Lawrence High senior Kobe Buffalomeat (50) celebrates with Braden Solko (2) after a timeout was called by Olathe North on Friday.

Olathe ? Entering Friday night with two consecutive losses, Lawrence High boys basketball coach Mike Lewis said it was crucial for his team to get back on track and get momentum going the right direction.

Lawrence did just that with a convincing 73-59 win at Olathe North in a game that it never trailed.

“I enjoyed coaching our team tonight,” Lewis said. “I thought the guys played as a team, and I thought we had good energy about us. They made plays in the first half, and we were for the most part pretty steady.”

The Lions torched the Eagles’ 2-3 zone in the first quarter, hitting 5-of-8 three-pointers in the period to jump out to a 25-13 lead. Senior Jackson Mallory hit three shots from beyond the arc, and scored nine of his team-high 13 points in the period.

After Mallory hit his first shot, sophomore Clarence King set him up on his next two.

“He looked at me and said ‘Hey, keep getting open,'” Mallory said. “Sometimes as a team, we struggle with shooting. So just seeing that 2-3 zone and being able to hit shots is a confidence boost.”

The Lions (12-6, 7-2 in Sunflower League) pushed their lead even further in the second quarter by forcing seven turnovers and getting out in transition. Junior Anthony Selden was the main beneficiary on offense, scoring six of his 12 points in the quarter.

The Eagles switched to a man-to-man defense in the third quarter, but that didn’t faze the Lions. Sophomore Brett Chapple and senior Kobe Buffalomeat controlled the quarter in the paint, and helped push the Lions’ lead out to 59-37.

In past games, Lewis said the Lions’ downfall has been shooting too many 3-pointers. But on Friday, Lawrence took what the defense gave it, which was 3-pointers in the first half, and layups in the second.

“We knew they would switch (defenses) eventually,” Mallory said. “They had to. We knew we had (Buffalomeat) inside, so we had to work inside-out.”

The Eagles (6-12, 3-6) were able to make the Lions sweat a bit in the fourth quarter. Olathe North went on a 20-8 run in the first five minutes of the quarter to pull within 10 points, 67-57. During that stretch, Lawrence only attempted two field goals and had six turnovers.

“When you’re up 20, you kind of coast,” Mallory said. “We have to get better at that. We can’t do that. We have to learn to step on their throats and finish.”

But Mallory and Buffalomeat “did what seniors are supposed to do,” according to Lewis, and finished the game for the Lions. With the Lions leading, 67-57, with two minutes remaining, Mallory broke their cold streak with by converting a layup in traffic.

Lawrence fed Buffalomeat (12 points) on the next three possessions, and the result was the same each time: layup, layup, and layup.

“Kobe and I, being here for three years and on the two state tournament teams, we just know we have to take leadership,” Mallory said. “If we can do that, we’ll get where we want to be.”

LAWRENCE (73)

Braden Solko 4-5 0-0 10, Austin Miller 0-2 0-0 0, Brett Chapple 4-5 1-1 9, Anthony Selden 4-6 4-4 12, Trey Quartlebaum 2-4 0-0 4, Clarence King 3-5 0-1 7, Noah Butler 2-5 1-1 6, Jackson Mallory 5-10 0-0 13, Kobe Buffalomeat 6-6 0-0 12. Totals: 30-48 6-7 73.

OLATHE NORTH (59)

Tymer Jackson 1-6 0-0 3, Elijah Williams 2-4 0-0 4, Marcus Davis 1-2 0-0 2, Elijah Readman 1-2 0-0 2, Brandon Clark 2-3 0-0 4, Ishmael Moye 3-3 0-0 9, Kenny Byers 7-18 8-9 23, Adam Coffman 2-3 2-3 6, Lukas Milner 2-5 2-6 6. Totals: 21-46 12-18 59.

Lawrence 25 16 18 14 – 73

O-North 13 8 16 22 – 59

Three point goals: Lawrence 7-15 (Mallory 3, Solko 2, King, Butler). O-North 5-13 (Moye 3, Jackson, Byers). Turnovers: Lawrence 11, O-North 12.