Lawrence High's Kobe Buffalomeat celebrates the Lions' 59-54 victory over Shawnee Mission East in the sub-state final Friday night at LHS.

Senior Jackson Mallory hoisted the sub-state championship plaque in the air and the Lawrence High crowd exploded with cheers.

Moments later, Mallory and the rest of his LHS teammates were mobbed by the student section on the court. The band began playing as loud as it possibly could as all the students and players broke out in dance. In unison, they all chanted a single word, “state,” over and over again.

It was a scene — following a 59-54 victory over Shawnee Mission East in the sub-state title game at LHS — that Mallory couldn’t even begin to fathom.

“That was crazy,” Mallory said. “Finally being that senior and having my team go to the state tournament, it’s an incredible feeling.”

It’s not as if Mallory, who scored 15 points Friday, is a stranger to this level of a celebratory response. After all, he has now played a part in each of the program’s last three state tournament appearances.

But to do it in his senior season with this team, who have faced their fair share of adversity, means that much more to him. And to accomplish the feat in his last outing at LHS was perhaps the icing on the cake.

“The last game in the Jungle was really special,” Mallory said. “Especially against Shawnee Mission East, with the rivalry that we have.”

The rivalry produced a thriller just a couple weeks ago when the Lions (15-7) struggled down the stretch in an overtime loss at SM East. However, the revenge factor was not even discussed in the moments leading up to the rematch during the sub-state title game.

Instead, LHS coach Mike Lewis had a simple message before tip-off. He drew a target on the marker board and in the middle of it he wrote out the word “teammate.” Lewis told his players it was up to them to decide what they are shooting for as a teammate.

The No. 2 seed responded, as seven different players contributed to the 22-point outburst in the opening quarter. Mallory may have paced the unit with nine points, including a pair of and-one buckets, but he was not alone. Braden Solko, Brett Chapple, Anthony Selden, Clarence King, Noah Butler, and Kobe Buffalomeat all contributed to the strong start.

“We have just continued to fight and face a little bit of adversity,” Lewis said. “For our guys to settle in and decide they want to get it done. I give them all the credit. I feel like our guys have decided this was important to them over the last couple games.”

The No. 3 seed Lancers (13-9) switched to a matchup zone in the second quarter and held LHS to eight points to pull within four, 30-26, at the intermission. Buffalomeat notched six of his team-high 17 points in the second period.

SM East reclaimed the advantage with 6:24 to go in the third quarter on a 3-pointer from the top of the key by Liam George. It wouldn’t last long though. In fact, it lasted less than 30 seconds. King, Chapple, and Mallory each sunk a basket during a decisive 6-0 response. The Lions never played from behind again.

LHS then closed out the third quarter and opened the final period on a 11-2 run and never faltered down the stretch this time around. King scored 13 points to join Buffalomeat and Mallory in double figures.

“We have struggled throughout the season and I wasn’t too sure how we were going to respond,” Buffalomeat said. “Our goal was to make it back to state and that’s what we did.”

SHAWNEE MISSION EAST (54)

Trevor Thompson 5-12 6-10 16, Stanley Morantz 0-0 0-0 0, Jack Schoemann 2-6 2-2 8, Connor Rieg 1-2 0-0 2, Liam George 7-9 0-0 15, Kelyn Bolton 5-6 1-1 11, Andy Maddox 1-2 0-0 2. Totals 21-37 9-13 54.

LAWRENCE (59)

Braden Solko 1-4 0-0 3, Brett Chapple 2-4 1-2 5, Clarence King 4-11 4-7 13, Jackson Mallory 6-11 2-4 15, Kobe Buffalomeat 7-10 3-3 17, Anthony Selden 1-2 0-0 2, Trey Quartlebaum 0-1 0-0 0, Noah Butler 1-5 0-0 2, Austin Miller 0-2 2-2 2. Totals 22-50 12-17 59.

SM East 15 11 13 15 — 54

Lawrence 22 8 14 15 — 59

Three-point goals: SM East 3-10 (Schoemann 2, George); Lawrence 3-13 (Solko, King, Mallory). Fouled out: Morantz, SME. Turnovers: SM East 13, Lawrence 9.