Lawrence High junior Anthony Selden blocks the shot of Blue Valley North junior Miles Emery in the first half of the Lions' 41-36 win over the Mustangs on Friday in the semifinals of the Class 6A state tournament at Wichita State's Charles Koch Arena.

Wichita ? Before Friday’s 41-36 victory in the Class 6A state semifinals, Lawrence High boys basketball coach Mike Lewis challenged reserve forwards Anthony Selden and Noah Butler to step up when they took the court.

With senior Kobe Buffalomeat sick after a dominant performance in Wednesday’s quarterfinal win and sophomore starter Brett Chapple in foul trouble, the Lions needed somebody to provide a boost in the paint on both ends of the court.

Selden and Butler responded with strong interior defense against a tall and strong Blue Valley North squad, leading the Lions (17-7) to their best defensive performance of the season — “By far,” Butler said.

Lawrence advanced to the 6A state championship game, scheduled for 6:15 p.m. Saturday against top-seeded Blue Valley Northwest (21-3) at Wichita State’s Koch Arena.

“This is a good feeling, but we’re here to win it,” Selden said. “We’re not just here to play in the state finals.”

In 22 minutes off of the bench, Selden registered three blocks, three steals and three defensive rebounds. He spent most of the game guarding Blue Valley North junior Miles Emery (14 points, seven rebounds), a 6-foot-5, 235-pound defensive end in football who boasts scholarship offers from Kansas, Iowa State and Oklahoma.

The 6-5 Selden, the younger brother of former Kansas guard Wayne Selden, admitted Emery was a tough matchup because of his size, trash talk and athleticism, but he didn’t back down in the final minutes.

“Just the energy and the want to, and you know what, you’re not going to take this from me. That’s what I’m most proud of,” LHS coach Mike Lewis said. “These guys, they came together and they’ve been taking those steps this year so I’m pretty proud of them.”

When the Lions led by a point with under two minutes left, Selden grabbed defensive rebounds on back-to-back possessions. The Mustangs (17-7) had nine offensive boards but none in the final four minutes.

Butler, a sophomore, provided a spark in 12 minutes with four points, including a drive down the baseline that he finished with a two-handed slam. Butler added two defensive rebounds and solid defense in the paint.

When the Lions trailed, 13-2, midway through the first quarter, Butler started a 21-4 run over the next 17 minutes with a layup on a pass from Selden.

What was the message after the slow start?

“Just get out in transition,” Butler said. “Nobody can stop us when we’re in transition. Then lock down on defense like we did.”

Buffalomeat, who scored one point in 14 minutes, didn’t travel with the team Thursday to watch the LHS girls basketball team play at state. He stayed in bed and drank fluids — “I think I just played myself into exhaustion and dehydrated myself,” he said after scoring 23 points in Wednesday’s overtime win.

“I wasn’t feeling too good,” Buffalomeat said. “Thankfully, Noah and Selden stepped up and had a big-time game. I’m happy for that.”

For the Lions, it was just another opportunity to prove their “next man up” philosophy when Selden and Butler provided strong minutes off of the bench.

And just like that, the Lions are one game away from their first state title since 1995.

“No one thought we’d get this far. I didn’t even think we’d get this far,” Buffalomeat said. “It’s just a great statement. I’m happy. I don’t know really what to say. I’m at a loss for words.”