Lawrence High senior Trey Quartlebaum dunks the ball in transition Thursday night at Blue Valley High School. The Lions advanced to the championship game of the Blue Valley Shootout with a 58-43 victory over Grandview.

After Lawrence High sophomore Zeke Mayo dunked the ball in transition, he paused to let out a scream in celebration with 2:10 remaining in the game.

Grandview called a timeout, and the rest of the LHS teammates embraced the high-flying guard as he made his way to the bench. Mayo’s dunk capped a 14-0 run by the Lions in the fourth quarter, which was enough to put the finishing touches on a 58-43 victory Thursday night in the semifinals of the Blue Valley Shootout at Blue Valley High School.

“He’s always getting them in practice,” senior Trey Quartlebaum said. “It was good to see him come out and be confident to do it in a game.”

With the win, Lawrence will face Lee’s Summit North at 8 p.m. Friday in the championship game of the Blue Valley Shootout.

“For the most part, we stuck to our game plan,” LHS coach Mike Lewis said. “We were able to make some things happen against their press. I thought our shot selection was good, and I thought our energy on the defensive end was really good.”

LHS (2-1) was seemingly in control for the entire contest, as it never trailed after senior Clarence King gifted his team a 5-4 lead with a nifty layup at the 4:35 mark in the opening period.

But the Bulldogs, who won the Missouri Class 4 state title last year, trimmed the deficit to just three points with 6:02 left in the contest, as senior Kamto Eze cut the Lions’ lead to 41-38 with a bucket. Lewis called a timeout, and his team responded with 14 unanswered points over the next four minutes.

“We like facing adversity,” Quartlebaum said. “It woke us up. We have to close games, and finish them strong.”

Quartlebaum, who paced the team with 16 points, jump-started the run with a triple from the left wing. Junior Mayson Quartlebaum then added a basket in transition. Senior Brett Chapple got in on the action, as well, netting a layup at the 3:47 mark.

King scored three quick points, including an impressive drive to the basket, before Mayo put the punctuation mark on Lawrence’s decisive run with a thunderous slam.

“At that point, it is about being steady and playing as a team,” Lewis said. “Just not letting the momentum shift. I thought our guys came out and shared the ball. We made some layups, and took care of business.”

The Lions’ response should come as no surprise, given what they have endured to start the young season.

Lawrence, the No. 2 team in Class 6A, dropped its season opener against a tough Park Hill South team, which is also ranked in Missouri. In the loss, senior starter Savonni Shazor sustained an ACL strain and will be out until at least after winter break.

Yet, other players have stepped up in his absence, lifting the Lions to consecutive wins since the first game of the year.

Junior guard Willie Dotson drilled a pair of triples, but he also had stretches where he face guarded Grandview’s best player. Mayo and King also helped face guard junior Reggie Morris Jr., who was kept in check aside from a trio of 3-pointers in the third quarter.

“We have a good vibe right now,” Lewis said. “We have a good group of guys that care about each other. We are going to have some good stretches and some bad stretches over these next couple of months.”

Lawrence (58)

Zeke Mayo 3-14 2-2 8, Clarence King 3-11 6-6 12, Brett Chapple 3-4 0-0 6, Trey Quartlebaum 6-11 3-5 16, Eric Galbreath 2-4 0-0 4, Willie Dotson 2-4 0-0 6, Mayson Quartlebaum 2-6 1-2 6, Bryce Johnson 0-1 0-0 0, Peyton Mallory 0-1 0-0 0-0. Totals: 21-56 12-15 58.

Grandview (43)

Taj Manning 0-7 0-1 0, Deandre Sorrells 6-17 2-3 16, Liashwuon Boston 1-4 0-0 3, Reggie Morris Jr. 4-8 2-2 13, Kamto Eze 3-8 1-2 7, Aiden Banks 0-2 0-0, Jermaine Yarbough 1-7 2-4 4. Totals: 15-53 7-12 43.

Lawrence 11 16 12 19 – 58

Grandview 6 12 15 10 – 43

3-point goals: Lawrence 4-17 (Dotson 2, Trey Quartlebaum, Mayson Quartlebaum); Grandview 6-20 (Morris 3, Sorrells 2, Boston). Turnovers: Lawrence 13, Grandview 9.