Lions lose on controversial ending to Grandview

STILWELL — If there was instant replay in high school basketball, Lawrence High would’ve been the team celebrating after the final buzzer.

In a one-point game with 1.2 seconds left, Grandview (Mo.) senior forward Michael Nweke jumped to catch the ball in the low post, turned while dipping his shoulder and made a layup as the horn sounded. Lawrence players believed the shot was after the buzzer. Grandview players jumped up and down awaiting the officials’ decision.

After a quick delay, an official ruled that the basket counted. The Lions wore looks of confusion, suffering their first loss of the season, 58-57, in the Blue Valley Shootout semifinals at Blue Valley High. Grandview players shouted in joy before celebrating with Nweke.

Lawrence will play Olathe South at 6:45 p.m. in the third-place game today.

“I didn’t think it was even close,” Lawrence coach Mike Lewis said. “But my opinion really doesn’t matter, right?

“It’s sour is what it really is.”

The Lions (2-1, ranked No. 3 in Class 6A) were upset that they put themselves in a position to lose. They led by eight points with under two minutes left, turning the ball over on their final four possessions against a full-court press.

Grandview ended a five-minute scoring drought when 6-foot-4 senior guard Mason Taylor (32 points) scored on a put-back with 1:28 remaining. Taylor added a steal and dunk, then a 3-pointer to cut the score to 57-56.

After another LHS turnover, the Bulldogs (3-0) had three chances at a game-winning score. A missed shot was deflected out of bounds with five seconds left. An inbounds pass was deflected out of bounds. Then with 1.2 seconds to go, a game-winning shot that was slightly after the buzzer.

“The game was in our hands and we just…,” Lawrence junior point guard Trey Quartlebaum said with his voice trailing off. “It’s tough. It’s tough. We’ll learn from it, though.”

Quartlebaum scored a team-high 21 points, keeping the Lions in striking distance after they trailed for the majority of the first three quarters. Led by Taylor, the Bulldogs scored in quick spurts. There was a 17-5 run in the first quarter and an 8-0 run to end the first half.

In the fourth quarter, the Lions coaxed Grandview into settling for jump shots with their 2-3 zone defense. Holding the Bulldogs without a basket for five minutes, the Lions scored on seven straight possessions in a 16-0 stretch.

After Quartlebaum hit a go-ahead 3-pointer, freshman guard Zeke Mayo, who plays much more poised than most freshmen, followed with five straight points.

“I think we just calmed down,” said Mayo, who had 13 points and three rebounds. “They had us sped up in the first half.”

The Lions trailed by as many as 13 points in the third quarter. Following a couple of baskets from Mayo, LHS senior forward Anthony Selden had his own 5-0 run, which included a put-back slam to hype up his bench. Selden had six points and nine rebounds, while junior forward Brett Chapple added four points and 12 boards.

With all of the ups and downs, and an unsatisfying ending, Lewis said it was a “great learning experience.”

“I’m proud of my team for fighting back,” Quartlebaum said. “We just hope if we’re ever in that situation again, (we) just finish it.”

Lawrence (57)

Anthony Selden 2-8 2-4 6, Brett Chapple 2-5 0-0 4, Trey Quartlebaum 6-16 5-6 21, Jake Rajewski 0-3 0-0 0, Savonni Shazor 2-5 5-6 11, Zeke Mayo 4-8 4-4 13, Eric Galbreath 1-2 0-0 2, Willie Dotson 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 17-47 16-20 57.

Grandview (58)

Jordan Lathon 1-7 0-0 2, Michael Nweke 3-4 0-0 6, Cartez Crook-Jones 0-2 1-2 1, DeAndre Sorrells 3-12 0-1 7, Mason Taylor 13-24 3-3 32, Reggie Morris Jr. 2-4 0-0 6, Kamto Eze 1-1 0-0 2, Aidan Banks 0-0 0-0 0, Liashuwon Boston 1-2 0-0 2. Totals 24-56 4-6 58.

Lawrence 16 10 13 18 — 57

Grandview 23 13 11 11 — 58

Three-point goals: Lawrence 7-20 (Quartlebaum 4, Shazor 2, Mayo); Grandview 6-22 (Taylor 3, Morris 2, Sorrells). Turnovers: Lawrence 14, Grandview 7.