Lawrence High School senior Kobe Buffalomeat (50) takes a shot over Free State defenders in the City Showdown at LHS Friday, Feb. 24.

After swishing his second straight 3-pointer during the third quarter, Lawrence High senior guard Braden Solko wagged his tongue as he jogged to the other end of the court and the student section showered him with a loud roar.

Solko’s teammates have urged him to shoot the ball more. Last season, it took him until the last game of the year to make a 3-pointer.

In his final City Showdown Friday, Solko scored eight straight points to help the Lions run away with a 77-57 rout over Free State in the Jungle.

Solko’s back-to-back threes were the start of a 13-0 run in the third quarter, handing the Lions a 17-point lead against their crosstown foes and eventually their eighth straight victory in the rivalry game.

“Words can’t describe it really,” said Solko, who finished with 12 points and five rebounds. “I played one of my best games as a varsity player. It was something special.”

For the Lions (13-7), the City Showdown was a chance to hit the reset button on the past couple of weeks. Entering Friday, they had lost three of their last four games.

But once the ball was tipped, they looked like a new team. Passes were more crisp. Defenders were more locked in. Players were diving everywhere for loose balls.

Lawrence shot 56 percent from the field, leading by at least 17 for the entirety of the fourth quarter. Sophomore 6-foot-5 forward Brett Chapple scored a game-high 18 points, mostly on layups when his teammates found him around the rim.

“You kind of throw out where you’ve been and you just get refocused for the Free State game,” LHS coach Mike Lewis said. “I didn’t revisit where we’ve been. I just reminded the guy of who we are and what we stand for.”

After the Lions led by 11 in the first quarter, Free State (14-6) opened the second period on 12-4 run, which included six points from senior forward Cameron Clark and four from senior Jay Dineen (10 points).

But the Lions didn’t blink. They responded by scoring on seven of their next eight possessions, which started on a 3-pointer from senior Austin Miller (eight points).

Then Clark, who had 13 points in the first half, picked up a technical foul — his second in three games — with 1:44 left in the second quarter and did not return. With sub-state looming next week, Free State coach Sam Stroh said, “I didn’t want to risk getting a double technical.”

In the second half, Solko set the tone for the Lions. Senior Kobe Buffalomeat (12 points) followed with back-to-back mid-range jumpers, both assisted from senior guard Jackson Mallory (seven points, eight assists, eight rebounds).

“They were attacking us and we were settling,” Stroh said. “They made some shots and we didn’t keep composure. We need to learn from it. New season starts tomorrow.”

When the Lions were in the locker room at halftime, Mallory said the No. 1 focus was playing strong defense. In the final six-and-a-half minutes of the third quarter, they held the Firebirds to only two points.

After the post-game handshake line, LHS players sprinted over to slap hands with the front row of the student section before lining up to sing the school’s fight song together.

“I would definitely say this is the most fun game I’ve ever played in,” Mallory said.

FREE STATE (57)

Garrett Luinstra 3-7 5-7 12, Simon McCaffrey 0-2 0-0 0, Jay Dineen 3-11 4-4 10, Shannon Cordes 1-6 2-2 5, Cameron Clark 4-8 5-6 13, Jacob Pavlyak 2-8 1-2 6, Jalan Robinson 1-3 2-4 4, Sloan Thomsen 0-2 0-0 0, Avant Edwards 2-3 0-0 4, Jared Hicks 1-1 0-0 3, Kyle Abrahamson 0-0 0-0 0, Turner Corcoran 0-0 0-0 0, Jake Baker 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 17-51 19-25 57.

LAWRENCE (77)

Braden Solko 5-7 0-1 12, Brett Chapple 5-5 8-10 18, Clarence King 0-5 0-0 0, Jackson Mallory 3-8 0-0 7, Kobe Buffalomeat 6-8 0-0 12, Trey Quartlebaum 2-2 0-0 4, Noah Butler 2-5 4-6 8, Anthony Selden 2-3 0-2 4, Austin Miller 2-5 2-4 8, Van Dave Jacob 0-0 4-4 4, Savonni Shazor 0-0 0-0 0, Jake Rajewski 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 27-48 18-27 77.

Free State 9 19 7 22 — 57

Lawrence 20 15 17 25 — 77

Three-point goals: Free State 4-19 (Luinstra, Cordes, Pavlyak, Hicks); Lawrence 5-15 (Solko 2, Miller 2, Mallory). Fouled out: Cordes. Turnovers: Free State 9, Lawrence 10.