Overland Park ? With less than a second remaining in overtime, Lawrence High sophomore Trey Quartlebaum stood frozen with hands on his head, looking at a referee in disbelief.

Quartlebaum was whistled for a foul going for a rebound with 0.7 seconds remaining, and Liberty (Mo.) junior Robert Rawie nailed both free throws on the other end, which sealed the LHS boys basketball team’s 68-66, overtime loss at Blue Valley Northwest in the Best of Midwest Showcase.

“I didn’t feel like it was a foul because he was going for a rebound just like the other person,” sophomore Clarence King said. “It is what it is. (We) can’t get mad, we just have to keep playing.”

The Lions had one last chance. But King’s half-court heave grazed the bottom of the net, and the Lions came up short despite King’s 20 points Saturday.

“I had faith in it,” King said. “I knew I had to just throw it up. Once I saw it in the air I thought it was going in.”

Lawrence coach Mike Lewis was proud of the fight his team showed, but he said it shouldn’t have extended to overtime. The Lions (11-5) led for all but three minutes of the game.

After a back-and-forth first quarter, Liberty junior Jalen Lewis scored five of his game-high 38 points to spark a 7-0 run and give the Blue Jays a 26-20 lead.

“I’m not sure we could guard (Lewis) any better,” Mike Lewis said. “He really shot the ball well.”

The Lions opted to switch senior Jackson Mallory onto Jalen Lewis, and it sparked a 10-0 LHS run to give the Lions a 30-26 lead. Then senior Austin Miller nailed two consecutive 3-pointers for a seven-point advantage.

They entered the fourth quarter with a 50-43 lead. With King doing a little of everything from scoring, passing, getting steals and blocking shots, it looked like the Lions would close the deal.

Liberty (15-6) cut the score to 56-54 with three minutes left in regulation, and it was nip-and-tuck the rest of the way. After trading free throws, the Lions led, 59-58, with 36 seconds remaining and had the ball.

Lawrence broke the press, and King was streaking wide open for a layup. But senior Kobe Buffalomeat threw a bounce pass just out King’s reach. The Blue Jays took advantage and scored a layup in transition for a one-point lead.

“It was a hard-fought game,” Mike Lewis said. “We had a number of chances to get it done in regulation. We just needed to take care of business in regulation.”

Moments later, King knocked down a free throw to send Lawrence High to overtime for the second consecutive game. Unlike Friday night, the Lions weren’t able to come out on top.

“It’s just one of those where it’s a little salty when you lose,” Lewis said. “You can always look back and say woulda, coulda, shoulda, but the fact is we just didn’t get it done.”

LAWRENCE (66)

Branden Solko 0-1 0-0 0, Austin Miller 2-4 0-0 6, Brett Chapple 3-5 1-2 7, Anthony Selden 0-1 0-0 0, Trey Quartlebaum 5-5 0-1 10, Clarence King 7-13 4-6 20, Noah Butler 3-11 1-2 8, Jackson Mallory 5-9 0-0 11, Kobe Buffalmeat 2-7 0-0 4. Totals: 27-56 6-11 66.

LIBERTY (68)

Jordan McClellan 1-6 0-0 2, Logan Steenstra 1-3 2-2 5, Jalen Lewis 11-21 9-10 38, Brock Maston 0-2 0-0 0, Robert Rawie 0-3 2-2 2, Ian Jacobs 1-2 0-0 2, Tavis Turner 2-4 0-0 4, Clayton Adams 3-11 1-2 7, Alex Tison 3-4 2-4 8. Totals: 22-56 16-20 68.

Lawrence 20 16 14 10 6 — 66

Liberty 19 15 9 17 8 — 68

Three point goals: Lawrence 6-15 (King 2, Miller 2, Butler, Mallory). Liberty 8-23 (Lewis 7, Steenstra). Turnovers: Lawrence 10, Liberty 7.