Olathe South junior forward Kameron Lindsay, bottom, beats Lawrence High senior Garrett Wagner to a loose ball during Friday night's game in Olathe.

Olathe ? Lawrence High senior Garrett Wagner went up for the Lions’ first shot of Friday’s game and was promptly rejected by Olathe South junior Tyler Thomas.

And from there, with the Falcons up by 14 points just two minutes into the first quarter, the rout was on.

In its own gymnasium, Olathe South cruised to a 59-37 victory over LHS. Kameron Lindsay led the Falcons with 22 points on a perfect night of shooting, going 8-for-8 from the field and 6-for-6 from the line.

Lindsay was dominant, but it was the Falcons’ 1-2-2 press that really sealed the Lions’ fate.

LHS coach Mike Lewis said his team expected the defense. They weren’t ready to handle it, however, turning the ball over 11 times in the first quarter.

“The press really, really stirred us up. Really got us out of our comfort zone. Really just shattered our confidence as a team,” Lewis said. “It was almost like you got hit by a freight train.”

To open the game, the Falcons forced four Lion turnovers in just a minute and a half, converting on fast break layups to open up an early lead. By the end of the first quarter, the scoreboard above the Lions’ bench accurately depicted the type of game it had been.

Olathe South 25, Lawrence High 4.

Lewis was impressed with the Falcons starters, which included four talented seniors and Thomas, a 6-foot-7 junior.

“Those guys were a well-oiled machine,” Lewis said. “We were a 1987 squeaky Ford Escort.”

The 1-2-2 press has become a trademark of O-South basketball in recent years. Lewis said the zone played mind games because you didn’t know if the Falcons would speed your offense up or slow it down.

LHS seemed sped up by it, rushing the ball past the half-court line only to make silly passes against the 1-2-2 zone.

But after the quarter, the Lions (3-6) didn’t call it a night. The Falcons pulled out of the press and the Lions won the second quarter and lost by just two after halftime. Junior KJ Pritchard led the way with 11 points.

Lewis liked that his team competed until the end, but the first quarter created a hole that even the three-point shooting Lions couldn’t hope to make up.

“They were a solid defensive team on a mission, and we got back on our heels and got knocked on our butts,” Lewis said. “And everybody was there to see it. There’s no hiding that one.”