photo by: Carter Gaskins

Lawrence High celebrates a win at the Blue Valley Shootout on Friday, Dec. 07, 2018.

OVERLAND PARK — Lawrence High coach Mike Lewis had every reason to trust his players on the game’s most important possession.

A missed free throw by Lee’s Summit North with 18 seconds left in double overtime opened the door for Lawrence. Rather than panic, the Lions remained calm as they came down the court trailing by two points.

Junior Willie Dotson drove through the middle of the Broncos’ defense and kicked the ball out to the left corner to a wide-open Mayson Quartlebaum, who buried the go-ahead triple with 1.7 seconds remaining. The Lions made the last stop to close out a 79-78 victory Friday night at Blue Valley High School.

“Tonight, we were trusting our players,” Lewis said. “It was wild. You can think through those situations over the weekend. I’m just proud of the way our guys fought.”

The late-game heroics helped the Lions (3-1) secure the victory in the championship game of the Blue Valley Shootout. It also marked the team’s third consecutive win since dropping the season opener to Park Hill South.

“I thought it was cash,” Quartlebaum said of his game-winning shot. “Usually, I’m not in that spot. Today, I just was and capitalized.”

photo by: Carter Gaskins

Lawrence High’s Mayson Quartlebaum (10) jumps with Trey Quartlebaum (15) after Mayson’s game winning shot at the Blue Valley Shootout on Dec. 7, 2018.

But Lawrence, which is ranked No. 2 in Class 6A, had multiple chances to polish off Lee’s Summit North, a team ranked No. 7 in the 810 Varsity top 25 ranking. To put that in comparison, LHS is ranked No. 6 in that same poll, which looks at schools across the Kansas City metro.

The Lions relinquished a 4-point lead in the final 50 seconds of regulation. In the first overtime, senior Clarence King gifted LHS a 3-point advantage with 13 seconds left, but Lee’s Summit North senior Javaunte Hawkins drilled a game-tying triple as time expired.

Hawkins, who set a school scoring record with 22.2 points per game last year, finished with a game-high 37 points in the loss. Still, seniors Trey Quartlebaum and Bryant Graham, along with King and Dotson, did an admirable job trying to contain him.

“Our effort and energy were great,” Lewis said. “(Hawkins) was a special player tonight. We fought and stuck together.”

The double overtime thriller was a fitting way for Lawrence to close out a daunting stretch to start the season.

Senior starter Savonni Shazor sustained an ACL strain in the first game of the season and won’t be back until after winter break. The Lions responded with a pair of wins on back-to-back nights against Grandview (Mo.), the defending Class 4 state champs, and Lee’s Summit North.

In fact, three of the four teams LHS faced to start the year were ranked in the top 7 via the 810 Varsity top 25 rankings.

Yet LHS managed to not only come away with strong performances, but a championship plaque to show for it as well. And, at the moment, this team seems to be just scratching the surface of its potential.

“We are getting there,” Lewis said. “We really like our guys. We have been playing 10 or 11 guys, and we are getting to know who we are.”

Lawrence returns to action in 2019, when the team travels to Gardner-Edgerton on Jan. 4.

Lawrence (79)

Zeke Mayo 7-15 4-4 19, Clarence King 7-20 7-7 21, Brett Chapple 1-2 4-6 6, Trey Quartlebaum 8-18 1-2 21, Eric Galbreath 0-0 0-0 0, Willie Dotson 0-2 0-0 0, Mayson Quartlebaum 4-9 3-4 12, Bryce Johnson 0-0 0-0 0, Peyton Mallory 0-0 0-0 0-0. Totals: 27-67 19-23 79.

Lee’s Summit North (78)

Mikel Henderson 8-19 5-6 22, Javaunte Hawkins 12-38 5-6 37, Christian Carter 1-2 0-0 2, Jack Gatti 2-5 0-0 6, Elijah Smith 1-9 1-1 3, Kolby Franklin 0-1 0-0 0, Bryan Carter 1-1 0-0 2, Tommy Erin 2-5 2-8 6. Totals: 27-80 13-21 78.

Lawrence 13 15 15 18 OT 8 2OT 10 – 79

LS North 16 14 11 20 OT 8 2OT 9 – 78

3-point goals: Lawrence 6-21 (Trey Quartlebaum 4, Zeke Mayo, Mayson Quartlebaum); LS North 11-27 (Hawkins 8, Henderson, Gatti 2). Turnovers: Lawrence 22, LS North 12.