photo by: David Rodish/Journal-World

Junior guard Eddie Roman Nose plays defense in a 59-58 loss to Shawnee Mission East at Lawrence High School on Friday, December 20, 2024.

Lawrence High School’s boys and girls basketball teams hosted Shawnee Mission East on Friday for their final game ahead of the winter break, and each lost following tight finishes.

The LHS girls team dropped a close, physical game against the Lancers 47-42. A total of 54 fouls were called in the game. In the first quarter, there were more fouls than field goals, and the Lancers were called for more than points they scored.

Lawrence held a 9-4 lead after the first quarter. Even though the Lancers didn’t hurt the Lions with free throws too much, the early foul trouble for several players hurt the Lions later in the game. Senior D’ema Barnes, freshman Jayla Colter and sophomore Cami Nauholz each had one bucket.

Shawnee Mission East found some rhythm early in the second quarter. The Lancers hit two 3-pointers and rattled off a 12-1 run through the first five minutes. The Lions’ only point in that stretch came from a free throw by Nauholz. LHS eventually came back and finished the quarter on a 10-4 run to tie the game at 20-20 at halftime.

Lawrence and Shawnee Mission East had five fouls in the first and second quarters and were in the bonus. The third quarter for Lawrence was the only period in the game in which a team didn’t hit five fouls.

The second half was more back-and-forth than the first, but the Lancers took an early lead and kept the Lions at arm’s length for the start of the third quarter. Again, the Lions turned up the heat by attacking the paint with Nauholz, who scored 11 of the team’s 14 points. By the fourth quarter, the game was tied again at 34-34.

For the third straight quarter, the Lancers started faster. The Lions didn’t score until almost five minutes into it, and by that point, the Lancers had a 42-35 lead. Lawrence hit a few shots to come close, but the Lancers hit their free throws at the end of the game to secure the win.

Boys basketball

The Lions similarly played it close in the boys’ game but couldn’t finish it down the stretch, losing 59-58.

Lawrence had a hot start with some 3-point shooting from senior Aden Ramirez. To put the bow on the quarter, freshman Joey Dooley hit a buzzer-beater to give the Lions a 21-15 lead.

The second quarter wasn’t as dominant for the Lions. The Lancers were able to hit some 3-pointers, while the Lions relied primarily on 2-point shots. By halftime, the Lions still held a lead at 35-32.

Both teams played the third quarter relatively close, but the Lancers were able to take the lead for the first time since the three-minute mark of the first quarter. The Lancers and the Lions went back and forth to close the quarter, but LHS finished it with a 48-45 lead. Junior Eddie Roman Nose and Dooley were the catalysts behind the Lions taking the slight lead back from the Lancers.

The final quarter was another shot-for-shot battle. Neither team could separate, and neither team was slowing down. With under two minutes to go, the Lions held a 56-54 lead. The Lancers moved to tie it up at 58-58 shortly after, and a seemingly unintended take foul with under a minute left sent Shawnee Mission East senior Walt Jones to the free-throw line, where he went 1-for-2 and took the lead.

Lawrence couldn’t put together the go-ahead bucket, and the team’s final heave at the buzzer bounced off the rim as time expired, ending the game at 59-58 for the Lancers.

Both Lawrence teams will be off until Jan. 10 at home against Shawnee Mission Northwest. The girls will play at 5:30 p.m., and the boys will play at 7 p.m.