LHS senior Justin Roberts (5) shoots a three against Emporia on Friday night.

Emporia ? Lawrence High senior Justin Roberts returned to the court Friday for the first time after tearing a ligament in his left knee during an AAU basketball tournament in April.

It was impossible to tell the 5-foot-9 point guard had suffered any injury against Emporia, except for a bulky knee brace, in a 63-44 victory in the boys basketball team’s season opener at Emporia High.

Roberts made his first three shots, helping the Lions run out to a 16-0 lead in the first four minutes. When he wasn’t making shots, he set up his teammates for open jumpers or layups.

“I felt like I was a freshman again, playing my first varsity game,” said Roberts, who finished with a game-high 18 points, four rebounds and five assists. “I had a lot of nerves, a lot of excitement, a lot of anxiousness. But I just knew I had to come out and play my game and don’t try to do too much.”

Roberts added two three-pointers in the second half. On one possession, Roberts kept a play alive by diving head-first out of bounds to save the ball, which a few passes later turned into a dunk by 6-4 senior forward Price Morgan.

“You couldn’t tell he tore his ACL,” senior guard Anthony Harvey said of Roberts. “He’s the best point guard in the state, I think. He’s just that guy. I don’t mean to toot his horn, but he’s one of my best friends, and I know he’s going to come out and play as hard as he can.”

After earning a spot in the Class 6A state championship game last year, LHS coach Mike Lewis told his team to play loose on Friday. Harvey took the message to heart, drilling three triples in the first quarter, including a four-point play. Roberts and Harvey combined for all of their team’s 22 points in the first quarter.

“It definitely boosted my confidence a lot,” Harvey said. “Hit a shot, go back and play hard defense, and then come down and get rewarded with another shot.”

Lewis added: “Anytime you can come out and hit an early shot, whether that’s a three or just a good, solid possession, that just puts you at ease. Sometimes there’s games it takes you two, three or four minutes to hit a shot. Tonight was one of those where we came out and hit some shots early. We needed that.”

In the third quarter, the Lions (1-0) shot 8-for-11 from the floor, turning a 10-point halftime lead into a 50-33 advantage. Morgan scored 10 of his 18 points in the period, with two baskets assisted from junior guard Jackson Mallory. Harvey also added a layup-and-the-foul bucket.

In the following weeks after Roberts tore his ACL, he was hoping to return to the court by January. But as he progressed through his rehab, he kept moving his starting date up. He was cleared to play before tryouts last month.

“The process went a lot faster than I thought it would be,” Roberts said. “I just wanted to get out there and play with my guys. Every single day that I was getting closer, I was marking the day off of my calendar.”

The Lions plan to bring Roberts along slowly with a minutes limit in each game, but they know they can count on their floor leader.

“Not surprised. We’ve been working on this for about a month,” Lewis said. “He’s just game-by-game and week-by-week right now trying to stay healthy and keep getting stronger. We’re just trying to be smart. I thought he had that good adrenaline rush to him.”

The Lions will face Grandview (Missouri) in the first round of the Blue Valley Shootout at 5 p.m. Tuesday.

LAWRENCE (63)

Justin Roberts 5-8 4-6 18, Price Morgan 7-10 4-6 18, Fred Brou 1-4 1-3 3, Anthony Harvey 5-11 2-2 16, Jackson Mallory 1-4 1-2 3, Braden Solko 0-0 0-0 0, Kobe Buffalomeat 2-6 0-0 4, Austin Miller 0-1 0-0 0, Tayvien Robinson 0-0 1-2 1, Noah Butler 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 21-44 13-21 63.

EMPORIA (44)

Seth Tilton 2-5 0-0 4, Tanner Taylor 0-4 0-0 0, Max Brown 6-12 0-0 13, Jay Wilson 3-8 0-0 7, Tate Demler 8-17 0-1 16, Damon Good 2-5 0-0 4, JeMarcus Morehead 0-1 0-0 0, Jonathan Olsson 0-1 0-0 0. Totals 21-53 0-1 44.

Lawrence 22 8 20 13 — 63

Emporia 8 12 13 11 — 44

Three-point goals: Lawrence 8-17 (Roberts 4, Harvey 4); Emporia 2-16 (Brown, Wilson). Turnovers: Lawrence 12, Emporia 8.