Lawrence High’s boys basketball team is known for its potent offense, which can score a flurry of points in a hurry.

But on Friday, the Lions’ defense stole the show in a 72-41 victory over Olathe South at LHS.

In the second quarter, the Lions (8-0) forced five turnovers in a six-possession stretch, which turned directly into a three-pointer by senior guard John Barbee and four points from senior guard Anthony Bonner via a layup and a pull-up jumper.

Lawrence’s coaches didn’t have much to say at halftime, after Class 6A’s top-ranked team took a 26-12 lead and held the Falcons (3-3) to just three points in the second quarter.

“We were working a lot on team defense because we know if you’re going to be a good basketball team, that’s the biggest thing you have to do,” LHS junior forward Fred Brou said. “We were able to get turnovers, and just really run and make fast breaks off of that. Make offense from our defense.”

The Lions used their speed to jump into passing lanes, preventing the Falcons (3-3) from even starting their offense. Junior point guard Justin Roberts, who had three steals, provided hounding full-court ball pressure.

When the Falcons started using back cuts to play against the Lions’ aggressiveness, LHS forwards Brou, junior Price Morgan and senior Logan Applegate were in the paint to block shots. The Lions combined for nine steals and five blocks throughout the game, not to mention the bad passes that were flung out of bounds or shots affected at the rim.

“A lot of it was their energy,” said LHS coach Mike Lewis, who thought the Lions’ first half was their best defensive performance of the year. “They were just energetic, but they were also smart. We had guys talking and helping each other out.”

The Lions went on a 10-1 spurt midway through the first quarter, with a coast-to-coast layup by Barbee following a steal, a layup-and-the-foul bucket from Brou and six straight points by Bonner, who finished with a game-high 23 points to go along with five rebounds.

LHS opened the second half with an 11-4 run, led by five points and an assist by Bonner. Later in the third quarter, junior Anthony Harvey drilled three-pointers on back-to-back possessions. The Lions finished 8-for-14 behind the three-point arc, with three from Harvey.

In the fourth quarter, Roberts drained a pair of threes, helping himself to 19 points. Roberts also had four assists and five boards.

“I thought we shared the ball well, and different people stepped up and hit different shots,” Lewis said. “We were solid in our sets, and we had a good flow when we were playing with some freedom and just making plays.

“Offensively, we had good balance and a good flow most of the night.”

When the Lions are clicking on both sides of the ball, they feed off of their own energy and are difficult to slow down.

Against Olathe South, the Lions looked comfortable on offense, taking their time to find the shots that they wanted and were ready to play suffocating defense.

“This is fun for us,” Harvey said. “Practice, we’re getting at it … tempers are flying. It just gets us a lot better. We’re a great team when it comes to games. It’s just fun coming out in front of our friends and family, and we just want to make everybody have a good time.”

The Lions will go on the road to face Shawnee Mission West at 7 p.m. Tuesday.

LAWRENCE (72)

Justin Roberts 5-12 7-9 19, Price Morgan 3-4 0-0 6, Anthony Bonner 9-14 3-3 23, Fred Brou 2-4 0-1 4, John Barbee 3-7 0-0 7, Logan Applegate 1-3 0-0 2, Anthony Harvey 3-3 0-0 9, Ben Rajewski 0-1 0-0 0, Tae Shorter 0-1 2-3 2. Totals 26-49 12-16 72.

OLATHE SOUTH (41)

Taylor Filbert 4-11 3-3 12, Mat Baldeh 0-3 1-2 1, Zack Fields 2-6 5-6 10, Cole Browning 0-1 0-0 0, Brian Sullivan 4-8 6-9 14, Jordan Well 1-3 0-0 2, Nic Slavin 0-1 0-0 0, Tommy Grimsley 0-1 0-0 0, Tre Adger 1-1 0-0 2. Totals 12-35 15-20 41.

O-South 9 3 19 10 — 41

Lawrence 14 12 23 23 — 72

Three-point goals: Lawrence 8-14 (Harvey 3, Roberts 2, Bonner 2, Barbee); O-South 2-9 (Filbert, Fields). Turnovers: Lawrence 5, O-South 16.