photo by: David Rodish/Journal-World

The Lawrence girls basketball team swarms freshman Marley Doleman after her game-winning 3-pointer in a first round substate game against Shawnee Mission Northwest on Tuesday, March 3, 2026, in Lawrence.

Lawrence sophomore Zoey Barber got the inbound pass after Shawnee Mission Northwest got a 47-46 lead with 11 seconds left in Tuesday’s substate game. As she brought the ball up the court, she surveyed her options.

Barber saw junior Cami Nauholz posting up in the paint. She saw sophomore Lucy Juelsgaard wide open and freshman Marley Doleman running between herself and Juelsgaard. With six seconds left Barber threw it to Juelsgaard, who immediately dished it to Doleman, whose feet were set over 30 feet away from the basket. Doleman let it fly without hesitation.

The shot felt good the moment it left Doleman’s hands, and it stayed true through the net as the final buzzer rang out, giving the Lions a 49-47 win.

“We needed a shot, and (the defender) wasn’t guarding up,” Doleman said. “Right when it left, it felt like a good, confident shot.”

The student section swarmed the court to celebrate as No. 7 Lawrence girls basketball punched its ticket to the substate championship on Friday.

“We want to get the ball in and up the court as quickly as possible, and try to catch them before they can have a set defense,” Lawrence coach Jeff Dickson said of the play. “We got it to our hottest kid of the night, and she pulled up.”

The game was a challenge for the Lions offensively. Lawrence likes to get the ball in the paint to junior Cami Nauholz, but the Cougars were packing the paint and making entry passes difficult. But that left open space along the 3-point line, which the Lions were able to take advantage of.

“It definitely helps when I’m able to kick it out and we make those 3s when they put three or four people in the paint,” Nauholz said. “Especially when we’re not getting foul calls, it’s important that when we get those open 3s that we make them.”

Juelsgaard started the game with a 3-pointer after Nauholz kicked the ball out. The Cougars scored on a backdoor cutting layup on the next possession, and Nauholz scored her first bucket after an offensive rebound. Doleman hit her first 3-pointer on an assist from Nauholz, giving the Lions an early 8-2 lead.

But the Cougars took the lead with another layup, a 3-pointer and a three-point play in the paint. Nauholz hit two free throws to tie the game, and sophomore Macyn Ramsay scored the final points with 13 seconds left in the quarter after freshman Layla Simmons stole the ball, which gave the Lions a 12-10 lead going into the second quarter.

In times where the offense struggled to get consistency, the Lions were able to rely on their defense to force stops. Between numerous blocks from Nauholz and steals from the Lawrence guards, the Lions didn’t allow a slow offensive half to take over the game.

“Defense wins games,” Barber said. “Playing good defense helped keep them low so we can build our energy back up.”

The Cougars started the second quarter with a pair of 3-pointers and two free throws to take the lead. Doleman hit her second 3-pointer midway through the quarter, and senior Jada Baars-Turner tied the game with a 3-pointer of her own. The Cougars scored a quick five points, but Baars-Turner hit her second 3-pointer to close the half with the Cougars leading 23-21.

Lawrence finished with five of its seven made field goals in the first half being 3-pointers. Three of those five 3s came from different players, and the Lions finished the game with multiple made 3s.

“We’re all just confident in our teammates, knowing we can make those shots,” Doleman said of the team’s 3-point shooting.

Lawrence’s offense had some struggles with turnovers and missed shots in the third quarter as the Cougars extended their lead. Doleman finished through contact and hit an and-1 for the Lions’ first points of the half, but the Cougars had a strong run to push their lead to nine points in the third quarter.

Dickson said that the last time the Lions played the Cougars, the Lions were focusing on calls made by the officials and were taking themselves out of the game. Since that moment, the Lions have continued to rally around each other and play hard. With the season on the line on Tuesday, the team did just that.

“We were just thinking about who wants it more,” Doleman said. “We just had to keep calm and keep playing.”

Baars-Turner hit a free throw with under four minutes left in the quarter to get the Lions back on the board. The Cougars hit a 3-pointer in between two 3s from Ramsay. Doleman hit another 3-pointer and stole the ball on the next possession as Lawrence trailed by two late in the quarter. But a buzzer-beater 3-pointer for the Cougars gave them a five-point lead again.

Lawrence’s defense started hot in the final quarter, forcing two turnovers and an airball. On the other end, Nauholz scored in the paint and Barber hit a 3-pointer to tie the game. Doleman hit another 3-pointer after the Cougars scored in the paint to give the Lions a one-point lead.

The Cougars knocked down their final 3-pointer with just under three minutes left in the game, giving the Cougars a 45-43 lead. Ramsay hit a free throw, and Nauholz scored on a hook shot with an assist from Barber with under a minute left.

Shawnee Mission Northwest called a timeout with 21 seconds left and took the lead with under 11 seconds on a 2-point shot. Doleman proceeded to hit her fifth 3-pointer to win the game for the Lions, 49-47.

“It says a lot about the culture of our team that she as a freshman is comfortable taking those shots,” Dickson said. “They all lift each other and empower each other… She’s just the best kid.”

The Lions will face No. 2 Olathe South on Friday at 6 p.m. Lawrence and Olathe South played in Olathe on Dec. 16, where the Falcons beat the Lions 57-34. But the Lions are hot, having won seven of their last 10 games. Part of that success comes from the team’s culture, and that culture is a reason why the team is excited to extend the basketball season.

“The past few weeks with our seniors and how important they are, we really wanted to play for each other so that we get to play more games,” Nauholz said. “That’s so important to us, and we all enjoy being together and playing together.”

photo by: David Rodish/Journal-World

Lawrence senior Jada Baars-Turner dribbles the ball in a first round substate game against Shawnee Mission Northwest on Tuesday, March 3, 2026, in Lawrence.

photo by: David Rodish/Journal-World

Lawrence sophomore Zoey Barber turns toward the basket in a first round substate game against Shawnee Mission Northwest on Tuesday, March 3, 2026, in Lawrence.

photo by: David Rodish/Journal-World

Lawrence sophomore Lucy Juelsgaard dribbles the ball in a first round substate game against Shawnee Mission Northwest on Tuesday, March 3, 2026, in Lawrence.

photo by: David Rodish/Journal-World

Lawrence junior Cami Nauholz dribbles the ball in a first round substate game against Shawnee Mission Northwest on Tuesday, March 3, 2026, in Lawrence.

photo by: David Rodish/Journal-World

Lawrence senior Jada Baars-Turner defends in a first round substate game against Shawnee Mission Northwest on Tuesday, March 3, 2026, in Lawrence.

photo by: David Rodish/Journal-World

Lawrence freshman Layla Simmons drives for a layup in a first round substate game against Shawnee Mission Northwest on Tuesday, March 3, 2026, in Lawrence.

photo by: David Rodish/Journal-World

Lawrence junior Cami Nauholz passes the ball in a first round substate game against Shawnee Mission Northwest on Tuesday, March 3, 2026, in Lawrence.

photo by: David Rodish/Journal-World

Lawrence sophomore Macyn Ramsay receives a pass from sophomore Lucy Juelsgaard in a first round substate game against Shawnee Mission Northwest on Tuesday, March 3, 2026, in Lawrence.