Lawrence freshman Jayla Colter drives toward the basket during a 37-36 win over Shawnee Mission West on Thursday, February 6, 2025 at Shawnee Mission West.

The Lawrence boys and girls basketball teams traveled to Shawnee Mission West for a Sunflower League match on Wednesday, and both programs came away with wins.

The Lions won close in the girls game, 37-36, and by double digits in the boys game, 51-39.

The LHS girls had a slow start to the game and struggled offensively. Assistant coach Olivia Lemus said the team has often dealt with slow starts this year, and this game was another example.

The remedy was simple: defense and energy.

“Getting into a press really helped getting (Shawnee Mission West) sped up,” Lemus said. “I think our best offense this season has come when we play really good defense. That’s what the gamechanger was for us.”

Typically, when Lawrence needs to score a couple of buckets quickly, it comes through steals and fast break points. Thursday was no exception, as the Lions consistently had better offensive output when the team was putting pressure on the Vikings.

By halftime, the Lions held a narrow 18-16 lead.

The offense had another slow start to the half. Brynnae Johnson hit the first shot almost 3 minutes in. Jayla Colter scored the second field goal a minute later. The defense supported the offense and only allowed three field goals in the quarter. Lawrence added to its lead, taking a 28-24 lead into the final quarter.

The Lions once again started the quarter slowly. This time, the Vikings took advantage on offense and stormed to a 2-point lead with an 8-0 run. Colter stopped the run with two free throws, but the Vikings scored 4 points over the next 3 minutes, leaving only 2 minutes and 7 seconds on the clock.

Coach Jeff Dickson called a timeout at the point, and from there, the Lions played some of their best basketball of the season. A 3-pointer from Nyasia Ramos cut the deficit in half, and Macyn Ramsay collected back-to-back steals and scored a bucket herself. With 44.5 seconds left, Colter hit two free throws to take a 37-36 lead.

The Lions prevented the Vikings from having a shot attempt until the final second from halfcourt, which was short. The road win pushed the team to 8-7 on the season.

“That proved a lot to ourselves,” Lemus said. “We can grit it out to the very end. We have intensity, we can stay calm and we can be that team.”

The boys team also had a slow night shooting but managed to pull out the road win thanks to a fourth-quarter run.

Lawrence senior Aden Ramirez drives toward the basket during a 51-39 road win over Shawnee Mission West on Thursday, February 6, 2025.

Joey Dooley scored on the first possession, but it proved to be the only field goal until there was less than a minute and a half in the quarter. The Vikings weren’t having quite as much trouble. They took an early 12-3 lead, with the third point for the Lions coming from a Josh Galbreath free throw. The Lions scored 5 points late with a bucket from Marko Simac and a 3 from Aden Ramirez.

Again, the Vikings had the faster start. They turned a 12-8 lead into a 20-10 lead after 5 minutes. The Lions offense started to see some shots finally hit later in the quarter, which kept the team in the game. Despite a half where open shots didn’t fall for the Lions, they only trailed by 4 points at halftime.

“Part of our offense is our ability to shoot from outside,” coach Nick Wood said. “Some nights, they just don’t go in. We needed to adjust. They weren’t bad shots, but we just needed to attack the basket more and let that open our outside game.”

The Lions eventually started hitting their shots after scoring more at the rim. Devin Foster played a big part, scoring 7 points in the third quarter. Wood emphasized with the team to make an impact on both ends when shots aren’t falling.

By the end of the quarter, the game was tied at 33. The Lions then outscored the Vikings 18-6 in the final quarter to win. Dooley hit a 3-pointer, which started an 11-0 run, which gave the Lions the lead for good. The Lions finished on a quick 5-point run to secure the 51-39 win.

The win moved the Lions to 5-8 on the season, and it was their second road win in the past two weeks.

“The boys are doing great — they’re finding out who they are,” Wood said. “I’m proud of them. We always talk about: you can compete, support one another and bring positive energy. If you do that, the rest will take care of itself.”

Both Lawrence teams will return home for a game on Tuesday against Shawnee Mission South.

Lawrence junior Jada Baars picks up the basketball during a fastbreak scoring opportunity against Shawnee Mission West on Thursday, February 6, 2025 at Shawnee Mission West.

Lawrence junior Devin Foster, left, battles through contact below the rim in a 51-39 win over Shawnee Mission West on Thursday, February 6, 2025 at Shawnee Mission West.