photo by: David Rodish/Journal-World

Lawrence sophomore Macyn Ramsay goes for a layup in a win over Shawnee Mission North on Tuesday, Feb. 24, 2026, in Lawrence.

Lawrence girls basketball got a 32-point win in the team’s penultimate regular season game on Tuesday against Shawnee Mission North, while the boys basketball team lost late to the Bison.

In the girls basketball game, the Lions took an early lead and controlled the game. The Bison attacked the Lions with a press defense, but the Lions were able to exploit that with quick passing to move the ball up the court quickly and with an open shot.

“Quick passes were leading to transition layups for us,” Lawrence assistant coach Olivia Lemus said. “That’s huge, because that’s ultimately what we want. (Shawnee Mission North) was good with the press, but I’m glad we were able to pass it quickly and get those layups.”

Junior Cami Nauholz scored Lawrence’s first two buckets, and sophomore Macyn Ramsay hit a 3-pointer to give the Lions a lead that the team wouldn’t give up. Lawrence was moving the ball around efficiently in the first quarter, as the Lions assisted on six of the team’s nine field goals.

Ramsay got a put-back late in the quarter as Lawrence took a 21-10 lead into the second. There, the Bison ramped up the defensive pressure and forced the Lions into a few turnovers, which led to some quick points for the Bison. After Lawrence made it a 31-17 lead, the Bison went on a 9-0 run behind their defense, but the Lions regrouped and finished the half on a 10-1 run that included four assists on four field goals to take a 41-27 lead into halftime.

Nauholz was the center of the offense for the Lions, as she started the third quarter with Lawrence’s first seven points. The Bison were able to keep the game within reach though, as they hit some shots from beyond the arc.

Lawrence sophomore Lucy Juelsgaard said the team had to “lock in” during the game, and the Lions did just that for the final 12 minutes of the contest. After the Bison cut the Lions lead to eight points at 48-40, Lawrence dominated with a 13-3 run to close the third quarter, which led to a 17-5 advantage in the fourth quarter.

Freshman Marley Doleman started the run back in the third quarter with a layup, and Nauholz scored the next six points. Doleman hit a 3-pointer on an assist from sophomore Zoey Barber, and Ramsay scored after securing her own miss following a steal from freshman Layla Simmons. The only Shawnee Mission North bucket during that stretch came from a deep, buzzer-beater 3-pointer at the end of the quarter.

Lawrence emphasizes the defense turning into offense, and the Lions built their 18-point lead with the defense creating fast-break chances. When the team did get into a half-court offense, the Lions were able to get the ball into the hands of Nauholz, who finished with a team-high 35 points.

“The ‘want it more’ really came for us,” Lemus said of the stretch. “We started to hustle more, we started to pick it up from the first half. We found the energy and really dialed in.”

Ramsay started the fourth quarter with a 3-pointer, and Nauholz scored again on an assist from Barber. Doleman hit two more 3-pointers as the Lions built a 73-46 lead. The Lions finished with three free throws, two from Nauholz and one from Doleman, and a last-minute layup from Simmons to secure the 32-point win.

“With senior night and substate coming up, it’s super important — it’s huge that we’re finding momentum,” Lemus said. “We just have to tighten it up a little more and keep making those strides.”

photo by: David Rodish/Journal-World

Lawrence senior Eddie Roman Nose drives to the basket in a loss to Shawnee Mission North on Tuesday, Feb. 24, 2026, in Lawrence.

Lawrence boys basketball faced one of the top-scoring offenses in the Sunflower League and were able to keep pace for most of the game. A few costly mistakes kept the Lions from coming out on top, as Lawrence lost 73-68.

Shawnee Mission North scored the first points of the game, but Lawrence rattled off six-straight points to take a lead. Senior Eddie Roman Nose scored on an assist from sophomore Joey Dooley, and Dooley followed that up with a free throw. Junior Kenyon Doleman finished at the rim and added an and-1 to add to the quick scoring run.

“I was really happy with how we came out offensively,” Lawrence coach Nick Wood said. “We knew that Shawnee Mission North, they score at a high rate. So we were going to have to have to be dang good offensively today. Our fellas came out and played really well.”

Wood added that the team pushed the ball up the court well, and that the Lions were efficient in their plays and actions. There were segments in the second half where Wood saw that same production, but a few mistakes kept them from scoring as easily.

Roman Nose hit a 3-pointer, but outside shots heavily favored the Bison in the game. Throughout the first quarter, the Lions were more effective in getting points per possession, but the Bison were able to hit a few more big shots from distance.

Lawrence also had a rough night shooting from the free-throw line. Lawrence went 10-for-24 from the line, including 5-for-15 in the first half.

Still, Lawrence was able to maintain a lead for the majority of the first half. After the opening Bison score, the Lions led the rest of the first quarter and ended it with a 23-19 lead. The Bison were able to push for a 36-31 lead late in the second quarter, but the Lions went on a 5-0 run to tie the game before halftime.

Lawrence came out hit in the second quarter as Doleman hit a 3-pointer, followed by a layup from Dooley with an assist to senior Devin Foster. Dooley hit back-to-back shots after the Bison hit two free throws, and the Lions were holding strong to a seven-point lead.

The Bison tied it up at 51 with a quick run that included two 3s. Lawrence had a spell of turnovers in that stretch, which led to some easy opportunities for the Bison. The Lions responded with a 6-0 run, but the Bison closed the third quarter with three free throws and a 3-pointer to take a 57-56 lead into the final quarter.

“They average about 70 points per game, and when they run their man offense, they’re extremely efficient,” Wood said of the Bison. “They have really good players who cause chaos. We were trying to slow them down a bit, and to their credit, as the game wore on, they were able to find ways against our zone to penetrate.”

Lawrence got to the free-throw line early in the fourth quarter but only converted on half of their opportunities. Meanwhile, the Bison hit a couple of 3s to extend their lead to eight points. The Lions held the Bison to a scoring drought and cut the Shawnee Mission North lead to two points with 34.3 seconds left, but a missed and-1 for the Lions led to two free throws on the other end for the Bison. Lawrence missed a 3-pointer, and the Bison scored the final point on a free throw with 11.9 seconds remaining, giving the Bison the 73-68 win.

“These kids work really hard and deserve to have a good moment,” Wood said. “It’ll be a great challenge for us on Friday, but it’ll be a great opportunity to go win and have our seniors have an awesome moment on that court for the last time.”

Lawrence boys and girls basketball will finish the regular season at home on Friday for senior night against Gardner Edgerton.

photo by: David Rodish/Journal-World

Lawrence sophomore Joey Dooley dribbles around a defender in a loss to Shawnee Mission North on Tuesday, Feb. 24, 2026, in Lawrence.

photo by: David Rodish/Journal-World

Lawrence sophomore Joey Dooley drives for a layup in a loss to Shawnee Mission North on Tuesday, Feb. 24, 2026, in Lawrence.

photo by: David Rodish/Journal-World

Lawrence sophomore Simon Simien dribbles the ball in a loss to Shawnee Mission North on Tuesday, Feb. 24, 2026, in Lawrence.

photo by: David Rodish/Journal-World

Lawrence senior Eddie Roman Nose lays the ball up in a loss to Shawnee Mission North on Tuesday, Feb. 24, 2026, in Lawrence.

photo by: David Rodish/Journal-World

Lawrence freshman Layla Simmons passes the ball in a win over Shawnee Mission North on Tuesday, Feb. 24, 2026, in Lawrence.

photo by: David Rodish/Journal-World

Lawrence junior Cami Nauholz tips the ball in the net in a win over Shawnee Mission North on Tuesday, Feb. 24, 2026, in Lawrence.

photo by: David Rodish/Journal-World

Lawrence sophomore Lucy Juelsgaard passes to the wing in a win over Shawnee Mission North on Tuesday, Feb. 24, 2026, in Lawrence.

photo by: David Rodish/Journal-World

Lawrence sophomore Zoey Barber goes for a layup in a win over Shawnee Mission North on Tuesday, Feb. 24, 2026, in Lawrence.