Lawrence High boys fall to Wichita East in the state championship, 58-43

Lawrence High junior Justin Roberts (5) makes a move between an Wichita East double team by Terence Caw (14) and Issac Fralin (25) during the 2015 Kansas 6A State championship game at Koch Arena in Wichita. The Lions fell to the Blue Aces, 58-43, and finished the season with a 23-2 record. Both losses came from Wichita East.

? Lawrence High’s boys basketball team struggled to hit shots and keep Wichita East from grabbing rebounds in a 58-43 loss in the Class 6A state championship on Saturday night at Koch Arena.

The second-seeded Lions finished their season with a 23-2 record.

LHS struggled to stop Wichita East’s 6-foot-5 junior forward Xavier Kelly, who used his big frame to score 22 points, grab 10 rebounds and block four shots in the low post. East senior guard Zach Jackson, a University of Nebraska-Omaha signee, added 23 points and three assists.

Midway through the third quarter, the Aces went on a 10-0 run over three minutes to take a 37-19 lead. LHS senior guard Anthony Bonner ended the stretch with a three-pointer, assisted from junior point guard Justin Roberts, but Jackson quickly answered with a triple of his own.

The Aces led by 19 points with 5:11 remaining in the fourth quarter before the Lions went on an 11-3 run to close within 11, but LHS would never climb any closer.

The Lions led 5-2 in the first minutes of the game after Bonner drilled a three-pointer and Roberts scored a layup, assisted by junior forward Price Morgan. However, they shot 2-18 from the floor afterward and fell into a 21-13 deficit at halftime. The Aces also outrebounded the Lions, 25-10, in the first two quarters.

LHS shot 29.5 percent from the field (13-of-44) throughout the contest, including 5-of-22 from behind the three-point arc.

Bonner and Roberts led the Lions with a team-high 18 points apiece. Bonner, a Colorado State signee, also added six rebounds and a steal. Morgan scored four points to go along with a team-high seven rebounds, and senior guard John Barbee added three points.

It’s the seventh time the Lions have finished runner-up at the state tournament in school history, most recently in 2008.

Here’s a look at the LHS scoring from Saturday night:

Justin Roberts – 18 points, 7-of-13 FG, 1-of-2 FT

Anthony Bonner – 18 points, 5-of-18 FG, 6-of-8 FT

Price Morgan – 4 points, 1-of-3 FG, 2-of-5 FT

John Barbee – 3 points, 0-of-5 FG, 3-of-8 FT