Prep Appraisals — Lawrence Boys, Girls Win at Leavenworth

It was a clean sweep for Lawrence High’s basketball teams on Tuesday at Leavenworth, and the Lions’ boys capped the night with an impressive 46-38 victory over the Pioneers, who came in ranked the No. 5 team in Class 6A.

Lawrence coach Mike Lewis, whose team hadn’t played in 10 days, said the boys had good energy and it only felt like they had been off a couple days at most.

“I just had a good feeling coming over to the gym today, honestly,” Lewis said.

The Lions had to feel good all night, as the boys starters carried the team in its return to the court. Here are the “Prep Appraisals” from the victory.

1. KJ Pritchard, sr. — With the game in the balance, Pritchard took over on the glass. The senior gathered six of his seven boards in the fourth quarter as Lawrence held on for a big road win. One of two Lions to score 14 points, Pritchard scored seven of the team’s 13 fourth-quarter points.

2. Bryce Montes de Oca, so. — The Lions were happy to see their big man occupying the paint once again. Montes de Oca scored 11 points in his first game in nearly three weeks, plus he gave Lawrence’s newly installed 2-3 zone (which it started using in his absence) a new dimension: the unique combination of bulk and length in the paint that makes opponents think twice before going to the rim.

3. Anthony Buffalomeat, sr. — Co-leader in points for Lawrence with 14, Buffalomeat helped give the Lions confidence in the first quarter by draining a pair of three-pointers. The senior pulled down five boards, hit all six of his fourth-quarter free throws and, for good measure, dove over Leavenworth’s bench to save a loose ball.

4. Logan Henrichs, sr. — Absolute workhorse on the glass, finishing the game with 10 boards. A constant presence on both ends of the floor throughout, Henrichs’ most exciting sequence came in the third quarter, when he lobbed a pass from the left wing to Pritchard for an alley-oop layup, then drew a charge in the paint on the opposite end of the floor.

5. Shane Willoughby, jr. — Shane’s stats weren’t mind-blowing, but he made big plays in the second half. The starting guard drove in from the top of the key for a nifty layup in the third quarter. That was long before one of the highlights of the night. Shane executed on a difficult pass under Leavenworth’s basket with the Pioneers applying full-court pressure. Pritchard leaked out behind the defense and Shane threw the ball over top of the press, leading to an easy one-handed jam for Pritchard.

6. Jake Mosiman, jr. — Came off the bench and hit a pretty runner in the lane in the first quarter. Only took two shots but gave the team another hustling perimeter player on defense.

7. Troy Willoughby, sr. — Troy’s value off the bench came on the defensive end of the floor, with his relentless activity at the top of Lawrence’s zone.

8. Tyrone Jenkins, jr. — Very few minutes for Jenkins in this game, but he came in and grabbed a rebound in the second quarter when called upon.

Lawrence boys record: 8-5

Next up: 7 p.m. Friday, at Shawnee Mission East

Birthday bash: Wright, Lions girls beat Leavenworth

Lawrence’s girls got the night started on a high note and celebrated both a 39-32 win and junior guard Anna Wright’s 17th birthday.

Said Wright afterward: “I was just ready for this game. I wanted to get this win on my birthday.”

Lions coach Nick Wood said the entire team did a nice job of avoiding costly mistakes late in the game. Such miscues led to a couple losses this past week at the Firebird Winter Classic.

“It’s really great to see that we made some positive strides and show that we kind of learned from past experiences,” Wood said.

Let’s get to the “Prep Appraisals.”

1. Anna Wright, jr. — You say it’s your birthday? Well, how about partying on the court with 16 points, nine rebounds and five assists. Outstanding night for Wright, the star of the game.

2. Monica Howard, jr. — Pretty productive night for Howard, who scored five of her 10 points in the second quarter. They all came on a personal 5-0 run against the Pioneers as Howard scored on a layup, hit a free throw, then shot through the passing lane on a back-court trap to convert a steal into a transition bucket. Howard also brought down five rebounds.

3. Bri Anderson, jr. — Another solid night off the bench for Anderson, who scored seven points and grabbed three boards. She got two of those with a basket inside in the final seconds of the third quarter, which put Lawrence up 28-19 entering the fourth.

4. Marissa Pope, fr. — Lawrence’s lead had been cut to five in the fourth quarter before Pope cut to the paint and scored under the basket with just more than three minutes to play. On the Lions’ next possession, she hit a free throw with 2:52 to go.

5. Kionna Coleman, so. — Got in some foul trouble in the second quarter, which probably led to a rare off night. Coleman finished with three rebounds and scored off the glass with a short jumper in the fourth quarter.

6. Kylie Seaman, jr. — No shot attempts for Seaman, but she still made an impact. Seaman came off the bench, secured three rebounds, had a steal and played solid defense.

7. Christina Haswood, sr. — An off shooting night, but Haswood found other ways to make her presence felt: she finished with three rebounds and a steal.

8. Bri Anglin, sr. — Just one point via the foul line for Anglin, but she showed she can execute up top in high-low action and she set a mean screen for Pope in the fourth quarter.

9. Krista Costa, jr. — Costa had a rebound and a steal before she collapsed in pain late in the first quarter with a right-knee injury. She remained sidelined the remainder of the night and Wood said the extent of the injury wasn’t clear at the time. The Lions will miss Costa greatly if she has to sit out any future games, especially with Emma Kelly also out with an injury right now.

Lawrence girls record: 6-7

Next up: 5:30 p.m. Friday, at Shawnee Mission East

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