photo by: David Rodish/Journal-World

Freshman Jayla Colter starts to drive toward the hoop during a 59-37 win over Blue Valley West on Tuesday, December 17, 2024 at Blue Valley West High School.

Overland Park — Lawrence High School’s girls basketball team moved to 2-1 with a 59-37 road win over Blue Valley West on Tuesday evening.

The Lions held a size advantage with center Cami Nauholz, who led the team in points and rebounds while operating under the rim. She helped give the Lions an early lead that the team never gave up.

The Jaguars scored the first shot on a 2-point basket, but the Lions scored 6 straight points through the first three minutes of the game. When the Jaguars hit a shot, the Lions responded with their own. Nauholz had 6 points in the first quarter, and the Lions led 11-10 entering the second.

This was the first game of the season for Nauholz. That didn’t stop her from being the focal point of the offense. The team passed to her early and often, and she was a bright spot in a first half that left a lot to be desired for coach Jeff Dickson.

“She was phenomenal,” Dickson said. “She is such a hard worker, and she’s been banged up. To come out in your first game of the season as a sophomore where she’s getting doubled and triple teamed every time speaks to her mental fortitude. That’s what we’ve come to expect from her.”

Dickson said that the guards and Brynnae Johnson in particular did a good job of finding her in the paint. The Lawrence guards worked to get the defense off-balance by moving the ball around the perimeter, which opened up lanes for Nauholz to get the ball.

photo by: David Rodish/Journal-World

Sophomore Cami Nauholz attempts a shot during a 59-37 win over Blue Valley West on the road. Nauholz led her team in points, blocks and rebounds.

Lawrence continued to add to its lead, but the quarter overall featured little scoring from either team. Nauholz and freshman Zoey Barber both scored 3 points, and the Lions scored 8 total in the quarter.

The sluggish offense didn’t last long. A halftime pep talk brought the Lions some needed energy, and the team stepped up on both ends of the court. Dickson said the team’s defense is what led to the better offensive performance in the second half.

“I thought we were way too passive defensively in the first half,” he said. “The ball kept sticking, and people were taking one-pass shots. We picked up our intensity, and I feel like that always translates to offense, and I think we started doing what we’re capable of doing.”

Through the second half, the Lions outscored the Jaguars 40 to 21. LHS scored 17 points in the third quarter and added 21 in the fourth. From 3-point shots falling to more baskets at the rim, the Lions were scoring at a drastically different rate from the first half.

Nauholz and the Lions kept the pace up for the final quarter, pushing the lead to over 20 points. The defense had its second-best quarter by allowing 8 points, which secured the Lions win.

The Lions’ next game will be on Wednesday, Dec. 18, in the 12 Courts of Christmas tournament at Hy-Vee Arena in Kansas City.

LHS…11…19…38…59

BVW…10…16…25…37