photo by: David Rodish/Journal-World

Lawrence junior Kenyon Doleman passes the ball in a loss to Olathe North on Tuesday, Feb. 17, 2026, in Lawrence.

The Lawrence boys and girls basketball teams struggled on Tuesday night against Olathe North as both teams lost by over 20 points.

The Lions lost the girls basketball game 78-57 after a slow start led to an insurmountable lead. The Eagles scored the first two buckets of the game with two 3s. Lawrence junior Cami Nauholz was the lone Lion to score more than once in the first quarter, and she got her team its first two points with two free throws. Nauholz got her second bucket after securing an offensive rebound and hitting a fadeaway jumpshot.

But the Eagles went on a 10-3 run with some big 3-pointers to take a double-digit lead. The Lions made a push late in the first with a layup from freshman Marley Doleman, and a 3-pointer from Nauholz and a close jump shot, which cut the Eagles’ lead in half. Turnovers helped the Eagles finish the quarter on a 10-2 run to take a 15-point lead into the second quarter.

The Eagles started the second quarter with a 3-pointer, but sophomore Macyn Ramsay responded with two 3s, which cut the deficit to single digits. The Eagles pushed the lead back up and held it there for the remainder of the half, scoring a layup in the final minute to take a 43-31 lead over the Lions. Ramsay scored 10 points in the quarter, while Nauholz scored the other four points of the quarter.

The second half started with Lawrence and Olathe North going shot-for-shot with each other over the first four minutes. The Eagles pushed the lead to over 15 points before the Lions fought back with two free throws from Doleman, a 3-pointer from Ramsay and a layup for Nauholz.

Lawrence couldn’t make any progress on cutting into the Olathe North lead in the fourth quarter, and the Eagles pushed their lead up to 22 points late in the quarter. Both teams deployed their bench units as the Eagles closed out with the 21-point win.

The boys basketball game quickly got out of hand for Lawrence, and the Lions were unable to gain its footing and make a comeback.

“Olathe North is a really, really good team,” Lawrence coach Nick Wood said. “They present some challenges. They’re extremely skilled, and on top of that, they have athleticism and height to them. We knew going in it was a tough challenge.”

The Eagles started on a 10-point run, holding the Lions scoreless over the first three minutes. Sophomore Joey Dooley got the Lions their first points in the paint, which he followed up with a free throw. Sophomore Truth Pope poked the ball loose for a steal and found Kenyon Doleman for a quick score to make it a 12-5 game.

“I thought we responded,” Wood said. “From the midway point of the first quarter through the first half, we played pretty well. The third quarter just got away from us. We didn’t do what we needed to do, and to (Olathe North’s) credit, they exposed our weaknesses.”

Olathe North finished the opening quarter with multiple three-point plays, both from finishing through contact at the rim and from hitting shots beyond the arc. Those buckets gave the Eagles a 22-9 lead through the opening frame.

Dooley scored on an assist from senior Eddie Roman Nose, early in the second quarter, but it was the Lions’ only points through the first five minutes of the quarter. On the other end, the Eagles pushed their lead to above 20 points. The Lions found more rhythm late in the quarter to keep it within 20 points, including a 3-pointer from Doleman.

The third quarter started back-and-forth until the wheels fell off for the Lions and the Eagles turned turnovers into fast-break points and pushed their lead to 30. Dooley ended the run with free throws, and sophomore Simon Simien hit a 3-pointer, but the Eagles brought their lead to 40 points by the end of the quarter.

Dooley scored twice early in the fourth, but the Lions were unable to cut the Eagles’ lead, and Olathe North finished the game with a 40-point win at 77-37.

Both Lawrence teams are on a three-game losing streak, but both teams can quickly turn things around on Friday with a road match against cross-town rival Free State.

“We’re going to flush it and move on,” Wood said. “We have a good group of kids in our locker room. I’m not concerned about how we’re going to respond. The good thing about playing Free State is they’ll be able to flush this one pretty quickly and be ready to move on.”

photo by: David Rodish/Journal-World

Lawrence sophomore Lucy Juelsgaard hands off the ball in a loss to Olathe North on Tuesday, Feb. 17, 2026, in Lawrence.

photo by: David Rodish/Journal-World

Lawrence senior Jada Baars-Turner passes the ball in a loss to Olathe North on Tuesday, Feb. 17, 2026, in Lawrence.

photo by: David Rodish/Journal-World

Lawrence sophomore Macyn Ramsay passes the ball in a loss to Olathe North on Tuesday, Feb. 17, 2026, in Lawrence.

photo by: David Rodish/Journal-World

Lawrence junior Cami Nauholz shoots the ball in a loss to Olathe North on Tuesday, Feb. 17, 2026, in Lawrence.

photo by: David Rodish/Journal-World

Lawrence sophomore Lucy Juelsgaard dribbles the ball in a loss to Olathe North on Tuesday, Feb. 17, 2026, in Lawrence.

photo by: David Rodish/Journal-World

Lawrence sophomore Truth Pope drives to the paint in a loss to Olathe North on Tuesday, Feb. 17, 2026, in Lawrence.

photo by: David Rodish/Journal-World

Lawrence sophomore Simon Simien passes to the corner in a loss to Olathe North on Tuesday, Feb. 17, 2026, in Lawrence.

photo by: David Rodish/Journal-World

Lawrence senior Devin Foster holds the ball in a loss to Olathe North on Tuesday, Feb. 17, 2026, in Lawrence.

photo by: David Rodish/Journal-World

Lawrence junior Caleb Wingerd drives to the paint in a loss to Olathe North on Tuesday, Feb. 17, 2026, in Lawrence.

photo by: David Rodish/Journal-World

Lawrence sophomore Truth Pope dribbles the ball in a loss to Olathe North on Tuesday, Feb. 17, 2026, in Lawrence.