Lawrence High senior Justin Roberts spots up for an open jump shot during the Lions' game against Shawnee Mission Northwest Tuesday evening in Shawnee.

Lawrence High senior point guard Justin Roberts returned to action Tuesday against Shawnee Mission Northwest, but it took him a little longer than he would have liked to score.

Roberts — who separated his shoulder Jan. 22 against Topeka High — was scoreless in the first half, but made up for lost time with 17 points in the second to fuel Lawrence High past SM Northwest, 59-54.

“The first half was a little rough. I was just trying to get my shoulder loose and get used to my brace, but I quickly snapped out of that,” Roberts said. “It was fine. I feel like I was just playing normally and didn’t have any problems with it.”

The 5-foot-9 floor general took command from the start of the second half, drilling a three-pointer from the left corner on the Lions’ first possession.

“It was definitely big,” Roberts said. “(Jackson) Mallory, when we came out of the huddle, he was like, ‘Just see one go down, and let it carry for the rest of the game.’ I just had to trust it and shot with confidence.”

While Roberts shot 5-for-14 from the field and 5-for-6 from the line to lead the Lions offensively, senior guard Anthony Harvey Jr. and Mallory had hot hands from beyond the arc to join him in double figures with 15 and 14 points, respectively.

“When they can contribute and score like they did tonight with Justin still getting back into things, it’s really important for our team,” Lawrence High coach Mike Lewis said.

All of Harvey’s points came by way of the trey, as he knocked down five of seven shots from deep. The Lions (14-1 overall, 6-0 in the Sunflower League) made 10 of 23 from long distance, good for 43 percent.

“He’s a rhythm shooter, so when he hits one, his rhythm usually is going to be pretty good,” Lewis said.

Mallory was the Lions’ primary offensive weapon early, scoring seven of the team’s 12 points in a sluggish first quarter. The 6-2 junior hit the Lions’ first bucket after they went scoreless for the first four-plus minutes. He followed with a triple and then found Harvey open on the perimeter on the next possession to help start a 12-0 run.

“The way we started the game, it was just kind of an odd feel,” Lewis said. “We couldn’t score, but we were working really hard on defense, and then a couple of those baskets fall. Jackson kept himself into it from his effort on the defensive end.”

The Cougars (6-9 and 1-5) did not go away quietly in the second half, as they tied it at 40 on a Noah Kendall layup for the first points of the fourth, but they never took the lead. The Lions iced the game at the free-throw line.

Lawrence High made 11 of its final 12 free throws in the last two minutes.

“We finally got some fouls going,” Roberts said. “They brought in their JV and pretty much just fouled us until they got to seven. We hadn’t really got to the free-throw line that much in the game, so we knew if we got to the free-throw line, it’d help us out a lot.”

The Lions will travel Friday to Olathe Northwest.

SM NORTHWEST (54)

Ferdinand Handy 6-14 1-2 16, Jamey Fisher 1-4 0-0 2, Christian Ghilardi 0-0 0-0 0, Austin Sanders 2-4 0-0 5, Noah Kendall 2-4 0-0 4, Jalen LyDay 4-6 2-2 10, Zach Smith 2-5 0-0 5, Manik Kapoor 0-0 0-0 0, Dylan Dirks 3-11 5-5 12. Totals 18-44 8-9 54.

LAWRENCE (59)

Braden Solko 0-0 0-0 0, Justin Roberts 5-14 5-6 17, Price Morgan 2-3 4-4 8, Fred Brou 2-7 0-0 4, Anthony Harvey Jr. 5-7 0-0 15, Noah Butler 0-1 1-2 1, Jackson Mallory 5-13 2-2 14, Kobe Buffalomeat 0-1 0-0 0. Totals 19-47 12-14 59.

SM Northwest 4 18 16 16 — 54

Lawrence 12 12 16 19 — 59

Three-point goals: SMNW 6-23 (Handy 3, Smith, Dirks, Sanders); LHS 10-23 (Harvey Jr. 5, Mallory 3, Roberts 2). Turnovers: SMNW 12, LHS 8.