The Lions' bench reacts to s three-pointer by Anthony Bonner as Lawrence played Barstow Saturday at the HyVee Shootout in Kansas City, Missouri.

Kansas City, Mo. ? In a game that nobody wanted to end, Lawrence High’s boys basketball team traded baskets, defensive stops and momentum with Barstow (Missouri) on Saturday night in the Hyvee Shootout at Avila University.

It was like a heavyweight prizefight, in which both sides refused to back down before the Lions made enough plays to outlast the Knights for a 79-75 victory in a triple-overtime thriller.

LHS senior guard Anthony Bonner struggled with his jump shot for most of the game, but he delivered in the biggest moments. He scored 12 of his team-high 28 points in the final overtime, with seven at the free-throw line.

“It feels amazing. There’s nothing better,” Bonner said. “This is better than any Christmas present.”

The Lions (6-0) leaned on Bonner and junior point guard Justin Roberts for offense in the overtimes. They combined for 26 of the team’s 27 points.

Bonner’s teammates encouraged him to keep shooting through his slump, and he made five of his last six shots.

“That was a game that I’ll never forget,” said Roberts, who scored 26 points and had four assists. “We just stepped up at big times, and that’s what really mattered. As long as we got the ‘W,’ it didn’t matter how many overtimes it took. Honestly, we didn’t want to stop playing because that was just a fun game.”

Both teams continued to trade punches at critical moments. Roberts hit two free throws for a three-point lead with under a minute to play in the first overtime, and Barstow junior Tripp Walworth countered with a game-tying three-pointer.

In the second overtime, Bonner ran past the defense for a fast-break layup and a two-point lead, but Barstow sophomore Jacob Gilyard slashed in for a layup with 34 seconds left.

The Lions also had to place a ton of attention on versatile 6-foot-7 junior Jeriah Horne, who used his size advantage to score 32 points and grab 20 rebounds with a variety of spin moves in the low post.

LHS did its best to contain Horne, rotating forwards Fred Brou, Logan Applegate and Price Morgan against him, but they all fouled out by the second overtime. That meant throwing guards John Barbee, Anthony Harvey and Ben Rajewski at him before Horne fouled out midway through the final overtime.

“We’re not the type of team to fold,” said LHS coach Mike Lewis, who had plenty to celebrate on his birthday. “We just need to hang in there. We had to throw the team at Horne. We’ll learn as we get along here about how we can adjust a little bit better, but I liked our energy. I liked the way we hung in there. We’re a team that sticks together.”

Before the overtimes, Horne gave Barstow (6-1, ranked No. 1 in Missouri’s Class 3) a two-point lead after converting an and-one layup and the free throw. The Lions had a play set up, but Roberts lost control of the ball before Rajewski grabbed it and was fouled attempting a three before the buzzer.

Rajewski missed the first free throw before nailing the next two, helping the Lions avoid a knockout blow.

“It’s just fighting through adversity,” Bonner said. “We got to do this for coach (Kermit Aldridge, who died in March). He’s looking down on us. He would always fight, so we have to fight for him and that’s what we did.”

Lawrence (79)

Justin Roberts 9-16 8-8 26, Price Morgan 2-3 2-4 6, Ben Rajewski 1-3 2-3 4, Anthony Bonner 8-20 9-10 28, John Barbee 1-7 3-6 5, Fred Brou 3-3 0-0 6, Anthony Harvey 0-1 0-0 0, Logan Applegate 1-1 2-4 4. Totals 25-54 26-35 79.

Barstow (75)

Jeriah Horne 9-21 13-21 32, Shea Rush 4-8 1-4 9, Tripp Walsworth 4-9 4-6 15, Jacob Gilyard 3-14 3-5 10, Jared Gillen 3-3 1-2 9, Spencer Walz 0-1 0-0 0, Cody Adkins 0-1 0-0 0. Totals 23-57 22-38 75.

Lawrence 12 10 19 11 6 7 14 — 79

Barstow 17 11 12 12 6 7 10 — 75

Three-point goals: Lawrence 3-15 (Bonner 3); Barstow 7-23 (Walsworth 3, Gillen 2, Horne, Gilyard). Fouled out: Morgan, Brou, Applegate, Horne, Gillen. Turnovers: Lawrence 12, Barstow 15.