Lawrence High’s boys basketball team survived its first tough test of the season.


Not to discount any of the Lions’ other wins, but this time they weren’t shooting that well, just about everybody was in foul trouble, and they were playing in a true road environment.


Despite all of that, they found a way to win, beating Blue Valley, 63-60, to claim their first championship in the Blue Valley Shootout since 2005.


The biggest thing about the Lions’ performance on Saturday was that everyone stepped up when they were called upon. Anthony Bonner, Justin Roberts and John Barbee combined for all 15 points in the fourth quarter. Anthony Harvey, Tae Shorter, Logan Applegate, Kyle Hoffman and Jackson Mallory played well off of the bench, especially in the first half. Price Morgan, Ben Rajewski and Fred Brou made plays when they had to before falling into foul trouble.


Everybody mentioned it was an 11-player effort to win that championship game, and it’s going to take all 11 of them if the Lions are going to reach their state title aspirations.


In case you missed it, we’re copying one of the popular features of KUsports.com, “Keegan’s Ratings,” where Sports Editor Tom Keegan ranks KU football and men’s basketball players after every game he attends and I’m bringing back the high school ratings for this basketball season. These individual rankings are just one person’s opinion, but it’s a good way to look at how each person impacted each game.

Lawrence High boys basketball

1. Anthony Bonner, sr. — Bonner was limited by foul trouble throughout the game, but he was so dominant in stretches that he made up for it. At the end of the of the first quarter, he scored 7 straight points, including a layup-and-the-foul bucket. In the third quarter he scored nine of his game-high 23 points. He played well all weekend and lifted the Lions’ offense when they needed scoring.


2. Justin Roberts, jr. — He started real cold from the field, making just 1 of his first 8 shots. But he was the only starter who avoided foul trouble for most of the game, and in the final two quarters, he finally made his mark. He scored 12 of his 19 points in the second half, grabbed three rebounds and dished two assists.


3. John Barbee, sr. — Foul trouble made it tough for him to play his usual style of defense where he grabs so many steals, but he crashed the glass for nine rebounds and also scored 10 points. One of his biggest plays was with 34 seconds left, when he missed the front end of a one-and-one free throw with a 4-point lead, but grabbed the rebound, which later earned Bonner a trip to the line and took time off of the clock.


4. Logan Applegate, sr. — He brought a lot of energy off of the bench in the first half when Price Morgan and Fred Brou were hurt by fouls. He scored four points and added two rebounds, a steal and a block. He wasn’t afraid to hit the ground for loose balls.


5. Anthony Harvey, jr. — Harvey was asked to play a lot of minutes, and I thought he did a good job on the defensive end and keeping his teammates’ emotions in check with the frequent fouls. Harvey missed his only shot, a three-pointer at the top of the arc, but he grabbed two rebounds and dished an assist to Applegate for a layup.


6. Price Morgan, jr. — Morgan made his presence known in the first two minutes of the game, grabbing an offensive rebound and making the layup, then blocking a shot on the defensive end. He also dished an assist with some nice inside-out passing.


7. Ben Rajewski, sr. — Perhaps nobody was hit with as many questionable fouls as Rajewski on Saturday. No matter how he played, it seemed like the fouls came to him. But when he was on the court, he scored five points including a three-pointer at the beginning of the second quarter.


8. Tae Shorter, sr. — Shorter picked up quite a few minutes in the first half because others were in foul trouble, and he played solid defense. He grabbed a steal in the first quarter, but missed a layup in traffic before Bonner followed up with a putback for points.


9. Fred Brou, jr. — He was the first one off of the bench and started in the second half, but didn’t have a chance to make more of an impact because of fouls. He grabbed one rebound and had a block on a three point attempt, which was later called a foul for reasons not many people understood.


10. Jackson Mallory, so. — Entered in the final minute of the first half and immediately grabbed a steal when a Blue Valley player tried to pass the ball into the paint.


11. Kyle Hoffman, sr. — He played in about the last two minutes of the first half, and provided good defense. He didn’t record any stats, but he helped shut out Blue Valley for the last 1:43 of the first half.


• Next up: 7 p.m. Friday at Free State. Record: 4-0.

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