Lawrence High School junior guard Taylor Bird (4) puts up a shot Friday, Jan. 25, 2008 during the Lions' basketball game against Gardner-Edgerton High School at the Topeka Girls Capital Classic Tournament at Highland Park High School.

Topeka ? One down, one to go.

Lawrence High’s girls basketball team won the weather-delayed Aquinas Tournament on Tuesday night. Now the Lions can capture the Capital City Classic tonight.

“That’s important,” coach Kristin Mallory said. “The girls had a goal of winning two tournament championships, but we’ll have to come out with more intensity than we did (Friday night).

The Lions advanced to today’s championship game against Blue Valley despite a turgid start in Friday’s semifinal triumph over Gardner-Edgerton.

Lawrence eventually overcame the Trailblazers, 58-40, in the Highland Park gym after falling behind by as many as 10 points midway through the second quarter and trailing 27-25 at halftime.

In that miserable first half, the Lions weren’t hitting shots against the Blazers’ zone and, worse, they were committing foul after foul – 13 to be exact, sending G-E to the foul line 16 times. They cashed nine.

“You have to adjust to the officials and not get rattled,” Mallory said. “And we got rattled. But we knew we could get our composure back.”

And how. In the second half, Gardner-Edgerton was the team that came unglued. The Blazers’ made only 3 of 18 shots and turned the ball over 10 times after the break.

Meanwhile, the Lions drained three-point goals. Treys by Danielle Bird and Haley Parker quickly gave the Lions a 31-29 lead two minutes into the third quarter.

Then, with the Lions nursing a four-point lead four minutes later, Cassie Potter drilled a three-pointer for a seven-point cushion (36-29).

Potter wasn’t done, either. Midway through the fourth quarter, she drilled a pair of three-pointers 50 seconds apart that boosted the Lions’ bulge to 10. For G-E, a Class 5A school, it was downhill the rest of the way.

Lawrence finished with eight three-pointers – three by Potter, two each by Parker and Danielle Bird and one by Taylor Bird – with all but two coming in the explosive second half.

The Lions (11-1) outscored G-E, 33-13, in the last 16 minutes. Moreover, after lagging 21-11 about 3 1/2 minutes before intermission, the Lions went on a 47-19 sizz.

Lawrence, defending champion of the Capital City Classic, will meet Blue Valley, another team with only one defeat, at 5:15 p.m. today at Hi Park. The Tigers trimmed Junction City, 64-48, in Friday’s other semifinal.

Two tourney titles within a five-day span would be quite a coup for the Lions.

“I want another one,” said Potter, a sophomore guard, no doubt echoing the sentiments of her teammates.

“I’m a lot more confident than I was last year,” said junior Taylor Bird, who played on the Lions’ team that topped Topeka Seaman in last year’s Capital City Classic finale. “Our bench is good, and our starters are good.”

Nevertheless, playing four games over a five-day span could take a physical toll.

“We were able to rest quite a few players the other night,” Mallory said, referring to Thursday’s 79-38 first-round romp of Topeka Seaman. “I think we’ll be fine.”

Seven Lions scored Friday night. Danielle Bird had 12 points, while Taylor Bird, Jasmyn Turner and Potter contributed nine apiece. Parker finished with eight.