Lawrence High senior guard Justin Roberts (5) brings the ball up the court while being pressured by Olathe East senior Brandon Mills (12) and Connor Churchill (10) during their game Friday evening at LHS. The Lions defeated the No. 3 ranked Hawks, 69-61.

This was no ordinary regular-season game. For Lawrence High boys basketball players, games against Olathe East always mean a little extra.

With emotions running high and momentum swinging every minute in a matchup between two teams ranked among the top five in the state, the Lions stepped up with key plays in crunch time and earned a 69-61 victory on Friday in the Jungle.

Trailing by a point with under a minute left, LHS senior point guard Justin Roberts was fouled on a three-point attempt and drained all three free throws.

On the ensuing inbounds, Roberts stole the ball and fired a pass to senior forward Fred Brou while he was falling out of bounds. Brou found senior forward Price Morgan for a layup for a 65-61 lead, high-stepping to mid-court out of excitement.

Nearly 30 seconds later, Morgan added a layup-and-the-foul bucket to turn the crowd’s roar into a fever pitch. Morgan, who had 17 points, let out a scream along the baseline, and senior guard Anthony Harvey flexed for the student section.

“That’s one of the best games I’ve ever played in, really,” said Roberts, who scored a team-high 24 points. LHS players said the only game that matched the atmosphere, outside of City Showdowns, was last year’s sub-state title victory.

Every time there was a big play, there was an even bigger play on the other end. On two straight missed shots by Olathe East, the Lions grabbed a rebound and flung full-court passes to wide-open teammates. A pass from junior guard Jackson Mallory resulted in a layup by Harvey, and a pass from Roberts turned into a two-handed slam by Brou.

Olathe East, playing without senior starters Dion Union and Cedric Roland because of disciplinary reasons, responded with a layup-and-the-foul bucket by senior Kameron Barnes, then five straight points for a 61-60 lead with 1:48 remaining.

That set the stage for Roberts’ free throws and steal in the final minute, giving the Lions their most emotional win of the season.

“He always steps up in the biggest moments,” Brou said of Roberts. “There’s not a bigger moment than that.”

The Lions (9-1, ranked No. 5 in Class 6A) led by seven points midway through the second quarter before it turned into the Josiah Talbert show. Olathe East’s 6-foot-9 senior forward scored a game-high 31 points on 12-of-15 shooting. He scored on putbacks, pick-and-pops, knocked down threes and everything in between.

“Every single game that he plays against Lawrence High, he goes off on us,” Roberts said of Talbert, an AAU teammate in the summer. “I was not surprised.”

The Lions, who only committed two turnovers, trailed by six points during the third quarter when Talbert scored 13 points, including nine straight in one stretch. Olathe East senior Cameron Hunter added 19 points.

But in the fourth quarter, the Lions tightened their defense on Talbert and the Hawks (7-2, No. 3 in 6A) were held scoreless for long stretches. They shot 3-for-12 in the fourth quarter, including a crucial turnover on an inbounds pass.

“Near the end there when it was close, my emotions were going — everybody’s were,” Brou said. “It was a great game to be a part of.”

OLATHE EAST (61)

Kameron Barnes 2-9 2-3 6, Jack Hiller 1-4 0-0 3, Brandon Mills 0-0 0-1 0, Cameron Hunter 7-11 5-7 19, Josiah Talbert 12-15 2-4 31, Simon Bondank 1-2 0-0 2, Connor Churchill 0-2 0-0 0. Totals 23-43 9-15 61.

LAWRENCE (69)

Justin Roberts 6-16 8-8 24, Price Morgan 4-7 9-10 17, Fred Brou 3-6 0-0 6, Anthony Harvey 3-6 4-5 11, Jackson Mallory 2-6 0-0 5, Braden Solko 1-3 0-0 2, Noah Butler 2-4 0-0 4. Totals 21-48 21-23 69.

O-East 16 16 18 11 — 61

Lawrence 17 19 9 24 — 69

Three-point goals: Olathe East 6-15 (Talbert 5, Hiller); Lawrence 6-18 (Roberts 4, Harvey, Mallory). Fouled out: Hiller, Mills. Turnovers: Olathe East 8, Lawrence 2.