photo by: David Rodish/Journal-World

Lawrence junior Cami Nauholz shoots a free throw in the substate championship at Olathe South on Friday, March 6, 2026, in Olathe.

Standing at 6-foot-1, Lawrence junior center Cami Nauholz has a height advantage over most basketball players in the state that means, more often than not, she can get a bucket over anyone.

While height gives her the advantage, Nauholz’s footwork in the paint seals the deal. Lawrence coach Jeff Dickson called her the most technically sound player he’s coached, which is what takes her from a tall player who can score into one of the best in the state.

Nauholz reached 1,000 career points with the Lions on Friday in the team’s final game of the season. She needed 23 points to hit the mark and got the last one in the fourth quarter. For her junior year, Nauholz finished with over 500 points alone, a school record.

“She’s an incredibly prolific, hardworking, unselfish scorer,” Dickson said. “For the first time in her career, we’ve been able to surround her with kids that pass to her and look for her, and that has made our team better.”

Nauholz finished the regular season averaging 21.6 points per game, which was the fourth-most in the Sunflower League. Not only did she score, but Nauholz led the league in rebounds with 13.7 per game and 5.3 blocks per game. Nauholz spends the majority of her time in the paint, but her range goes far beyond it. She is a capable 3-point shooter and passer.

“It was pretty hard to do, but I couldn’t have done it without my teammates and everyone supporting me,” Nauholz said. “I’m coached by a lot of great people, which helps a lot.”

Senior Jada Baars-Turner said what makes Nauholz so special is her ability to get through multiple people in the paint for a layup.

“Her mental toughness, too,” Baars-Turner added. “She knocks down a lot of free throws. She gets a lot of foul calls, and she’s a great player overall.”

The Lions play through Nauholz, and that has led to a dramatic rise in scoring for the team. With Nauholz drawing attention in the paint, other players have been able to take advantage with open shots and softer coverage.

“Them feeding her the ball has got us multiple kids averaging double digits,” Dickson said. “It’s allowed Cami to show what she’s capable of and show everybody what we’re capable of. We turned over our roster quite a bit, and we’re able to build around arguably the greatest player who has ever played at Lawrence High.”

Dickson said that the previous record for points in a season was 351. Not only did Nauholz comfortably pass that, but Dickson said that sophomore Macyn Ramsay also surpassed that total. Marley Doleman, a freshman, nearly averaged 10 points per game and finished well over 100 points on the season.

Lawrence’s team-wide scoring increase stems from Nauholz, who not only gets the ball in the net but draws double teams and will pass the ball around to create opportunities for more players.

“That’s why we’re one of the better teams in the state, one of the remaining teams in the Sunflower League that were still playing (Friday),” Dickson said. “It’s because of how unselfish the kids are and how they pull for each other.”

While Nauholz was the engine that powered the Lions this season, she gave the credit to the Lions around her.

“I couldn’t have done it without my teammates, without all their passes,” Nauholz said.