photo by: David Rodish/Journal-World

Lawrence junior Cami Nauholz goes for a layup in a loss to Olathe Northwest on Friday, Feb. 13, 2026, in Olathe.

OLATHE — The Lawrence boys and girls basketball teams lost two close games on the road against Olathe Northwest on Friday, with the girls losing 56-50 and the boys losing 53-51.

Both Lawrence teams were coming off substantial losses from Tuesday’s road games against Shawnee Mission South, and both teams put themselves in positions to win but ultimately fell short.

In the girls game, the Lions and the Ravens went back and forth through the start of the first quarter, but the Lions finished strong with a strong four-point push from junior Cami Nauholz to give the Lions a 10-7 lead at halftime. Senior Jada Baars-Turner hit a 3-pointer with an assist from sophomore Zoey Barber to start the second quarter, and sophomore Macyn Ramsay added another 3 on an assist from sophomore Lucy Juelsgaard.

The Lions’ five-point lead dissipated midway through the second quarter as the Ravens took a 17-16 advantage after a six-point run. Barber brought the Lions momentum back with two driving layups, the latter coming after Barber stole the ball on defense. The Ravens hit a 3-pointer to tie it up with 40 seconds left, but freshman Layla Simmons answered with her own 3-pointer, giving the Lions a 23-20 lead at the break.

Lawrence started the second half attacking the paint with its two bigs. Nauholz hit two free throws, and she kicked the ball out to Ramsay for a 3-pointer the next possession. Nauholz hit another free throw later, and Ramsay hit a 3-pointer to give the Lions a 32-22 lead.

The Ravens pulled themselves back into the game by forcing turnovers and hitting some needed 3-point shots. On the offensive end, Dickson said the Lions had too many possessions where they didn’t get the ball into their top bucket getters’ hands, which stagnated the offense.

The Ravens hit two from distance in the final two minutes during a 14-3 run to close the third quarter, which gave the Ravens a one-point lead.

“They made more plays than we did,” Lawrence coach Jeff Dickson said. “There were multiple times where I thought we defended well and they hit a big shot. We’d turn the ball over, and they’d hit a big shot.”

Nauholz started the fourth with two baskets, the latter of which being a second-chance bucket, giving the Lions a lead. The Ravens responded with a 3-pointer before Nauholz got another second-chance bucket. The lead bounced back and forth, but the Ravens took control with a 3-pointer to take a four-point lead.

“We fight and claw and scrap, and we just have to clean up a few things,” Dickson said. “We’ve let three or four games slip away where we feel we could’ve won… I hope they’re tired of feeling this kind of disappointment as I am.”

The Lions continued to make shots, including a 3-pointer from Ramsay late in the quarter, but they were never able to regain the lead. The Ravens hit two free throws with 41 seconds left for the final points of the game as Olathe Northwest won 56-50.

“We still have a lot to play for this season, but we’ve got to clean some stuff up,” Dickson said. “Our road does not get any easier.”

In the boys basketball game, the first quarter was also a back-and-forth affair, with the Ravens taking a two-point lead into the second quarter. Senior Devin Foster scored the first points of the game for the Lions, while sophomore Joey Dooley and senior Eddie Roman Nose added layups not long after.

The Ravens built the lead by attacking the paint and using their size advantage close to the rim.

“I was disappointed with how we rebounded in the first half, but we cleaned that up in the second half,” Wood said. “We knew coming in they were going to be successful in the paint. We could not allow them to get those open looks, and that’s off of defensive rebounds and post entry passes.”

The Ravens continued to build their lead in the second quarter, but the Lions kept up with a 3-pointer from sophomore Simon Simien and a second-chance bucket from Dooley. Simien made it a two-point game midway through the second quarter, but Olathe Northwest finished the quarter on a 9-4 run to take a 34-27 lead into the break.

Lawrence’s defense did a much better job of defending the paint in the second half, and a strong defensive outing in the third quarter put the Lions within a possession of the Ravens.

Olathe Northwest started the second half with a bucket, but junior Kenyon Doleman responded with a 3-pointer, followed by a layup from Roman Nose. The Ravens scored, but the Lions responded with four points in the paint, including sophomore Truth Pope scoring after getting his own rebound. Pope scored again to bring it within a point, but the Ravens finished with a two-point lead at the end of the third quarter.

The Ravens added three points to their lead to start the fourth quarter before the Lions went on a run to take the lead back. Doleman, Foster, Dooley and Roman Nose each scored a bucket as the Lions led 48-46. The Ravens took the lead back by a point before the Lions called timeout with under three minutes left, but Foster put the Lions back ahead with an offensive rebound and score on a missed free throw.

The Ravens scored an and-1 to take a two-point lead with a minute left, and the Lions cut the lead to a point with a free throw from Dooley late. Pope forced a turnover with 26 seconds left, but the Lions turned the ball over themselves on the other end. The Ravens hit a free throw with seven seconds remaining, and the Lions were unable to score again.

“It didn’t go our way in the end, but that didn’t take away from the fact that they’re continuing to battle and find ways to get better,” Wood said. “I’m proud of them.”

Lawrence will be back home on Tuesday to host Olathe North ahead of a road City Showdown matchup on Friday.

photo by: David Rodish/Journal-World

Lawrence sophomore Zoey Barber brings the ball up the court in a loss to Olathe Northwest on Friday, Feb. 13, 2026, in Olathe.

photo by: David Rodish/Journal-World

Lawrence sophomore Lucy Juelsgaard passes the ball in a loss to Olathe Northwest on Friday, Feb. 13, 2026, in Olathe.

photo by: David Rodish/Journal-World

Lawrence sophomore Zoey Barber drives to the basket in a loss to Olathe Northwest on Friday, Feb. 13, 2026, in Olathe.

photo by: David Rodish/Journal-World

Lawrence senior Jada Baars-Turner drives to the paint in a loss to Olathe Northwest on Friday, Feb. 13, 2026, in Olathe.

photo by: David Rodish/Journal-World

Lawrence freshman Layla Simmons passes the ball in a loss to Olathe Northwest on Friday, Feb. 13, 2026, in Olathe.

photo by: David Rodish/Journal-World

Lawrence junior Caleb Wingerd fights through a defender in a loss to Olathe Northwest on Friday, Feb. 13, 2026, in Olathe.

photo by: David Rodish/Journal-World

Lawrence sophomore Simon Simien dribbles the ball in a loss to Olathe Northwest on Friday, Feb. 13, 2026, in Olathe.

photo by: David Rodish/Journal-World

Lawrence sophomore Joey Dooley looks to pass in a loss to Olathe Northwest on Friday, Feb. 13, 2026, in Olathe.

photo by: David Rodish/Journal-World

Lawrence senior Devin Foster drives in for a layup in a loss to Olathe Northwest on Friday, Feb. 13, 2026, in Olathe.

photo by: David Rodish/Journal-World

Lawrence junior Kenyon Doleman passes the ball in a loss to Olathe Northwest on Friday, Feb. 13, 2026, in Olathe.