photo by: David Rodish/Journal-World

Lawrence senior Jada Baars-Turner drives to the basket in a first-round matchup against Shawnee Heights in the Capital City Classic at Topeka High on Thursday, Jan. 29, 2026, in Topeka.

TOPEKA — Lawrence girls basketball lost its first-round matchup of the Capital City Classic against Shawnee Heights 74-61 on Thursday, despite a generally strong and impressive showing from the Lions.

The Thunderbirds started hot from beyond the arc, hitting two 3-pointers in their first two possessions. The Lions fell in an early 8-2 hole with their two points coming from the free throws from junior Cami Nauholz. It only got worse for Lawrence, as Shawnee Heights hit two more 3-pointers before Lawrence called a timeout down 14-4 with 3:44 left in the opening quarter. The Thunderbirds hit another 3 after the break, but the Lions went on a crucial run led by senior Jada Baars-Turner.

“I was very proud of the way we fought back and took the lead against a good, state-ranked team,” Lawrence coach Jeff Dickson said. “…I could not be more proud of the way we fought back.”

Baars-Turner scored a quick five points before sophomore Macyn Ramsay hit a 3-pointer to make it a 17-12 Thunderbird lead. Baars-Turner then finished a layup through contact and converted the and-1 to make it a two-point game. For the final bucket of the quarter, freshman Marley Doleman scored in the paint to tie it 17-17 before the first buzzer.

Baars-Turner scored eight points in the quarter but had her fingerprints everywhere. From assists to ripping rebounds away from defenders on offense, Baars-Turner was the catalyst for the early comeback. She finished with 13 points in the game, which was third behind Nauholz with 20 points and Ramsay at 17.

“Jada is irreplaceable,” Dickson said. “Jada is the heart and soul of our team. She works so hard, cares so much and has done everything asked of her for four years. She is a true captain in every sense of the word.”

Lawrence continued the offensive momentum from the first quarter as Ramsay hit an outside shot on the first possession of the second. The Thunderbirds ended their over three-minute scoring drought with a field goal in the paint, but Ramsay answered it with another 3. Following two Shawnee Heights free throws, Ramsay hit her third 3-pointer of the quarter, giving the Lions a 26-21 lead.

Despite the cushion, the Lions couldn’t stay comfortable. The Thunderbirds kept hitting shots from beyond the arc, with KK Emmot shooting particularly well. Emmot hit two 3s while the Thunderbirds took a 28-26 lead. Lawrence responded with a layup from Nauholz to tie it and field goals from Baars-Turner and sophomore Lucy Juelsgaard to take a four-point lead.

The Thunderbirds responded with a nine-point run led by Emmot to take the lead before halftime, but a bucket from Nauholz on an assist from Baars-Turner closed the half with Lawrence trailing by three.

Lawrence had a diverse scoring portfolio in the first half, with several players hitting 3-point shots while Nauholz and Baars-Turner were particularly effective in getting to the rim. Dickson said the offensive output was a product of the team’s passing.

“They share the ball really well,” Dickson said. “People shot with confidence or attacked with confidence. Every person we put on the court can score. Sometimes we want to shoot it a little quick, but tonight, especially in the first half, we didn’t do that. We really worked it.”

Shawnee Heights started the second half with a quick five points, but Lawrence responded with a 3-pointer from Juelsgaard and four points from Nauholz.

Dickson said the early Shawnee Heights run was “a little deflating” for the Lions, and that the team got out of the mindset necessary to bounce back.

“We play a bunch of really good teams where you can’t start to worry about the last play or an official or whatever — we let a lot of things like that chip away at our energy,” Dickson said. “We tried to fight, but that was the difference, and that allowed them to pick us apart a little more.”

Lawrence’s offense slowed down the rest of the third quarter, as turnovers bogged them down and led to more opportunities for the Thunderbirds. Dickson said the Lions tried to block more shots instead of walling up on defense and prevent the Thunderbirds’ talented scorers from having clean opportunities to score in the paint.

“You have to give (Shawnee Heights) credit — that’s a super well-coached team,” Dickson said. “They took advantage of us in our inexperience.”

The Thunderbirds closed the third quarter with an eight-point lead, but they pushed it to double digits at the start of the final quarter. Ramsay hit a 3-pointer to keep it a 10-point game, and Baars-Turner hit another 3-pointer after a Nauholz layup to bring the deficit to single digits.

But the Thunderbirds closed hard and built the lead back up for the final minutes, eventually taking a 13-point lead at the end of the game.

With the loss, Lawrence will move to the consolation side of the bracket and will face Topeka High on Friday at 4:30 p.m. at Topeka High School. This will be the second time these two teams have faced — the Trojans beat the Lions 65-47 in Lawrence on Jan. 6.

“They put it to us pretty good last time around,” Dickson said of Topeka. “They’re going to be ready to go, and we’re going to have to match their intensity.”

photo by: David Rodish/Journal-World

Lawrence freshman Marley Doleman picks up the basketball in a first-round matchup against Shawnee Heights in the Capital City Classic at Topeka High on Thursday, Jan. 29, 2026, in Topeka.

photo by: David Rodish/Journal-World

Lawrence freshman Layla Simmons looks to pass in a first-round matchup against Shawnee Heights in the Capital City Classic at Topeka High on Thursday, Jan. 29, 2026, in Topeka.

photo by: David Rodish/Journal-World

Lawrence sophomore Macyn Ramsay holds the ball at the top of the key in a first-round matchup against Shawnee Heights in the Capital City Classic at Topeka High on Thursday, Jan. 29, 2026, in Topeka.

photo by: David Rodish/Journal-World

Lawrence senior Jada Baars-Turner shoots a 3-pointer in a first-round matchup against Shawnee Heights in the Capital City Classic at Topeka High on Thursday, Jan. 29, 2026, in Topeka.

photo by: David Rodish/Journal-World

Lawrence freshman Marley Doleman passes the ball in a first-round matchup against Shawnee Heights in the Capital City Classic at Topeka High on Thursday, Jan. 29, 2026, in Topeka.