here as we go into league play.”

LHS boys 61, Olathe Northwest 47

The LHS boys (5-2) also had to compensate for injuries in the post. Senior John Novotny rolled his ankle during warmups, but 6-foot-6 John Schneider helped replace him in the victory.

The athletic trainers allowed Novotny, who left the game on crutches, to play in the first half, but the ankle did not respond, and they advised him to sit out the second half.

Schneider, who found out Thursday he would start, scored 11 points in his first start. He and the rest of the Lions adjusted their games to compensate for the bruising Novotny.

“I did pretty well,” Schneider said. “We had to step up to be a little more physical than we always are because (Novotny) brings a big presence down low.”

Kevin Logan, who scored six points, also enjoyed a memorable game. He delivered several sound defensive plays, including a glass-cleaning blocked shot with 27 seconds left in the third quarter.

LAWRENCE HIGH SENIOR JACE MCNABB works to dribble around Olathe Northwest defender Leland Lindsey. LHS beat the Ravens, 61-47, on Friday.

But with 53 seconds left in the first quarter, he sent the visiting crowd to its feet, culminating his steal with a dunk. On the bench Novotny told him “to quit acting like a punk and throw it down.”

“I looked at Johnny and nodded my head,” said Logan, smiling as he reminisced after the game. “Oh … my adrenaline was rushing.”

As part of a balanced attack, Schneider, Chance Riley (14 points), Nathan Padia (10) and Nick Wagner (10) all finished in double figures. The Lions ran their offense efficiently against the Ravens’ trapping defensive pressure.

“We handled it very well,” LHS coach Chris Davis said. “Our execution was really good all the way around.”

The Lions executed particularly well on the defensive end, limiting the Ravens to two points in the second quarter.

“That’s the best team game we’ve played this year,” Logan said. “I loved how we played together. The cats stayed under control.”