Lawrence High senior Justin Roberts (5) leans in as he drives past Olathe Northwest junior Jace Kline during their game Friday evening in Olathe. The Lions beat the Ravens, 64-48.

Lawrence High’s boys basketball team never had a lead in the first half on Friday against Olathe Northwest, trailed by four at halftime, and remained positive in the locker room.

The Lions, the top-ranked team in the state, knew they still had their best basketball ahead of them. The Lions exploded for 26 points in the third quarter, making eight of their first 10 shots for a double-digit lead, cruising to a 64-48 victory at Olathe Northwest.

For the first four minutes of the second half, it was the Justin Roberts and Price Morgan show. The senior duo, who have been in the starting lineup together for the past three years, combined for 17 of the team’s first 19 points in the third quarter.

Roberts, in his second game back after separating his shoulder at the end of January, scored 14 of his game-high 21 points in the period, including eight straight in a 25-second stretch.

Morgan scored six points in the quarter and dished two assists to Roberts, including a give-and-go on the perimeter for a wide-open layup. Morgan gave the Lions their first lead of the contest with 6 1/2 minutes left in the third quarter when he caught the ball at the free throw line and made a few dribbles and spun past his defender for a bucket. The Lions never trailed again.

“In the first half, they were able to retreat and get their defense set,” LHS coach Mike Lewis said. “When we were able to get them on their heels, and get them a little out of sync, that’s when we were at our best. That’s when we started to play fast and make the extra pass.”

After Morgan and Roberts had their scoring spree, the Lions tightened up on defense. They played strong defense in post and grabbed defensive rebounds, holding the Ravens scoreless for a three-minute stretch. LHS junior 6-foot-6 forward Kobe Buffalomeat matched up against Northwest’s 6-7 forward Matt Vanderslice and refused to allow points inside of the paint. Buffalomeat blocked three shots and had three rebounds off of the bench.

“I’m not the biggest post in the league by any means,” Morgan said. “It’s always good to go out and do what I can to push them all around. I know Fred (Brou) and Buff feel the same way. Buff has a little more size so he was a good matchup with (Vanderslice) tonight. Just banging down there in the post. We take pride on being tough in the interior, and I think that really showed.”

In the fourth quarter, the Lions (15-1, 7-0 in the Sunflower League) opened the period with a 14-5 run in the first five minutes. Brou had a two-handed slam on a pass from Morgan, Buffalomeat made two baskets and Roberts grabbed two steals to get the Lions into their stylish transition offense.

“We bring the pain when it’s winning time and that started with defense, and that started with running our offensive sets,” Harvey said.

In the first quarter, Olathe Northwest sophomore Luke Waters, a 6-5 stretch forward, looked unstoppable with strong moves in the post and he swished his first three triples, matching the Lions with 11 points in the first eight minutes.

The Ravens (6-10, 1-6) cooled off in the second quarter and never found their offensive rhythm in the second half.

“We just came in (at halftime),” Lewis said, “and said, ‘That’s the way it is this time of year. Don’t expect to come in and immediately blow somebody out. You have to fight and earn everything you’re going to get in this league.'”

The Lions will face Shawnee Mission North at 7 p.m. Tuesday in the Jungle.

LAWRENCE (64)

Justin Roberts 7-13 4-4 21, Price Morgan 6-10 4-4 16, Anthony Harvey 4-9 2-2 10, Fred Brou 1-2 2-2 4, Jackson Mallory 1-3 1-4 3, Kobe Buffalomeat 2-3 1-2 5, Braden Solko 0-1 0-0 0, Noah Butler 1-2 1-1 3, Austin Miller 0-0 0-0 0, Tayvien Robinson 1-1 0-0 2. Totals 23-44 15-19 64.

OLATHE NORTHWEST (48)

Jackson Nicodemus 5-10 1-2 16, Jace Kline 2-4 1-1 5, Charlie Holmgren 1-2 0-0 3, Matt Vanderslice 1-6 1-2 3, Luke Waters 8-15 0-0 19, Jack Parks 1-4 0-0 2, Dominic Messina 0-2 0-0 0, Colton Owens 0-0 0-0 0, Daniel Oppenheim 0-1 0-0 0, Kyle Shiever 0-3 0-0 0. Totals 18-47 3-5 48.

Lawrence 11 9 26 18 — 64

Olathe NW 16 8 11 13 — 48

Three-point goals: Olathe NW 9-24 (Nicodemus 5, Waters 3, Holmgren); Lawrence 3-15 (Roberts 3). Turnovers: Olathe NW 7, Lawrence 5.