Lawrence High senior Danielle Bird (3) puts up a one-handed shot against Shawnee Mission East in this file photo from Jan. 8. The Lions lost that game, their lone setback in nine games this season.

Lawrence High coach Kristin Mallory whistles to grab the attention of her players in this file photo from Jan. 11. Mallory and the Lions had high expectations coming into the season, and so far they're on course to meet those expectations.

Nearly everyone associated with the Lawrence High girls basketball team expected that the 2007-08 season would be one to remember.

But with four sophomores joining two seniors and a pair of juniors to make up the bulk of the varsity roster, questions about the team’s chemistry weighed heavily on many minds.

Those concerns were comforted quickly, however, and right away the LHS girls realized that playing together would not be a problem.

“Before the season started, I asked the girls, as a team, to come up with a list of goals for the season, and I did the same thing, and then we compared them,” LHS coach Kristin Mallory said. “We were real close on just about all of them, and that’s when I knew we had a chance to be special. We wanted everyone to get on the same page as soon as possible, and it happened even before the season began.”

Since then, just about everything has come up roses.

LHS has raced to an 8-1 start and will attempt to record victory No. 9 Tuesday night in the championship game of the Lady Saints Classic in Overland Park. The eight victories have come against stiff competition, making the fast start all the more impressive. But for a team that had aspirations of an undefeated season, it’s the one loss – a 48-40 setback to unbeaten Shawnee Mission East earlier this month – that stands out.

“We’ve had to play together to get where we are,” junior Taylor Bird said. “And that’s been one of the biggest reasons for our good start. We’ve all been unselfish, and we’ve shared the ball. The one game we didn’t, we lost.”

Older sister Danielle Bird said the loss had a big-time impact on the team.

“Losing that game, it was like we lost the championship,” Danielle said. “But I think it made us a better team because we learned from it. We learned that we have to come to play every night if we want to achieve our goals.”

The Lions’ success hasn’t come from some magic game plan that the girls have executed to perfection. Quite the opposite, in fact. LHS has played well, but has won games in a variety of ways, something Mallory says makes her team more difficult to play.

“We’re almost a different team every time out, and that makes us real hard to scout,” she said. “We truly have six kids we rely on to come to play every night.”

Whether the victories come from three-point shooting, dominance in the paint, a full-court game or a three-minute spurt, the Lions have adjusted to match their opponents. That shows on the stat sheet, as LHS has just one player who averages double figures in points.

Taylor Bird leads the way at 10 points per game, Danielle Bird and Tania Jackson are right behind at nine points per game, and sophomores Cassie Potter, Haley Parker and Jasmyn Turner all average eight points apiece.

“Each player has a role, and everyone does their role,” said Potter, who leads the Lions in three-point shooting at 52 percent (16-of-33). “We have great chemistry, and we all have confidence in each other.”

Mallory offered a simple explanation for the reason behind the chemistry.

“These girls have been wanting to be a part of this for a long time,” she said. “It’s not like they just threw on an LHS jersey and they’re part of the program now. This season started a long time ago.”

That time frame dates back two or three years, when the youngest members of this year’s team first joined the upperclassmen on AAU teams. From then on, through the AAU seasons, last summer’s camp and preseason conditioning, the girls began to bond. The benefit of that bond shows up in practices and during games.

“We really don’t care who shoots,” said Danielle Bird, who has seen her shooting percentage improve from last season despite taking fewer shots. “As long as we’re winning and making the right plays, that’s all that matters.”

Words such as those are music to Mallory’s ears. She knew this team would have talent but had no idea her athletes would jell so completely and so quickly.

“I wasn’t sure how we were going to mesh,” Mallory said. “I honestly thought we were going to have to play with two basketballs, and I wasn’t sure anyone would let me.”

The bulk of the team’s goals are ahead and include everything from winning the Sunflower League and securing a No. 1 seed at sub-state – for which the Lions will serve as host – to winning the whole thing.

Each week, Mallory makes sure the girls remember their goals by posting them in their lockers and talking openly about them. The one week she forgot? Shawnee Mission East.

“I told the kids I wanted them to dream big, and we’ve tried to emphasize that every step along the way is big,” Mallory said. “I think there’s something to seeing your goals on paper every day and talking about them, not just putting them in the back of your mind and hoping they happen.”