photo by: David Rodish/Journal-World

Lawrence sophomore Lucy Juelsgaard shoots the ball in a loss to Olathe South on Tuesday, Dec. 16, 2025, in Lawrence.

It was a long night in the Lawrence High School gymnasium for the LHS boys and girls basketball teams, as both lost their first game of the season to Olathe South on Tuesday.

The games were the first Sunflower League matchups for the boys and girls teams, and both had a wake-up call after starting the season 2-0.

Lawrence girls basketball got off to a slow start offensively after turnovers disrupted the team’s flow. The Lions went scoreless over the first five minutes, largely hurting themselves with passes bouncing off hands that resulted in turnovers.

On the other end, the Lions played tough, but the Falcons were able to get the ball in the paint for high-percentage shots. The Falcons took an 8-0 lead before the Lions got on the board.

Freshman Marley Doleman was the one to start the team’s offense with a corner 3. The Falcons and Lions traded 2-pointers for the rest of the quarter, as Olathe South finished with a 14-9 lead.

The first half was a Cami Nauholz show, as the junior was the main scorer for the team in the early goings of the contest. After Doleman’s 3, she scored eight of the team’s next 10 points. Sophomore Lucy Juelsgaard hit two free throws for the other points.

After Nauholz’s bucket made it a 16-13 Olathe South lead, the Falcons went on an 11-0 run to end the second quarter. The Lions struggled to find high-quality shots, leading to only one field goal in the quarter and four points total.

Lawrence’s offensive struggles continued through halftime. Olathe South started on a 10-0 run that gave them a 24-point lead. Sophomore Macyn Ramsay had a 6-0 by herself after that, as she drove to the basket and finished through contact, converted the and-1 and hit a 3-pointer. Senior Jada Baars-Turner hit two free throws as the Falcons led 43-21 at the start of the final quarter.

The Lions made a strong push in the fourth, as Ramsay scored 10 points including hitting two 3s to make it a 50-34 game. But the Falcons finished strong and ended the game with control, going on a 7-0 run to close it out and win 57-34.

Lawrence boys basketball started well in a close match against Olathe South. The Falcons opened with the first four points, but the Lions tied it up after field goals from sophomore Simon Simien and junior Kenyon Doleman. After a Falcons’ bucket, freshman Axel Bland scored his first bucket to tie the game at 6-6 midway through the first quarter.

Olathe South proceeded to finish the quarter on a 17-3 run, with Bland accounting for the only other Lawrence points.

“We knew that was going to be tough,” Lawrence coach Nick Wood said. “They run their actions really well. The guys have to be able to communicate and we struggled with that early on.”

Lawrence has a young team this season with four of five starters being underclassmen. Part of the growth of the team this season will be learning to grow together in places like communication.

Wood said the Lions dribbled too much, rather than passing and moving the ball around. That made things easier for the Olathe South defense to guard.

“We’re pretty easy to guard when the ball is sticky and we’re not moving and we’re not creating gaps for anybody,” Wood said. “They’re a really good team. They’re strong and physical.”

Bland started the second quarter with a field goal through contact and an and-1, but the Falcons followed that up with another big run. The Lions only scored when getting to the free throw line, with senior Landon Bland hitting two free throws and senior Jaxon Becker hitting one. On the other end, the Falcons scored 26 in the quarter and led 49-15 at the break.

The third quarter was a lot more balanced, but the Lions were unable to make up ground on the Falcons. Junior Caleb Wingerd started the second half with a bucket, and sophomore Truth Pope and Simien put together two good blocks on defense.

The Lions remained reliant on getting points from the free throw line, but Axl Bland was able to hit a few big shots from deep. He finished the game with 13 points, which led the Lions.

“He’s a really good talent, and he’s only going to get better and better,” Wood said. “I’m proud of how he did. You can always control body language, and he showed pretty good body language. He was picking guys up out there.”

Olathe South finished strong with both teams playing their bench units, winning 76-30 over Lawrence. For both Lawrence teams, the Lions will need to move on from the losses quickly as both teams have their first road Sunflower League game coming up on Friday against Shawnee Mission East. Before that, the boys will play Turner at Lawrence on Wednesday at 7 p.m.

“The good news is it’s Dec. 16, and we have a long road to get better,” Wood said. “Tomorrow is a new day. We play Turner, and they’re not going to feel sorry for us. We have to be ready to go.”

photo by: David Rodish/Journal-World

Lawrence freshman Axl Bland takes the ball up court in a loss to Olathe South on Tuesday, Dec. 16, 2025, in Lawrence.

photo by: David Rodish/Journal-World

Lawrence junior Cami Nauholz shoots through contact in a loss to Olathe South on Tuesday, Dec. 16, 2025, in Lawrence.

photo by: David Rodish/Journal-World

Lawrence sophomore Joey Dooley starts the offense in a loss to Olathe South on Tuesday, Dec. 16, 2025, in Lawrence.

photo by: David Rodish/Journal-World

Lawrence freshman Marley Doleman dribbes the ball in a loss to Olathe South on Tuesday, Dec. 16, 2025, in Lawrence.

photo by: David Rodish/Journal-World

Lawrence sophomore Truth Pope drives into the paint in a loss to Olathe South on Tuesday, Dec. 16, 2025, in Lawrence.

photo by: David Rodish/Journal-World

Lawrence sophomore Macyn Ramsay starts to pass the ball in a loss to Olathe South on Tuesday, Dec. 16, 2025, in Lawrence.

photo by: David Rodish/Journal-World

Lawrence junior Caleb Wingerd shoots over the defense in a loss to Olathe South on Tuesday, Dec. 16, 2025, in Lawrence.

photo by: David Rodish/Journal-World

Lawrence freshman Marley Doleman dribbles the ball in a loss to Olathe South on Tuesday, Dec. 16, 2025, in Lawrence.