photo by: Chance Parker

Lawrence High junior Zaxton King celebrates after scoring through a foul against Dodge City on Tuesday, Feb. 28, 2023, at Lawrence High School.

In a game where junior Zaxton King scored nearly as many points as the entire opposing team, third-seeded Lawrence High boys basketball beat 14th-seeded Dodge City 67-39 at home and advanced to the Class 6A West substate semifinal.

King scored a whopping 37 points for LHS (17-4) and hit 6 of 9 shots from 3-point range. On top of that, senior Will Leuschen scored nine points, including an early 3, and senior Cole Watson chipped in six points.

LHS coach Mike Lewis said the win was a strong start to the postseason.

“Our focus is to earn it,” Lewis said. “You play hard, you stick with the game plan and you treat everybody like it’s your last game. I think our guys buy into that. I thought, as you start to get on the floor 40 minutes in advance and (Dodge City) is here warming up, I fully expected a good game, and I told our guys that.”

The Red Demons couldn’t get their shots going early, starting the game 1 of 7 from the field, and LHS had a 14-4 lead by the end of the first quarter.

Leuschen was the highest scorer in the first quarter with five points, including a 3-pointer. But King quickly got over his uncharacteristically slow start and turned the game into a high-scoring affair in the second quarter. The starting guard racked up 27 points by halftime, sneaking in his third 3 of the game at the second-quarter buzzer. LHS led Dodge City by 29 at the break.

The Lions kept piling on after halftime, racking up 14 points in the third quarter, including 2s from Leuschen, Watson and senior Dallas Ostronic. By the start of the fourth quarter, the Lions had a comfortable 61-30 lead, so Lewis mixed in a few younger talents, including sophomore Jaylon Parks, who hit a 3-pointer late in the second half.

“This time of year, if you can rotate a bunch of guys and everybody can get some good looks on the ball, that’s a feel-good night,” Lewis said. “Not sure it works out any better than when everybody can come on and contribute.”

Up next, the Lions will meet No. 6 Manhattan (13-8) in the semifinal. Tipoff is at 7 p.m. Friday at LHS.

BOX SCORE:

Lawrence High (67): King 14-24, 3-4, 37, Leuschen 4-7, 0-0, 9, Watson 3-4, 0-1, 6, Lewis 1-1, 0-0, 3, Parks 1-1, 0-0, 3, Case 1-3, 0-2, 2, Bassett 1-1, 0-0, 2, Johnson 0-2, 1-2, 1. Totals: 27-46, 4-9, 67.

Dodge City (39): Okoro 4-11, 3-4, 11, Springer 1-7, 2-2, 5, Mohammed 2-2, 1-3, 5, Brito 2-3, 1-1, 5, Taylor 1-6, 2-4, 4, Buller 2-5, 0-2, 4, Hardyway 1-1, 0-0, 3, Unzueta 1-1, 0-0, 2. Totals: 14-39, 9-16, 39.

3FGs: LHS 9-15 (King 6, Leuschen 1, Lewis 1, Parks 1); DCHS 2-6 (Springer 1, Hardyway 1) TOs: LHS 9; DCHS 12. Fouled out: none.