Lawrence High freshman Chisom Ajekwu (45) leads cheers from the bench during the third place game of the 2016 Capital City Classic Saturday afternoon in Topeka. The Lions outlasted Topeka Seaman, 47-36.

Topeka ? Close games are nothing new for Lawrence High’s girls basketball team. In the past two weeks, the Lions have played four games decided by four points or less.

When the Lions watched their 20-point lead in the second quarter dwindle to two points with four minutes left against Topeka Seaman on Saturday, there was no panic. Instead, the Lions tightened up on defense and sunk a big shot and free throws for a 47-36 victory, earning third place in the Capital City Classic at Seaman.

Nobody was more calm and confident than LHS junior guard Olivia Lemus in the final minutes. Up by three points with just more than two minutes left, she drained a three-pointer from the right corner on a pass from junior Skylar Drum. A few seconds later, Lemus made a steal in the backcourt and was fouled, knocking down two free throws and turning a three-point lead into a 42-34 advantage in less than 10 seconds.

“We just are in the mindset now that close games are ours,” Lemus said. “We’re going to take it home.”

In the second quarter, it was the Lions at their best. They opened with a 13-0 run over the first four minutes, scoring on their first four possessions. Freshman 6-foot-3 center Chisom Ajekwu controlled the paint and scored five points in the stretch, matching up against Seaman’s 6-4 senior center Jaylynn Evans-Patterson.

“(Ajekwu) did that against the biggest girl we’ve played all year, and probably as talented as any big girl we’ve played all year,” LHS coach Jeff Dickson said. “That was very good. Chisom has been working hard, coming along. She still, I don’t think, realizes how good she can be, but I think she’s starting to understand.”

Ajekwu, who looks more confident during each game, completed a double-double with 14 points and 12 rebounds. She made her first three shots, calling for the ball in the low post. Along with her improvement on the court, she’s most proud of her growth as a teammate.

“I used to be more quiet. Instead of being loud on the bench, I needed to be loud on the court, too,” said Ajekwu, an all-tournament selection. “I think I’ve improved way better with that on the court.”

After taking a 29-13 lead into halftime, the Lions (6-7) did a complete 180 and looked timid on offense. Simple passes to teammates turned into turnovers, and shots wouldn’t fall. They only scored two points in the third quarter — when sophomore guard Talima Harjo found Ajekwu inside for a layup.

Meanwhile, the Vikings (2-11) went on a 10-0 run over the first seven minutes of the third quarter. Evans-Patterson scored a team-high 13 points with shots in the paint.

Things nearly went from bad to worse for the Lions when Ajekwu fouled out with 51?2 minutes remaining, leaving the Lions without their main rim protector. But sophomore guard E’lease Stafford and freshman forward Sammy Williams filled in defensively.

Stafford, who hit six free throws in the fourth quarter, grabbed four key rebounds in the last six minutes and blocked a shot in the paint. Williams added a rebound and denied passes in the post.

“E’lease, I felt like, really took charge defensively as, like, the captain of the team,” Dickson said.

“These games come down to, a lot of times, the mentally toughest team. Down the stretch, our kids were that team.”

LAWRENCE (47)

Hannah Stewart 0-0 1-4 1, Olivia Lemus 2-4 4-4 10, Skylar Drum 1-4 2-3 4, E’lease Stafford 1-5 8-12 10, Chisom Ajekwu 6-10 2-5 14, Talima Harjo 1-5 0-0 3, Leslie Ostronic 0-0 0-0 0, Emma Bentzinger 0-0 0-0 0, Alexis Boyd 1-3 3-4 5, Gracie Reinsch 0-2 0-0 0, Sammy Williams 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 12-33 20-32 47.

TOPEKA SEAMAN (36)

Megan Skoch 2-7 2-2 6, Tatum Smith 0-4 1-2 1, Hallee Olston-Thomas 2-4 0-1 4, Andie Sodergren 2-8 1-1 5, Jaylynn Evans-Patterson 5-14 3-5 13, Jaycee Sumner 1-2 0-0 2, Meghan Sumner 2-3 0-0 5, Makayla Akin 0-0 0-0 0, Lacey Dell 0-1 0-0 0, Sydney McNorton 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 14-43 7-11 36.

Lawrence 13 16 2 16 — 47

Seaman 6 7 12 11 — 36

Three-point goals: Lawrence 3-10 (Lemus 2, Harjo); Seaman 1-10 (M. Sumner). Fouled out: Ajekwu, Skoch, Smith. Turnovers: Lawrence 16, Seaman 15.