photo by: David Rodish/Journal-World

Lawrence sophomore Zoey Barber passes to the wing in a loss to Mill Valley on Friday, Jan. 16, 2026, in Shawnee.

SHAWNEE — Slow offensive nights for both the Lawrence boys and girls basketball teams led to road losses to Mill Valley on Friday night.

The Lions lost 42-39 in the girls basketball game after a slow start in the opening half. What kept the Lions in the game was their defense, with the team’s young freshmen and sophomores bringing intensity to the court.

The Jaguars scored first with a 3-pointer, while the Lions didn’t get on the board until a free throw from sophomore Macyn Ramsay midway through the first quarter. Sophomore Zoey Barber got a layup after the Jaguars added a 2, and freshman Layla Simmons got the Lions the lead with a score on an assist from freshman Marley Doleman. Barber got her second bucket of the quarter, giving the Lions an 8-5 lead.

Simmons has slowly built up her minutes as the season has progressed, giving the Lions another strong freshman class of early contributors.

“Layla Simmons was out there playing her heart out,” Lawrence coach Jeff Dickson said.

Mill Valley finished the quarter with a 3-pointer and a free throw, giving the Jaguars a one-point lead. Doleman took it back at the start of the second quarter by finishing a layup through contact and hitting the and-1.

Lawrence managed only two more field goals the rest of the half, a 2-pointer from junior Cami Nauholz and another from Ramsay. The Jaguars scored 13 points during that time, mostly in the paint, but the Jaguars did close the half with a 3-pointer.

“We got sped up early, and we were a little panicky,” Dickson said. “We were dribbling the ball too much… We missed a bunch of wide-open kids, and we have to pass the ball and let those kids shoot it.”

Facing a seven-point deficit at halftime, the Lions had a change in body language, and that played out with the Lions pushing the Jaguars to the final seconds on the road. Nauholz scored the first three points of the quarter with a free throw and a layup.

The Jaguars extended their lead to nine, but the Lions continued to claw back and prevent the Jaguars from running away with the game. Sophomore Lucy Juelsgaard finished a layup through contact and hit the and-1 late in the third quarter, and senior Jada Baars-Turner hit her first field goal afterward to cut it to five points.

“We shared the ball a lot better,” Dickson said. “I could not be more proud of how we played in the second half. We had great body language in the second half… it’s never fun to lose games, but I’d rather lose and kids play the right way like they did in the second half than anything else.”

Nauholz and Simmons started the final quarter with buckets, but the Jaguars pushed their lead to 10. Nauholz hit another shot, followed by two free throws from Juelsgaard to bring it back within two possessions. The Lions benefited from poor free throw shooting from the Jaguars, who made one free throw in four attempts late in the fourth, and baskets from Simmons and Nauholz made it a three-point game.

The Lions got Barber to the free throw line with under five seconds remaining, but two missed free throws followed, and the Lions’ late comeback came up short.

“We played great in the second half,” Dickson said, “we just ran out of time.”

In the boys basketball game, the Jaguars came out hot in the first quarter, taking a 21-6 lead after eight minutes. Sophomore Simon Simien got the Lions’ first bucket of the night after Mill Valley took a quick 4-0 lead, but the Lions didn’t score again until down 15-2. Junior Kenyon Doleman hit one of two free throws, but he made up for it with a 3-pointer right after.

Mill Valley started the second quarter with a 6-0 run before sophomore Truth Pope scored to make it a 27-8 game. The Jaguars added another 6-0 run to make it a 25-point game early in the second quarter.

The Lions found a groove with a lineup featuring a number of their bench players. Senior Khyree McGee scored with an assist from senior Jaxon Becker, followed by a 3-pointer from Pope. Doleman hit two more free throws after a Mill Valley bucket, and sophomore Joey Dooley added an and-1 after finishing through contact in the paint. Dooley added another free throw to end the quarter with the Jaguars up 43-19.

“I was really proud of their effort,” Lawrence coach Nick Wood said. “Out of 32 minutes, 25 were about where we needed to be. We’ve been through a storm, and now we have to form who we are.”

From the second quarter on, the Lions attacked the paint heavily and were consistently drawing fouls. Dooley made two field goals early in the third quarter, and the Lions followed his makes with three free throws and a field goal from Becker. Lawrence only scored nine in the quarter, but the Lions held the Jaguars to 12 points with a more physical defensive presence.

The Lions were able to play faster and move the ball around more, which helped them find more rhythm offensively. It’s something the team has talked about since the start of the season, and the Lions are working toward making that their identity on the court.

Dooley started the fourth with another two free throws, and Simien scored through contact but didn’t get the and-1. The Jaguars extended their lead to around 30 points, while Pope ended the game with a field goal to make it a 69-38 final score.

“Those guys came and played hard, now there’s just some things we have to clean up,” Wood said. “Our primary help wasn’t good, our secondary help wasn’t good. Our effort was great, we just have to keep cleaning it up.”

The Lawrence girls basketball team will be on the road on Tuesday against Washburn Rural, while the boys basketball team will start its midseason tournament play in Halstead with Andale on Monday.

photo by: David Rodish/Journal-World

Lawrence junior Cami Nauholz hits a turnaround jumper in a loss to Mill Valley on Friday, Jan. 16, 2026, in Shawnee.

photo by: David Rodish/Journal-World

Lawrence freshman Layla Simmons defends a ball handler in a loss to Mill Valley on Friday, Jan. 16, 2026, in Shawnee.

photo by: David Rodish/Journal_World

Lawrence junior Adrick Webb dribbles the ball in a loss to Mill Valley on Friday, Jan. 16, 2026, in Shawnee.

photo by: David Rodish/Journal-World

Lawrence junior Kenyon Doleman jumps through contact in a loss to Mill Valley on Friday, Jan. 16, 2026, in Shawnee.

photo by: David Rodish/Journal-World

Lawrence junior Kenyon Doleman corrals a rebound in a loss to Mill Valley on Friday, Jan. 16, 2026, in Shawnee.

photo by: David Rodish/Journal-World

Lawrence freshman Marley Doleman dribbles the ball in a loss to Mill Valley on Friday, Jan. 16, 2026, in Shawnee.

photo by: David Rodish/Journal-World

Lawrence sophomore Macyn Ramsay passes to sophomore Zoey Barber in a loss to Mill Valley on Friday, Jan. 16, 2026, in Shawnee.

photo by: David Rodish/Journal-World

Lawrence senior Khyree McGee passes the ball in a loss to Mill Valley on Friday, Jan. 16, 2026, in Shawnee.

photo by: David Rodish/Journal-World

Lawrence sophomore Simon Simien handles the ball in a loss to Mill Valley on Friday, Jan. 16, 2026, in Shawnee.

photo by: David Rodish/Journal-World

Lawrence sophomore Joey Dooley looks to pass in a loss to Mill Valley on Friday, Jan. 16, 2026, in Shawnee.