Lawrence High girls basketball players were hesitant to shoot and tentative with their passes in the first half against Olathe South on Friday at LHS.

By the time they started to settle in, the game was out of reach, and Olathe South was well on its way to an eventual 80-34 drubbing at LHS.

The Falcons (6-1, ranked No. 3 in Class 6A) opened with a 20-0 lead before LHS junior forward Devon Spoonhunter hit a shot nearly seven minutes in. The Lions struggled to make passes to start their offense and had 10 turnovers in the first quarter.

Meanwhile, Olathe South took full advantage of the Lions’ miscues. The Falcons led 42-4 midway through the second quarter before the Lions (1-6) scored on three straight possessions in the final two minutes of the first half — a banked three by sophomore Madison McKinney, an offensive rebound and putback by junior Gracie Reinsch and a free throw from Reinsch.

“They hit us with some body blows and some knockout punches early,” LHS coach Jeff Dickson said. “We didn’t attack the way that I think we’re capable of.”

In the first half, the Falcons had no problem finding a forward cutting to the basket for a layup or having a guard drain a three. They shot 8-for-13 from behind the arc, including four from junior Zoe Matje, who finished with a game-high 17 points.

Olathe South also was without star senior Kylee Kopatich, a Kansas University signee who is out because of a torn ACL.

But the Lions kept their turnovers down in the second half and looked more competitive, though they trailed by as much as 54.

“We regrouped at halftime, and I think the kids came out there with the idea of really competing and battling,” Dickson said. “(Olathe South) still stayed kind of hot. But I was much happier with how we did in the second half. I think that says a lot about our kids and how resilient they are.”

Three LHS players scored six points apiece: Spoonhunter, Reinsch and sophomore guard Oliva Lemus, who drained a pair of threes. Sophomore guard Skylar Drum led the Lions with seven rebounds and three steals.

LAWRENCE (34)

Skylar Drum 1-7 0-0 2, Madison McKinney 1-6 0-0 3, E’lease Stafford 2-6 1-2 5, Marissa Pope 0-9 2-2 2, Gracie Reinsch 2-4 2-4 6, Alexis Boyd 1-3 0-0 2, Devon Spoonhunter 3-3 0-0 6, Olivia Lemus 2-3 0-0 6, Talima Harjo 1-6 0-0 2. Totals 13-47 5-8 34.

OLATHE SOUTH (80)

Kala Holder 7-11 0-0 15, Zoe Matje 5-7 3-3 17, Kacey Kennett 3-5 0-0 7, Dejanae Roebuck 3-4 1-2 7, Jordan Morton 2-7 1-2 5, Nyia Duncan 5-6 3-4 13, Makayla Gooch 1-2 0-0 2, Jordan Rehagen 3-5 0-0 7, Kaiti Butaud 1-3 0-0 3, Lindsay Bartels 2-4 0-0 4. Totals 32-54 8-11 80.

Olathe South 21 28 18 13 — 80

Lawrence 2 8 7 17 — 34

Three-point goals: Lawrence 3-15 (Lemus 2, McKinney); O-South 8-13 (Matje 4, Holder, Kennett, Rehagen). Turnovers: Lawrence 25, O-South 13.