Overland Park ? There was no doubt in Cassie Potter’s mind. With eight seconds remaining and Shawnee Mission West’s Lizzy Jeronimus driving toward the hoop in a tie game, Potter, Lawrence High’s hard-nosed guard, backpedaled, planted her feet under the bucket and braced for contact.

“I was set, and I was ready,” Potter said.

Potter tumbled to the floor. Jeronimus kept going. No call. Layup Vikings. And seconds later – after a stolen inbounds pass by SM West, a made free throw and a halfcourt heave that fell short from Lions guard Haley Parker – it was game Vikings as LHS fell in nailbiting fashion, 47-44, Thursday night at SM West.

Despite the heartbreaking defeat, Lawrence could take solace in the fact that a frenzied finish did not even seem possible in the early going. That’s because the Lions appeared on their way to being blown right out of the gym following a first quarter in which they trailed 20-7.

“The first thing we can take as a positive is we really battled back,” LHS coach Kristin Mallory said. “We could have just shut down at the end of the first quarter. We missed five layups in that quarter.”

But rather than hanging their heads and stringing together a ho-hum performance, the Lions exploded in the second quarter, scoring the first 11 points. In the closing seconds of the half, Parker’s shot was blocked from behind, and the ball fell right into Taylor Bird’s hands under the basket. Bird scored at the buzzer to give LHS a 26-25 lead.

While LHS surged, the Vikings looked like a team on the ropes in the second quarter. Lawrence’s defense was so ferocious, SM West managed only three shots in the second quarter, turning the ball over on four consecutive possessions.

All this came from the same Vikings team that finished fourth at state a year ago and started all upperclassmen Thursday. In contrast, LHS tipped off with three sophomores on the floor, although the Lions hardly were concerned with that notion afterward.

“I don’t think it really matters what year you are,” said Potter, a sophomore. “Just as long as you know how to play the game and you’re smart about it.”

LHS trailed the entire fourth quarter but had a chance to take the lead in the final 15 seconds when Bird stepped to the foul line and her team down by one. Bird made the first and missed the second, setting up Jeronimus’ heroics.

“I had trust in Taylor,” Potter said. “I figured she’d make it. But it’s OK. We’ll live through it, and we’ll move on.”

Bird led Lawrence with 13 points. Potter, Danielle Bird and Tania Jackson each scored eight.

The loss marked the third in four games for the Lions (12-4, 4-3), who still are in line for a No. 2 seed at sub-state, which is just fine with Mallory.

“I think if you looked at our schedule at the beginning of the season, this was our toughest stretch,” she said. “We were probably lucky to get through some of the early teams. It could be a heck of a lot worse.”