LHS boys open postseason with victory

Lawrence High junior Price Morgan picks up the ball as he muscles through Shawnee Mission Northwest defenders Jacob Steinle (41) and Duron Lowe (23) during the first round of the sub-state tournament Wednesday evening at LHS. The Lions advanced to the next round with a convincing 79-45 win over the Cougars and will face fifth seeded Shawnee Mission East in the sub-state finals Friday evening at LHS. Tip-off is set for 7 p.m.

Lawrence High senior guard John Barbee didn’t get a chance to play against Shawnee Mission Northwest in the regular season. He made up for lost time on Wednesday.

With senior guard Anthony Bonner and junior point guard Justin Roberts attracting extra defensive attention, Barbee made the Cougars pay by slashing in for layups and grabbing offensive rebounds in a 79-45 rout at LHS in the first round of sub-state.

The eighth-seeded Cougars (3-18) made their first five shots, and the Lions answered with points on their first eight possessions. LHS never slowed down, shooting 65 percent (31-for-48) throughout the night.

“That first quarter we were scoring like no other,” Roberts said. “That’s what got us going, then our defense was great, too.”

The 6-foot-2 Barbee led the second-ranked team in the state to a 26-16 lead after the first quarter, scoring seven of his team’s first 11 points. He shared the ball with junior forward Price Morgan, who knocked down a few mid-range jumpers. Bonner added two triples, senior Logan Applegate had a layup and Roberts made a three.

“I didn’t like not playing. I’m glad I came out and was able to contribute how I do,” said Barbee, who finished with 15 points and a team-high six rebounds. “We just moved the ball really well and got each other open shots. Everyone was just hitting on every cylinder.”

In the second quarter, the Lions (20-1) turned up the defensive pressure and went on a 16-2 run over five minutes. Senior guard Ben Rajewski started the stretch with a three-pointer from the wing and junior guard Anthony Harvey finished it with a bucket-and-the-foul score.

Bonner added a steal and a right-handed slam in the final few seconds of the first half as the Lions stormed to a 44-23 advantage.

“I really think it starts on our defensive end and tonight, I thought we were pretty good on defense,” LHS coach Mike Lewis said. “We deflected the ball. We rebounded the ball. I thought our team defense was good. When we get out and start making transition baskets, I like our chances.”

After the Cougars scored on four of their first five possessions of the second half, the Lions closed the third quarter on a 20-0 run. The Lions forced six turnovers in the spurt, leading to layups by Barbee, Roberts and junior forward Fred Brou.

Roberts, who sat for the last five minutes of the first half because of foul trouble, scored 11 of his team-high 16 points in the third quarter, and he also dished three of his game-high five assists in the period. With the Lions grabbing steals, Roberts slashed past defenders in transition and scored layups or dropped off passes to awaiting teammates for easy buckets.

“The balls went our way,” Roberts said. “We got some open layups. That’s always good for us because we like to play fast. That’s to our advantage.”

The Lions were rewarded with a running clock for the fourth quarter, after forcing 21 turnovers on defense and sharing the ball on offense. Six LHS players finished with at least eight points.

“I might be most proud of our first quarter,” Lewis said. “They came down and hit (five) straight shots and we came back and responded. A lot of teams might dig themselves a seven- or eight-point hole, and then be facing that eight seed and start to tighten up. I really liked the way our guys responded. It was just a sign of how tough they are.”

The Lions will welcome Shawnee Mission East into the Jungle at 7 p.m. Friday in the sub-state finals. The winner will earn a trip to the Class 6A state tournament next week in Wichita.

SM NORTHWEST (45)

Doug Debose 1-4 2-2 4, Duron Lowe 4-4 0-0 8, Mark Kimotho 2-5 0-0 5, Austin Sanders 2-8 2-4 6, Dylan Dirks 5-11 3-4 16, Jacob Steinle 0-0 2-2 2, Ferdinand Handy 0-2 0-0 0, Clay Drouillard 1-2 0-1 2, Noah Kendall 1-1 0-0 2. Totals 16-37 9-13 45.

LAWRENCE (79)

Justin Roberts 6-8 1-2 16, Price Morgan 3-5 2-2 8, Ben Rajewski 3-5 0-0 8, Anthony Bonner 5-8 0-0 12, John Barbee 6-8 3-3 15, Logan Applegate 3-4 0-0 6, Fred Brou 1-2 1-2 3, Anthony Harvey 3-5 1-1 8, Tae Shorter 0-1 0-0 0, Kyle Hoffman 1-2 0-0 3, Jackson Mallory 0-0 0-0 0, Kobe Buffalomeat 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 31-48 8-10 79.

SMNW 16 7 9 13 — 45

Lawrence 26 18 28 7 — 79

Three-point goals: SMNW 4-14 (Dirks 3, Kimotho); Lawrence 9-15 (Roberts 3, Rajewski 2, Bonner 2, Harvey, Hoffman). Turnovers: SMNW 21, Lawrence 10.