With a rivalry game looming on the schedule, it’s usually easier said than done to focus on your next opponent and avoid overlooking anybody before the rivalry game arrives.


But Lawrence High boys and girls basketball teams found ways to pick up wins this week before heading into tonight’s City Showdown at LHS.


The LHS boys weren’t at their sharpest, but found a way to step up on defense in a 62-59 victory over Lee’s Summit West in the Hy-Vee Shootout at Avila University.


The Lions played a 2-3 zone in a few games this season, and it’s been pretty effective against teams with athletic guards.


“Knock on wood, but all the times we’ve done that it’s been real helpful for us,” LHS senior guard Anthony Harvey said of the zone. “Everybody talks and that’s the biggest thing: nobody is too cool to put their hands up and talk. We’re a nitty, gritty this year and we’re just trying to get on the floor, get loose balls and get open for layups.”


Lawrence High’s girls basketball team won in blowouts this week, defeating Topeka West, 50-24, on Monday, and going on the road to rout KC Wyandotte, 87-12.


After a 19-point loss last week, the Lions have really responded with two strong games. Even against lesser competition, credit to the Lions for still playing their game and not playing down to the competition.


Now for the City Showdown, it should be a great night for basketball. Every team is entering Friday with wins in their last game. It’ll also be the first home doubleheader for the Lions, so it should be a fun atmosphere.
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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. 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 girls basketball (Monday)

1. E’lease Stafford, soph. — Stafford has an ability to score in bunches. In the third quarter, she scored five points on back-to-back possessions, then later assisted on a bucket. She scored a game-high 12 points and grabbed three steals on the perimeter.


2. Olivia Lemus, jr. — Known as a sharpshooter, Lemus couldn’t get her shot to drop on Monday, but she didn’t let that affect her defense. Lemus grabbed three steals and three rebounds, helping the Lions run into transition offense. She added six points.


3. Chisom Ajekwu, fr. — Ajekwu is still developing on the offensive end of the court, but she finished with eight points on 4-of-6 shooting. The 6-foot-3 freshman added four rebounds and a blocked shot.


4. Skylar Drum, jr. — Drum is one of those guards that has no problem crashing the glass for rebounds. She was great at it last year, and Monday was no different, grabbing five boards. She added four points and a steal.


5. Gracie Reinsch, sr. — In the second quarter of a blowout win, Reinsch missed a shot on the offensive end and Topeka West hurried the ball down the court. When it looked like the Chargers were going to get an open layup out of it, Reinsch jumped up and swatted the attempt to her teammate. Incredible hustle play. Reinsch had four points and four rebounds.


6. Alexis Boyd, sr. — Off of the bench, Boyd provided a lift in the paint with her ability to score on putbacks. Boyd had six points, two rebounds and three steals, jumping passing lanes on passes in the paint.


7. Hannah Stewart, fr. — Only a freshman, Stewart plays with a lot of poise on the perimeter. She scored four points and had three rebounds with some solid defense.


8. Talima Harjo, soph. — Harjo did a little bit of everything on Monday. She grabbed three rebounds, dished two assists and snagged two steals. The sophomore added a layup in the final seconds.


9. Emma Bentzinger, sr. — Bentzinger went scoreless, missing two shots, but she really defended well in the post. She denied a few passes and grabbed one steal. Bentzinger added a rebound and an assist.


10. Leslie Ostronic, fr. — The 5-4 freshman drilled a baseline jumper at the end of the third quarter and added a bucket in the final minutes of the fourth quarter.


11. Asia Goodwin, so. — Goodwin entered in the second half and had three offensive rebounds, but she missed a few putbacks.


12. Sammy Williams, fr. — Played for most of the fourth quarter. She missed her only shot attempt but grabbed two rebounds.


• Next up: 5:30 p.m. Friday vs. Free State. Record: 3-2.

Lawrence High boys basketball

1. Anthony Harvey, sr. — When the Lions needed a lift in the third quarter, Harvey made a big splash with eight of his game-high 18 points. An emotional leader on the court, Harvey was active defensively with two steals and he dished six assists. Credit to him, when his jump shot wasn’t falling, for finding ways into the lane for layups and floaters.


2. Justin Roberts, sr. — Roberts had a number of shots that somehow spun off of the rim. He scored 14 points, but was probably even stronger defensively, finding ways to tip passes. With 45 seconds remaining and a four-point lead, Roberts knocked away a pump-fake on the defensive end, and dove to tip the ball to Harvey. Any chance of a Lee’s Summit West comeback likely ended there.


3. Price Morgan, sr. — In the second half, Morgan matched up against LSW senior Dusty Stroup, who scored 15 points in the first half. In the final 16 minutes, Stroup only had three points and Morgan’s defense was a big reason. Morgan added 12 points, five rebounds and two blocks.


4. Jackson Mallory, jr. — Once again, Mallory did a little bit of everything to help the Lions win. He only attempted three shots, but he set his teammates up in great spots, ending up with six assists and six points. On defense, he added a team-high three steals, doing a good job of putting his hand in passing lanes.


5. Kobe Buffalomeat, jr. — With Fred Brou on the bench for big chunks of the second half because of foul trouble, Buffalomeat stepped up with some big rebounds and blocks on the defensive end. He had six points, five rebounds, two blocks and two assists.


“He can step up and make some plays,” Morgan said of Buffalomeat. “He’s working hard in practice. He wants to get better and that’s the big thing. I think tonight was just a little taste for him to keep working his butt off every single day.”


6. Fred Brou, sr. — The 6-foot-5 forward was electric in the first half, drawing a charge and dunking for the team’s first points. Brou played excellent defense against LSW’s 6-foot-7 center, but he ran into foul trouble in the second half and fouled out with 2:22 left. He finished with six points and four boards.


7. Braden Solko, jr. — Solko is just one of those players who knows where to be at the right time. He grabbed two steals, preventing a layup on one of them when he just walked into the paint when the pass was arriving. He missed his only shot attempt but grabbed two rebounds.


8. Austin Miller, jr. — Miller played for a couple of minutes and missed his only shot attempt.


9. Tayvien Robinson, sr. — Played for a minute in the second quarter, but did not record any stats.


• Next up: 7 p.m. Friday vs. Free State. Record: 4-1.
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