photo by: David Rodish/Journal-World

Lawrence seniors Jada Baars-Turner, left, and La'Keyshia Woods bring the ball up the court in a senior night win over Gardner Edgerton on Friday, Feb. 27, 2026, at Lawrence High School.

Lawrence basketball closed the regular season in memorable fashion on Friday night, as both the boys and girls basketball teams beat Gardner Edgerton for senior night.

“It was good to win on senior night, because we don’t lose on senior night at Lawrence High,” Lawrence girls basketball coach Jeff Dickson said.

Lawrence celebrated eight seniors at the game, four on the boys team and four on the girls. Of the boys’ four seniors, center Devin Foster and point guard Eddie Roman Nose are starters, while Khyree McGee and Jaxon Becker are consistent role players off the bench. For the girls, Jada Baars-Turner and La’Keyshia Woods are the two on the varsity roster, while Brooklyn Barrett is a senior student manager for the team and Brae Mayo is a student assistant.

All eight seniors spoke about their gratitude for the team, and how much the program has meant to all of them during their time at Lawrence High. Woods said it was “emotional” to be on the court with how little time is guaranteed for the rest of the season.

“These girls want to do good for the whole team and not just individually, and I feel like that’s what sets us apart,” Mayo said.

It was a slow start for the Lawrence girls basketball team, as early turnovers led to the Trailblazers quickly taking the lead. They hit two 3-pointers within the first two minutes and took a 9-0 lead shortly after.

Baars-Turner got the Lions on the board with a 3-pointer, her first of several in the opening quarter. The Trailblazers returned the 3 with a bucket from inside the arc, but freshman Marley Doleman and Baars-Turner hit a 3-pointer and assisted on each other’s make.

Gardner Edgerton scored twice more in the paint, but sophomore Macyn Ramsay ended the quarter with a 3-pointer, Lawrence’s fourth, to make it a 15-12 Gardner Edgerton lead.

“I came into the game a little emotional, but I had to lock in for my teammates,” Baars-Turner said. “But I’m glad we ended our regular season with a good win with my team.”

Sophomore Zoey Barber started the second quarter with a layup after her offensive rebound, and Junior Cami Nauholz got the Lions a 16-15 lead with two free throws. The Trailblazers came back with two 3s on the other end, but the Lions finished the quarter on a 16-6 run.

Nauholz was effective in getting to the free throw line in the second quarter, as seven of her nine points came from the line. Her consistency in getting free throws, along with 3-point shooting from Ramsay, helped the Lions take a 32-27 lead into halftime.

The Trailblazers quickly tied the game at the start of the third quarter, but the Lions got into a groove on both ends of the court to take control. Doleman and Nauholz each made two free throws, and Ramsay hit another 3-pointer. Nauholz got the lead back above 10 points with a second-chance bucket, and Barber extended the lead with a 3.

Gardner Edgerton closed the quarter strong, but Lawrence led 55-44 at the end of the third quarter. The Trailblazers cut the Lions’ lead to six points midway into the final quarter, but the Lions commandingly closed the game. Nauholz scored twice, and Ramsay scored the final points of the game with an assist from Baars-Turner, giving Lawrence the 63-51 win.

“It was bittersweet,” Baars-Turner said. “This team really means a lot to me. Playing on this team the last four years has brought me so much joy and friendship and love. I’m proud of us winning on senior night.”

In the boys basketball game, Gardner Edgerton got off to a quick start and took an early lead, but the Lions soon afterward composed themselves and took control of the game. The Trailblazers took a 10-2 lead before Lawrence went on a 10-5 run to close the opening quarter. Gardner Edgerton still maintained the lead, but the Lions had the momentum going into the second quarter.

Lawrence had started the game playing zone defense, which had been a strength for the team over the last few games. But the Trailblazers exploited it with some outside shooting, and the Lions switched to man defense.

“Everyone just got that, ‘OK, I’m going to be a dog out there,'” Becker said. “When you can get a good stop and push the ball and get a bucket, it’s like, ‘OK, we can keep doing that and doing that.’ Slowly, it wears down on the other team.”

There, the Lions started on an 8-2 run to take a 20-17 lead. Dooley scored the first bucket, and junior Kenyon Doleman then converted a four-point play after getting fouled on a 3-point make. Roman Nose’s reverse layup got the Lions a three-point lead.

The Trailblazers soon tied it up, but the Lions finished the half on top 32-28 by attacking the paint. Dooley, Roman Nose, Foster and sophomore Truth Pope all got buckets by driving to the basket.

“We’ve gotten pretty good at that over the last few games,” Lawrence boys basketball coach Nick Wood said. “(Getting into the bonus) has been a benefit of having an attack mindset. They get downhill. We’ve been coming off ball screens and getting wide instead of attacking downhill, and these guys have done a great job of that and get to the basket.”

Dooley started the second half with a 3-pointer, but the Trailblazers were the aggressor in the start of the third quarter and cut the Lawrence lead to a point. Doleman added another 3-pointer, and Dooley scored five points on three free throws and a layup. The Lions maintained the lead through the rest of the quarter, taking a 56-51 lead into the final eight minutes.

Lawrence made winning plays in the second half on offense, but mistakes kept Gardner Edgerton from falling too far behind. The Lions gave up a number of fastbreak buckets that ultimately got Gardner Edgerton a lead in the fourth quarter.

“We were playing really well offensively, but we couldn’t get back on defense quickly,” Wood said. “We were giving it right back. And that’s part of our growth — we’re still so young. Every possession matters.”

At the start of the fourth quarter, the Trailblazers went on an 8-2 run to take the lead. Pope tied it up with a free throw, but the Trailblazers responded with a 3-pointer. The Lions continued to get to the free throw line and managed to tie the game at 64 each with less than two minutes left in the game.

Dooley got the defense to bite on a fake and hit an open layup with 13 seconds left, and Roman Nose got a steal with five seconds left. He hit two free throws on the following foul, and a steal by Pope ended the game with the Lions winning 68-64.

“Those seniors, they’ve been with me since we stepped into this basketball program, so they mean a lot,” Wood said. “To have them go out on a high note at home was special to see. I’m super proud of them. That’s Lawrence High right there.”

For the boys seniors, Friday was their final game at Lawrence High. To end that chapter with a win meant everything to the team.

“We rose to the occasion,” Foster said. “We needed to show out and get a win for our last home game.”

Lawrence boys and girls basketball will head to the playoffs now. The girls basketball team will host its first substate game on Tuesday, while the Lions will be on the road on Wednesday.

“I think we responded in the second half of the season better than expected for a young team,” Dickson said. “We played some of the best teams in the state, got smacked around a bit, but we had great senior leadership that held us together and pulled us through.”

photo by: David Rodish/Journal-World

Lawrence sophomore Truth Pope dribbles the ball in a senior night game against Gardner Edgerton on Friday, Feb. 27, 2026, at Lawrence High School.

photo by: David Rodish/Journal-World

Lawrence junior Kenyon Doleman, right, hands the ball off to sophomore Joey Dooley in a senior night game against Gardner Edgerton on Friday, Feb. 27, 2026, at Lawrence High School.

photo by: David Rodish/Journal-World

Lawrence senior Eddie Roman Nose euro steps for a layup in a senior night game against Gardner Edgerton on Friday, Feb. 27, 2026, at Lawrence High School.

photo by: David Rodish/Journal-World

Lawrence senior Eddie Roman Nose, left, passes the ball to senior Jaxon Becker in a senior night game against Gardner Edgerton on Friday, Feb. 27, 2026, at Lawrence High School.

photo by: David Rodish/Journal-World

Lawrence senior Khyree McGee sets a screen in a senior night game against Gardner Edgerton on Friday, Feb. 27, 2026, at Lawrence High School.

photo by: David Rodish/Journal-World

Lawrence junior Cami Nauholz looks for a layup opportunity in a senior night win over Gardner Edgerton on Friday, Feb. 27, 2026, at Lawrence High School.

photo by: David Rodish/Journal-World

Lawrence sophomore Lucy Juelsgaard passes the ball in a senior night win over Gardner Edgerton on Friday, Feb. 27, 2026, at Lawrence High School.

photo by: David Rodish/Journal-World

Lawrence sophomore Macyn Ramsay gets a fastbreak layup in a senior night win over Gardner Edgerton on Friday, Feb. 27, 2026, at Lawrence High School.

photo by: David Rodish/Journal-World

Lawrence sophomore Zoey Barber brings the ball up the court in a senior night win over Gardner Edgerton on Friday, Feb. 27, 2026, at Lawrence High School.