In the record book, Lawrence High girls basketball players suffered a 43-42 loss against Olathe East on Friday at LHS.

Elsewhere, it was a positive sign. It was momentum. The Lions are hoping they can mark it down as a turning point.

Trailing by four points midway through the fourth quarter, LHS sophomore Talima Harjo decided to step up with big shot after big shot. She scored eight straight LHS points by knocking down two triples and hitting a baseline jumper, tying the score at 43 with 1:39 left.

Olathe East junior Cameron Kincaid knocked down a free throw with 1:18 left for a one-point lead, and the Lions came up empty on their final two possessions: a missed shot and a turnover when sophomore E’lease Stafford fell down after catching an inbounds pass while the Hawks (7-1, 4-0 in Sunflower League) were trying to commit a foul.

“We took a big step tonight against an extremely good team,” LHS coach Jeff Dickson said. “Obviously a close game, you can nitpick certain things, but second half, that’s the best defense we’ve played since I’ve been here. Those kids sold out, played hard and played fundamentally sound. Shot the ball with confidence.”

Harjo, who played for the junior-varsity team earlier in the afternoon, is usually known as a strong on-ball defender and for her energy off of the bench. Along with her scoring spree in the fourth quarter, she forced a turnover by deflecting a pass with a minute left.

Dickson said he hopes she can use it as her breakout moment for the rest of the season.

“I had a lot of excitement,” said Harjo, who scored 11 points. “In my head, I was, like, ‘Oh, good job,’ and cheering. But on the outside, I had to keep my cool.”

After trailing by eight points at halftime, the Lions (4-6, 0-4) went on a 8-3 run over the first five minutes of the third quarter. Defensively, they went through ball screens, and sophomore guard Skylar Drum, the team’s best defender, held Olathe East junior Caroline Hoppock (15 points) scoreless in the second half.

“Our big talk before the game tonight was take the next step today,” Dickson said. “We fiddled around and played good against good teams. But let’s play really well against a good team and take that next step. We didn’t quite get it all the way done, but we were right there.

“I come away from that feeling energized and excited about what the rest of the season is going to be like.”

Olathe East (44)

Katie Gleason 2-9 1-1 5, Caroline Hoppock 4-6 4-5 15, Sydney Wilson 4-8 0-0 10, Cameron Kincaid 1-4 3-4 5, Regan Schumacher 1-7 2-7 4, Jordan Rehagen 2-4 0-0 5, Emily Jasnoski 0-1 0-0 0. Totals 14-39 10-17 44.

Lawrence (43)

Hannah Stewart 2-6 0-0 5, Olivia Lemus 4-7 1-1 12, Skylar Drum 2-5 1-2 6, E’lease Stafford 3-11 1-2 7, Chisom Ajekwu 0-4 0-2 0, Emma Bentzinger 0-1 0-0 0, Alexis Boyd 1-4 0-0 2, Leslie Ostronic 0-1 0-0 0, Talima Harjo 4-5 0-0 11. Totals 16-44 3-7 43.

O-East 12 12 11 9 — 44

Lawrence 7 9 14 13 — 43

Three-point goals: Olathe East 6-13 (Hoppock 3, Wilson 2, Rehagen); Lawrence 8-17 (Lemus 3, Harjo 3, Stewart, Drum). Turnovers: Olathe East 11, Lawrence 10.