photo by: David Rodish/Journal-World

Lawrence freshman Joey Dooley drives through the paint in a 100-57 loss to Shawnee Mission Northwest on the road in the first sub-state round on Tuesday, March 4, 2025.

Shawnee — The Lawrence boys basketball season ended on Tuesday with a 100-57 loss at Shawnee Mission Northwest in the first substate round.

The Lions fell behind quickly and couldn’t come back, plagued by turnovers and fast-break points from the start. The Cougars put pressure on the Lions’ ball handlers early, forcing 10 turnovers in the opening quarter.

“We didn’t handle (the ball pressure) well at all,” coach Nick Wood said. “We struggled to handle their length and athleticism early, which was disappointing.”

Lawrence finished the quarter with six points on two 3-pointers from freshman forward Joey Dooley. The Cougars, on the other hand, scored with ease, getting 22 points across the first four minutes and finished with 36.

Turnovers remained an issue for the Lions, but the offense settled in more in the second quarter as the Cougars laid off the press. The Lions, a team that is best when it’s hitting 3s, started to warm up. Junior guard Eddie Roman Nose hit a 3 early in the quarter, and senior guard Aden Ramirez hit two 3s back-to-back. The Lions still were in a 34-point hole after Ramirez’s buckets and finished the half down 67-31.

“We know there is talent on our basketball team,” Wood said. “Once the game settled in, our guys got more comfortable. They started to play Lawrence High basketball again and started to make plays for each other.”

Wood has preached to the team about playing the same style of basketball no matter the score. On Tuesday, they did that. Even though the Cougars’ size and athleticism made things difficult, the Lions kept at it.

The Cougars continued to push the pace offensively in the second half. They scored 23 points to the Lions’ 13 in the third quarter. Lawrence finished with another 13-point quarter in the fourth as they held the Cougars to 10 points. Aidan Wondrack, a senior, scored the final field goal of the season, giving the Lions 57 points in the game.

Lawrence sent five seniors to substate: Wondrack, Ramirez, Avery Johnson, Marko Simac and JJ Dos Santos. Wood said those five played a huge part in building a culture for the team during Wood’s two years leading the program. Ramirez finished with 20 points, which led the team. He was the only Lion to reach double-digits.

“Anytime you have your last game of the season, it’s tough,” Wood said. “I came into their world as a basketball coach two years ago, so I appreciate everything they’ve done to help establish the standard of what it means to be a Lawrence High basketball kid.”

The game served as a reminder of what a state championship basketball team looks like. The Cougars won it all last year and returned their starters. Wood said how they played exemplifies how the Lions hope to build toward.

“For the younger guys, they got good experience this year in the season and in substate,” Wood said. “They got to feel it. We can’t settle for what happened tonight. We have to put in the work in the offseason, individually and as a group.”

Wood said the team will get to work around Memorial Day and will have summer tournaments together in June. The team will play for club teams in July and return to the court next fall with an idea of where they want to be this time next year.

Lawrence sophomore Adrick Webb looks to pass in a 100-57 loss to Shawnee Mission Northwest on the road on Tuesday, March 4, 2025, in the first round of sub-state.

photo by: David Rodish/Journal-World

Lawrence senior JJ Dos Santos dribbles past a defender in a 100-57 loss to Shawnee Mission Northwest on the road in the first round of sub-state on Tuesday, March 4, 2025.

Lawrence senior Aden Ramirez dribbles the ball in a 100-57 loss to Shawnee Mission Northwest on Tuesday, March 4, 2025, in the first sub-state round.