LHS boys romp in opener

The Lawrence High School bench erupts in celebration after John Barbee's dunk early in the game Friday night against Emporia. The Lions won their home opener, 64-43.

It’s a new season for Lawrence High’s boys basketball players, as they donned their new white uniforms for their season opener on Friday against Emporia.

But even with a new look, it’s still the same old Lions that dominated teams throughout last season. They opened this year with a 64-43 victory at LHS, jumping to a 19-point halftime lead and cruising for the remainder of the game.

The night was dedicated to former assistant coach Kermit Aldridge, who died of cancer in March. All of the LHS players, in both the girls and boys basketball games, wore blue T-shirt warmups with Aldridge’s quote, “Getting a little stronger each day,” on the back.

There was a moment of silence before the boys game, and Aldridge’s family members and fiancee were honored at halftime. Fans also wore blue, and some had cardboard cutouts of Aldridge’s face.

“I think we were so jacked up three days ago that it took it out of them,” LHS coach Mike Lewis said. “We played real hard, then we got a little lethargic and got a little bit tired. But that’s to be expected on a night like tonight where you’re dedicating a game to a coach. It’s a little bit of an emotional roller coaster for these kids.”

After a slow start to the game, the Lions went on a 27-6 run over seven minutes in the middle of the first half.

Junior point guard Justin Roberts started the stretch with 10 straight points, drilling a pair of three-pointers before blowing by his defender for layups. Senior John Barbee added a left-handed dunk in transition, and senior Ben Rajewski hit a jumper after a pump fake to finish the first quarter with a 19-8 lead.

“They were just kind of letting off me, so I just either took what I had in a shot, or if they got up on top of me, then I just drove to the basket,” said Roberts, who finished with 14 points and three steals. “I just took whatever the defense gave me.”

In the second quarter, senior guard Anthony Bonner, a Colorado State signee, returned from the bench after running into foul trouble by scoring eight points in a 13-2 run to open the second quarter.

“Man, that’s probably the most excited I’ve been in my career,” said Bonner, who points to the sky to remember Aldridge after shooting each free throw. “We’ve been anticipating this. With the preseason No. 1 (ranking), we didn’t let it get to our heads, but obviously that’s a big honor.”

Bonner finished with a game-high 19 points, while junior forward Price Morgan completed a double-double with 11 points and 10 rebounds.

When the Lions (1-0) move in transition, they look like a track team with their speed getting down the court. Then there’s the hounding man-to-man defense they play while also suffocating passing lanes for steals. Barbee, who had 11 points, led the team with five steals.

The Lions will face Wyandotte in the first round of the Blue Valley Shootout at 3:15 p.m. Thursday.

LAWRENCE (64)

Justin Roberts 5-11 2-4 14, Price Morgan 5-9 1-3 11, Ben Rajewski 3-5 0-0 6, Anthony Bonner 5-10 7-8 19, John Barbee 4-7 2-4 11, Fred Brou 1-2 0-1 2, Logan Applegate 0-2 1-2 1, Kyle Hoffman 0-1 0-0 0, Anthony Harvey 0-2 0-0 0, Jackson Mallory 0-1 0-0 0. Totals 23-50 13-22 64.

EMPORIA (43)

Brady Baumgardner 1-2 0-0 2, John Williams 4-7 5-6 14, Tanner Taylor 2-4 2-2 6, Max Brown 4-7 3-4 11, Tate Demler 2-4 1-5 6, Josh McAnarney 2-6 0-2 4, Halen Higgins 0-2 0-0 0. Totals 15-34 11-19 43.

Emporia 8 7 13 15 — 43

Lawrence 19 15 10 20 — 64

Three-point goals: Lawrence 5-22 (Bonner 2, Roberts 2, Barbee); Emporia 2-3 (Williams, Demler). Fouled out: Taylor. Turnovers: Lawrence 12, Emporia 13.