Lawrence High's Jasmyn Turner keeps a close eye on her Olathe Northwest opponent. Turner scored six points in the Lions' 56-40 victory Friday at LHS.

Those who didn’t realize that Lawrence High junior Taylor Bird was out because of illness might never have noticed.

Older sister and LHS senior Danielle Bird did enough for both Birds in leading the Lions to a 56-40 victory over Olathe Northwest on Friday night in the LHS gymnasium.

The Bird in uniform finished the night with 15 points, seven rebounds, five assists, two steals and one block.

“Coach told me that I needed to step up tonight,” Danielle Bird said. “And I tried to do that, especially on defense.”

Bird spent most of the night matched up with the Boeh sisters, Olathe Northwest’s towers inside. Considering the ONW twins stand well above 6-foot tall, the 5-foot-11 Bird’s ability to match up with them in the paint was no small feat.

“I thought Danielle and Tania’s (Jackson) defense was outstanding in the second half,” LHS coach Kristin Mallory said. “They played hard, they boxed out, and they gave great effort. Danielle’s girl didn’t catch the ball once in the post when she was on her.”

While Bird’s defense inspired her coach, her offense inspired the rest of the team.

After LHS struggled its way to 18 points in the first half – including a buzzer-beating three-pointer from Cassie Potter at halftime for the second straight game – Bird got things rolling in a hurry in the second half.

The Lions (6-0) began the second half with possession and immediately put points on the board. Running a play drawn up at the break, Bird came open at the top of the key and knocked down a three-pointer to tie the game at 21.

LHS shot just 1-of-10 from behind the arc in the first half, so starting the second with a trey was a welcome relief.

“We talked about that at halftime,” Bird said. “Nobody was hitting their shots in the first half. Nobody. We knew we just needed to start making them, and when we did it got everyone hyped up.”

Hyped up might be understating it. The Lions exploded for 31 points in the third quarter – including five three-pointers – turning a three-point halftime deficit into a commanding 18-point lead after three. The game was never close after that.

“The third quarter was huge,” Mallory said. “Just because it gave us some confidence. The three-pointer gives these girls momentum.”

Sophomore Cassie Potter and senior Lindsey Murray were the only other LHS players in double digits, scoring 11 and 10 points, respectively. Jackson added eight points and eight boards, and sophomore Jasmyn Turner, who started in Taylor Bird’s slot, finished wth six points and eight rebounds. She insisted that she didn’t try to play above her head with the Lions’ leading scorer on the bench.

“I just tried to play like Jasmyn,” she said. “Hit the boards and score some points.”

The Lions will return to action at 7 tonight, when Lincoln Prep visits LHS.