photo by: Landon Cory/Special to the Journal-World

Lawrence senior Zaxton King rolls past Free State defenders for a layup on Friday, Feb. 16, 2024, at Free State High School.

Above the crowd noise and all, Lawrence High senior star Zaxton King’s 40-point performance was nearly impossible to miss in a convincing 67-46 road win over the Free State boys basketball team in the City Showdown on Friday night.

The LHS senior capped off his final battle with the Firebirds (6-13) with a bang. When asked about playing on his opponent’s floor for the final time, King stressed how important the game was to his team and their season’s worth of ups and downs.

“I know (head coach Nick Wood) wanted that win for sure,” King said. “It means a lot to him. It felt good to be able to do that.”

King kicked on the nitrous for LHS (6-12) from the jump, flying into double-figure scoring with 13 points before the first quarter wrapped. Two early 3-point buckets by King and another by junior Jaylen Parks guided LHS to a 16-5 lead by the second quarter.

Not lost in the Lions’ attack were sophomore Edward Roman Nose (10 points), junior Avery Johnson (six points) and junior Jaylen Parks (six points). LHS, now having won four of its last five games, is figuring out just how fun winning is, Roman Nose said.

“It feels like a dream,” Roman Nose said. “It’s definitely nerve-wracking a little, but I worked hard, and for it to just come natural is the best. It’s just so fun to be out there.”

The high-energy nature of the game arguably weighed down FSHS coach Dwayne Paul’s team early, the first-year Firebirds coach said.

“If we’re being transparent, that moment was too big for our guys,” Paul said. “I felt like I would’ve rather them come out and be overexcited and have to pull them back.”

The Firebirds finished the night just 18 of 47 from the floor, but had 10 total names in the scorebook. Senior Dash Johnson (4 of 14) led the team with nine points. Right behind Johnson was sophomore Hueston Saunders (4 of 5) with eight.

Free State opened the night just 2 of 11 from the floor in the first quarter and found some short-lived relief when a 2-pointer by junior AJ Eason (three points) cut the LHS lead down to 19-11 midway through the second quarter.

But eight combined points off the Firebirds’ bench were hardly enough to slow down King and the Lions before halftime. King said LHS emphasized its zone defense during the practices leading up to the big night.

“We knew they had shooters and where they were at,” King said. “We just kept an eye on them and communicated.”

photo by: Landon Cory/Special to the Journal-World

Free State senior Wesley Edison follows through on a shot against Lawrence High on Friday, Feb. 16, 2024, at Lawrence High School.

photo by: Landon Cory/Special to the Journal-World

Free State guard Korbin Dowdell attempts a floater over the Lawrence defense on Friday, Feb. 16, 2024, at Free State High School.

Rising to 26 points before the second quarter closed, King kept the FSHS busy right down to the half. Parks sprinkled in a 3-point basket to keep the momentum rolling, and the Lions went into the break holding a double-digit advantage.

Johnson added a 3-pointer to the Firebirds’ effort early in the third quarter, but the Lions kept up the pace as King reached 33 points and Roman Nose piled on the pressure with two consecutive 3-pointers, including an and-one.

Paul felt his group didn’t come into the second half as loudly as they needed to.

“As a former player and a coach, I just feel like you just keep yourself cool and collected in that moment, and I felt like we were just too lackadaisical,” Paul said. “I don’t think they were scared; we were just too laid back.”

LHS sat comfortably with a 48-27 lead at the end of the third quarter, but it didn’t let the Firebirds rest down the stretch, either.

photo by: Landon Cory/Special to the Journal-World

Lawrence junior Jaylen Parks makes a 3 pointer against Free State guard Korbin Dowdell on Friday, Feb. 16, 2024, at Free State High School.

photo by: Landon Cory/Special to the Journal-World

Lawrence senior Zaxton King attempts a 3 over Free State guard AJ Eason on Friday, Feb. 16, 2024, at Free State High School.

photo by: Landon Cory/Special to the Journal-World

Free State guard AJ Eason puts up a floater over a Lawrence High defender on Friday, Feb. 16, 2024, at Free State High School.

Avery Johnson added two 3-point baskets of his own – his first points of the night – early into the fourth quarter alongside 2s by junior Banks Bowen (two points) and sophomore Josh Galbreath (two points).

Wood, who is in his first year as LHS’ head coach, said the Lions’ strong finish is just another indicator of where his team’s ceiling is. He credited King and his first-year varsity players for raising the bar.

“We’ve had an interesting journey this season but there’s no doubt in my mind that we’re playing our best basketball right now,” Wood said. “The trajectory of our program is high, but that started with these kids believing in one another.”

LHS travels to Shawnee Mission North next Tuesday, Feb. 20; FSHS travels to Shawnee Mission Northwest next Tuesday, as well.

BOX SCORE:

LHS 16 16 16 19 – 67

FSHS 5 10 14 17 – 46

Lawrence High (67) Zaxton King 14-21 7-8 40; Avery Johnson 2-3 0-0 6; Banks Bowen 1-3 0-0 2; Gordon Fineday 0-4 1-2 1; Josh Galbreath 1-2 0-0 2. Totals: 23-44 10-13 67.

Free State (46) Wesley Edison 2-6 3-4 7; Devon Hamilton 1-4 0-0 3; Bennett Nagel 1-2 0-0 2; Dash Johnson 4-14 0-0 9; Braden Wilmes 1-1 2-6 4. Totals: 18-47 7-15 46.

3-point goals: LHS: 11-23 (); FSHS: 3-19 (). Turnovers: LHS 11, FSHS 8. Fouled Out: None.

photo by: Landon Cory/Special to the Journal-World

Lawrence High senior Destiny Savannah drives past Free State freshman Peyton Moore on Friday, Feb. 16, 2024, at Free State High School.

LHS girls use sturdy defense to outpace Free State on the road

A powerful defensive performance let Lawrence High girls basketball roll past Free State for a 48-26 road win in Friday’s City Showdown, the Lions’ third consecutive victory in the annual crosstown series.

Freshman Cami Nauholz put together a game-high 19 points for the Lions (10-8), aided by seniors Destiny Savannah (nine points) and Delilah Barnes (six points) along the way. The Firebirds got a big night out of senior Cydnee Price, who scored nine of her 11 total points from behind the arc.

The Firebirds won the tipoff and found themselves on the scoreboard right away with a deep 3-pointer by senior Cydnee Price. But that didn’t really set the tone, as FSHS collected 10 turnovers over the next six minutes.

FSHS coach Summer Frantz said her team didn’t start as strong as she’d hoped, but she was enthusiastic about Price’s performance.

“We didn’t play as hard as I wanted,” Frantz said. “I thought we did a good job responding to a couple of their runs throughout the game… We all know (Price) is a really good shooter, so it was good to finally see her take off.”

Leaning on Nauholz inside, LHS raced to a 20-8 lead by the end of the first quarter – even with another 3-point make by Price before the clock expired.

FSHS managed to slow up the Lions headed into the break, as freshman Anniston Clark stole away three of LHS’ four second-quarter turnovers and the Firebirds cashed in on another 3 by Price and a 2-point jumper by Clark.

Still, the Firebirds entered halftime trailing the Lions by 16 points and particularly cold from the field (5 of 16), leaving a lot of work to do. LHS senior Miri Pickman was impressed by how much gas FSHS still had in the tank late in the first half.

“They definitely played their game the whole time,” Pickman said. “The effort was really good and I’m just proud of all of us.”

LHS effectively silenced the Firebirds throughout the entire third quarter, pulling away four more turnovers by the Firebirds and limiting them to just 1 of 7 from the field – the exception being a 3-point bucket by freshman Addie Fulscher at the end of the quarter. The Lions finished the third period up 35-16.

Three fourth-quarter 3s by Savannah and Barnes and junior Nyasia Ramos dropped the hammer, extending LHS’ lead to 22 points with under four minutes to go.

As the Lions ran away with game late, FSHS junior Chloe Clossen and freshman Peyton Moore joined the scoring with five combined points to aid another 2-pointer by Clark and a pair of free-throws by Price down the stretch.

LHS senior Azura Clark said she’s going to miss the hometown rivalry.

“It’s something I’ve always been a part of the last four years of my life,” she said. “It’s going away.”

LHS travels to Shawnee Mission North next Tuesday, Feb. 20; FSHS closes its regular-season schedule at Shawnee Mission Northwest next Tuesday, as well.

BOX SCORE:

LHS 20 9 6 13 – 48

FSHS 8 5 3 10 – 26

Lawrence High (48) Azura Clark 2-5 1-2 5; Emma Roman Nose 0-8 4-8 4; Destiny Savannah 4-11 0-0 9; Cami Nauholz 9-12 1-2 19; Cyrenity Hardy 1-6 0-0 2. Totals: 19-47 6-12 48.

Free State (26) Addie Fulscher 2-8 0-0 5; Hadley Lonnberg 0-2 0-0 -; Cydnee Price 3-5 2-2 11; Anniston Clark 2-9 1-2 5; Chloe Clossen 1-7 0-0 3. Totals: 8-33 5-8 26.

3-point goals: LHS: 4-19 (); FSHS: 5-17 (). Turnovers: LHS 15, FSHS 23. Fouled Out: None.

photo by: Landon Cory/Special to the Journal-World

Lawrence freshman Camille Nauholz shoots a jumper over a Free State defender on Friday, Feb. 16, 2024, at Free State High School.

photo by: Landon Cory/Special to the Journal-World

Free State junior Chloe Clossen shoots a 3-pointer over a Lawrence defender on Friday, Feb. 16, 2024, at Free State High School.

photo by: Landon Cory/Special to the Journal-World

Free State freshman Anniston Clark attempts a shot over Lawrence freshman Camille Nauholz on Friday, Feb. 16, 2024, at Free State High School.

photo by: Landon Cory/Special to the Journal-World

Lawrence High senior Destiny Savannah shoots a floater over two Free State defenders on Friday, Feb. 16, 2024, at Free State High School.

photo by: Landon Cory/Special to the Journal-World

Free State junior Chloe Clossen drives into the paint against Lawrence High on Friday, Feb. 16, 2024, at Free State High School.