LHS boys come back against SM West; Lady Lions escape close call

Overland Park – A second-half spark elevated Lawrence High boys basketball to a 74-63 road win over Shawnee Mission West on Friday night. LHS (11-3), trailing for most of the game, turned on the jets late to escape the Vikings.

Junior Zaxton King led the Lions with 33 points on 11-of-16 shooting, knocking down three 3s along the way. Senior Jaylon Case scored 13 points on 4-of-8 shooting and finished 3-of-4 from the stripe. Senior Will Leuschen contributed eight points.

SM West matched the Lions’ tempo from the jump, grabbing its first lead of the game, 19-18, heading into the second quarter two-point jumper by senior Jayse Boatwright. Starting 7-of-11 from the field, LHS went cold in the second.

Recovering from a 10-0 run by the Vikings to start the second quarter, LHS fought back within one possession of SM West, 31-28, at halftime on 13 first-half points by King and a late 3 by Leuschen before the break.

King and Boatwright each received technical fouls less than two minutes into the second quarter, as the Lions climbed within five of SM West late in the third. Senior Kenton Simmons brought LHS within just a basket, trailing 52-50, with a pair of free throws early into the fourth quarter.

As the Lions picked up steam late, Simmons threw down a one-hand jam over SM West’s Zeph Clark putting LHS ahead by 60-54 with 4:45 remaining. LHS outshot the Vikings through the final stretch, tallying 26 fourth-quarter points.

BOXSCORE:

Lawrence High (74): King 11-16, 8-9, 33, Case 4-8, 3-4, 13, Leuschen 3-4, 0-0, 8, Bassett 2-3, 3-7, 7, Simmons 2-2, 2-2, 6, Lewis 2-4, 0-0, 5, Watson 1-1, 0-0, 2. Totals: 25-38, 16-22, 74.

Shawnee Mission West (63): Ross 10-11, 3-3, 26, Clark 6-11, 0-0 14, Boatwright 4-6, 2-2, 10, Carter 3-6, 0-0 7, Parkhurst 1-4, 0-0, 3, Ashby 1-1, 0-0, 2, Mponezya 0-0, 1-2, 1. Totals: 25-39, 6-7, 63.

3FGs: LHS 8-12 (King 3, Leuschen 2, Case 2, Lewis 1); SM West 7-10 (Ross 3, Clark 2, Parkhurst 1, Carter 1) TOs: LHS 9; SM West 9. Fouled out: SM West – Boatwright.

LHS girls escape close call with SM West

The Lawrence High girls’ basketball team picked up a 46-40 road win at Shawnee Mission West on Friday night. As the LHS offense slowed down in the third, the Lady Lions clung to a seven-point lead heading into the fourth.

Sophomore Brynnae Johnson led LHS (12-2) with 15 points on 6 of 11 shooting, including two 3s. Seniors Daphne Bracker Sturm (10 points) and Lucy Hardy (9 points) also played big roles, with Hardy knocking down a game-high three 3s.

LHS coach Jeff Dickson said his team displayed the kind of grit they’ll need when the postseason rolls around. He highlighted Bracker Sturm and Johnson’s scoring initiative, along with the Lady Lions’ team defense.

“Tonight was a battle just like every road game in the Sunflower League,” Dickson said. “Our kids showed great physical and mental toughness. They came together and elevated each other.”

Hardy opened the scoring for LHS with a 3-pointer, as the Lady Lions pushed out to a 5-0 lead quickly. SM West, keeping the game within one possession for the remainder of the first, snatched the lead 15-14 on a long 3 by junior Morgan Chiarello.

LHS got two more 3s from Hardy before the break and another from senior Serenity Keo. Johnson crossed into double figures as the Lady Lions entered the locker room leading by 9.

SM West, getting shots to fall late in the third, wedged itself within 7 of the Lady Lions heading into the fourth. A three-pointer by Vikings junior Izzy Joyce pulled SM the game back within one possession, 42-39, with two minutes left.

Johnson, and junior Cyrenity Hardy, each drew late fouls to grab four free points helping LHS escape with the win.

BOXSCORE:

Lawrence High (46): Johnson 6-11, 1-2, 15, Bracker Sturm 4-7, 2-3, 10, L. Hardy 3-5, 0-0, 9, Keo 2-5, 2-2, 7, Marshall 1-5, 2-2, 4, C. Hardy 0-1, 1-2, 1. Totals: 16-36, 8-11, 46.

Shawnee Mission West (40): Nichols 6-14, 7-10, 20, Joyce 5-13, 4-5, 17, Chiarello 1-4, 0-0, 3. Totals: 12-34, 11-15, 40.

3FGs: LHS 5-9 (L. Hardy 3, Johnson 2, Keo 1); SM West 5-14 (Joyce 3, Nichols 1, Chiarello 1) TOs: LHS 7; SM West 8. Fouled out: none.

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