Overland Park ? Lawrence High coach Mike Lewis said his team was never able to grab offensive momentum.

After missing a few open shots early, LHS wasn’t able to right itself Tuesday, falling 57-42 to Shawnee Mission South.

“When you’re stumbling and missing those shots, it’s hard to buckle in between the ears and step up and make the shots,” Lewis said. “Good teams can step up and survive those mental lapses and those moments when you’re not feeling good. And we weren’t a good enough team tonight to get through that.”

The Lions made just 13 of 47 field goals (28 percent). That included 7-for-30 shooting in the second half (23 percent).

“I feel like we got good shots, and we needed to get good shots,” LHS senior guard KJ Pritchard said. “We were kicking the ball out really well. We were making the extra pass. They just weren’t falling tonight.”

Lewis said that he felt like his team was sped up offensively. Part of that could have been because of South’s 6-foot-7 forward Josh Pedersen, who blocked three shots in the first half and four overall.

“I thought they were really solid defensively, and you’ve got to give them credit,” Lewis said. “If we’re shooting 28 percent, something’s happening on the defensive end.”

Defensively, LHS was hurt early by buzzer-beaters.

The Lions trailed just 9-8 in the final seconds of a slow-paced first quarter before South’s Eric Weber knocked in a three-pointer. That came at the end of a 50-second possession, as South held for the final shot.

Pedersen also extended South’s lead at the half, putting in a stickback to give his team a 24-18 advantage.

LHS also struggled holding down South’s 6-foot-6 forward Dylan Christie, who displayed his ability to play on the perimeter. The senior made a three-pointer in each of the first three quarters, finishing the game 3-for-3 from three-point range.

“He was on our scouting report. He’s an inside-outside guy,” Lewis said. “He stepped up in a game like this and made his shots.”

LHS trailed just 35-27 heading into the fourth quarter, but a few minutes later, a 9-0 South run pushed the lead to 50-33 with 1:51 left.

The Lions made just five of 23 three-point attempts (22 percent).

“It was a rough game against a really good team,” Pritchard said. “We really couldn’t buy a basket in the first half and still struggled in the second half.”

Pritchard led LHS, scoring 21 points on 7-for-14 shooting. Logan Henrichs contributed nine points, with all of those coming in the first half.

Christie and Pedersen had 15 points apiece for South (14-3), while quick guard Devin Newsome also gave the Raiders a boost. Though he finished 0-for-3 from the floor, the sophomore was able to get to the lane and draw fouls, making 12 of 12 free-throw attempts.

LHS (10-7) will travel to face sixth-ranked Olathe East on Friday.