Lawrence High senior Justin Roberts (5) drives against the Shawnee Mission North's Avante Williams (13) during the Indians' 71-62 win Tuesday, February 16, 2016, at LHS.

Lawrence High’s boys basketball team wasn’t going to give away its Sunflower League crown — somebody was going to have to take it.

In a playoff-like atmosphere with the final two unbeaten teams in league play in the Jungle on Tuesday, Shawnee Mission North refused to back down in the fourth quarter, knocking off the top-ranked Lions, 71-62. It was the first home loss for the Lions in nearly two years, spanning 13 games.

When the final seconds ticked off the clock, the Indians jumped up and down along their sideline. For the Indians, this was more than just a regular league game. It was a chance to prove themselves in a rematch of the Class 6A state semifinal last year, where the Lions won by 14 points.

When the Lions cut the score to 54-50 midway through the fourth quarter, SM North’s 6-foot-5 senior forward Marcus Weathers scored eight straight points for the Indians to pull away down the stretch. He scored a game-high 24 points, along with 11 rebounds, three steals and two blocks.

“I put it on his plate today,” SM North coach Steve Stitzer said of Weathers. “I was like, ‘You have to have a good game today.’ He told me, ‘Don’t worry about it.'”

The Lions played faster than their usual pace, committing an uncharacteristic 16 turnovers. After racing to an 11-4 lead in the first four minutes, including a two-handed slam by senior Fred Brou, the Indians responded with an 18-4 run over the next six minutes. With 6-3 athletic guard Michael Weathers on the bench because of foul trouble, Marcus Weathers took over with eight of his team’s final 10 points in the the first quarter.

After trailing by as many as 10 points in the second quarter, the Lions (15-2, 7-1 in the Sunflower League) traded leads and momentum swings until the final minutes of the fourth quarter.

LHS junior Jackson Mallory sparked a run in the final minute of the first half. He dished a no-look assist to senior forward Price Morgan for a wide-open layup, scored on a layup and hit a buzzer-beating three-pointer before halftime.

The Lions took a brief lead in the third quarter before the Indians (13-4, 8-0) responded by scoring on their next four possessions, including layups from juniors Will Schneider and Avante Williams. The Lions tied the score at the end of the third quarter with a three-pointer from senior point guard Justin Roberts and two layups from junior Kobe Buffalomeat, but they couldn’t stop the Weathers brothers and the Indians from delivering go-ahead buckets.

“We just kind of got complacent with being the No. 1 team,” Morgan said. “We’ve been winning a bunch of games. Things had been going our way and we kind of eased off the gas pedal. It’s tough and they exposed us. They are a great team and the Weathers brothers, they can really make some plays.”

At the beginning of the fourth quarter, Michael Weathers made a layup on the first possession. Then he blocked a shot, grabbed the ball and finished with a ferocious one-handed slam.

Morgan did his best to respond, scoring on a layup and taking a charge on defense. After SM North hit a three-pointer, Morgan followed up a missed three-pointer from Harvey with a tip-slam, bringing the crowd to a roar. For his final act, Morgan swatted a shot defensively like it was a whack-a-mole.

“I don’t like to lose,” Morgan said. “I was just doing everything that I could to keep us in the game.”

But every time the Lions thought they had momentum on their side, the Indians stole it back and took the top spot in the league standings.

“We haven’t been in that situation for a while,” LHS coach Mike Lewis said. “That’s our fourth game we lost in two years. Our guys aren’t familiar with that feeling. I think that’s good for us to be in that situation and I think we’ll respond better the next time.”

Shawnee Mission North (71)

Will Schneider 2-3 0-2 4, Marcus Weathers 8-16 8-9 24, Avante Williams 5-5 3-5 13, Brendon Henderson 3-6 0-0 6, Michael Weathers 7-13 7-8 21, Danny Bradley 1-3 0-0 3, Cole Gibson 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 26-46 18-24 71.

Lawrence (62)

Justin Roberts 4-17 5-5 14, Price Morgan 8-10 3-6 19, Fred Brou 1-4 0-4 2, Anthony Harvey 3-10 2-3 9, Jackson Mallory 5-10 2-3 14, Noah Butler 0-2 0-0 0, Kobe Buffalomeat 2-3 0-0 4, Braden Solko 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 23-56 12-21 62.

SM North 18 12 15 26 — 71

Lawrence 15 12 17 18 — 62

Three-point goals: SM North 1-8 (Bradley); Lawrence 4-24 (Mallory 2, Roberts, Harvey). Turnovers: SM North 15, Lawrence 16.