photo by: Chance Parker/Special to the Journal-World

Lawrence High senior Zaxton King drives the ball against Shawnee Mission North on Tuesday, Feb. 20, 2024.

Adding to its late-season resume, the Lawrence High boys basketball team defeated Shawnee Mission North 59-47 on Tuesday.

Senior Zaxton King rose to 20 game-high points with a strong second half, but it was junior Avery Johnson (eight points), sophomore Edward Roman Nose (eight points), and senior Kem Allen (six points) that set the tone from tipoff for a 7-point halftime lead.

Opening the second half with an 11-5 run, LHS (7-12) kept up its pace through the third quarter and piled on shots to build a comfortable lead heading into the fourth quarter.

LHS, coming off a lopsided win over Free State in the City Showdown, now claims five wins through its last six contests. Coach Nick Wood said the transition from a heated rivalry game on the road to being back in their home gym was a nice late-season test.

“It’s hard to go from an environment like that with so many emotions on the line to playing on a Tuesday night,” Wood said. “We gotta bring our own energy and rise to the level of this game, and they did that.”

photo by: Chance Parker/Special to the Journal-World

Lawrence High senior Gordon Fineday is jubilant against Shawnee Mission North on Tuesday, Feb. 20, 2024.

photo by: Chance Parker/Special to the Journal-World

Lawrence High junior Avery Johnson shoots a 3-pointer against Shawnee Mission North on Tuesday, Feb. 20, 2024.

Johnson and Fineday delivered two early 3s to answer early scoring by SM North senior Aziz Jagne (19 points), rising to an 11-7 lead thanks to another 3-pointer by Allen exiting the first quarter.

Roman Nose, dropping his entire night’s production (eight points) in the second quarter, was the Lions’ main answer to Jagne’s double-digit figures in the first half and helped LHS maintain its lead at halftime. Wood feels the recent production coming from his starters and the bench has shaped the turnaround unfolding for LHS.

“They continue to step up and can become threats out there,” Wood said. “If they can just continue to step up and make winning basketball plays, that makes it hard to guard and it’s been fun to see that.”

Without a field goal in the first half, King broke his silence with two 3-point buckets and five more charity points in the third quarter. Four points by junior Jaylen Parks (seven points) and another 3-point bomb by Johnson squashed the Bison’s nine total third-quarter points.

SM North outscored LHS 19-11 in the fourth quarter, leaning on 14 combined fourth-quarter points by Jagne and sophomore Alex Casares to stay in the fight. Down 51-32 with 5:16 left, the Bison took another hit when big man Julius Casares fouled out of the game.

Even with the fourth-quarter stand, Wood acknowledged there’s still much to be seen inside the Lions’ zone defense if they wish to compete at the next level.

“There’s man-to-man principles within that where you have to be able to guard somebody and stand up man-to-man,” Wood said. “Every single game we’re getting better and better about that.”

photo by: Chance Parker/Special to the Journal-World

Lawrence High coach Nick Wood against Shawnee Mission North on Tuesday, Feb. 20, 2024.

photo by: Chance Parker/Special to the Journal-World

Lawrence High senior Kem Allen celebrates a 3-point make against Shawnee Mission North on Tuesday, Feb. 20, 2024.

LHS hosts Gardner-Edgerton on Friday. Tipoff is set for 7 p.m.

BOX SCORE:

LHS 11 15 22 11 – 59

SM North 7 12 9 19 – 47

Lawrence High (59) Zaxton King 3-10 11-12 20; Avery Johnson 3-7 0-0 8; Banks Bowen 0-1 0-0 -; Gordon Fineday 2-4 0-0 5; Josh Galbreath 1-1 1-5 3. Totals: 18-43 12-17 59.

Shawnee Mission North (47) Jourden White 1-3 0-0 3; Aziz Jagne 7-9 5-5 19; Liam Dalley 1-1 0-0 2; Alex Casares 5-10 0-0 10; Michael Lafosse 4-7 0-0 8. Totals: 20-43 5-7 47.

3-point goals: LHS: 11-26 (); SM North: 2-13 (). Turnovers: LHS 14, SM North 14. Fouled Out: None.

Sharpshooting helps LHS girls glide past SM North

Lawrence High girls basketball’s season-high 15-of-29 shooting from behind the arc shaped a lopsided 61-22 victory over Shawnee Mission North at home on Tuesday.

Three Lions – junior Nyasia Ramos (17 points), senior Cyrenity Hardy (15 points) and freshman Cami Nauholz (15 points) – were responsible for the heavy 3-point barrage.

photo by: Chance Parker/Special to the Journal-World

Lawrence High junior Nyasia Ramos plays defense against Shawnee Mission North on Tuesday, Feb. 20, 2024.

Quickly finding the ball back in her hands after winning the tipoff, Nauholz sank a 3-point basket right away — but the freshman’s big basket didn’t spark the Lions’ mojo quite yet. Led by junior Nicole Mendez (nine points), SM North responded with an 8-2 run to take the lead.

Even with six first-half turnovers, the Bison managed to keep the ballgame tied 11-11 heading into the second quarter.

After Nauholz and Ramos combined for nine points behind the arc in the first quarter, Hardy started putting up 3-pointers of her own. She buried four 3-pointers in the second quarter and led LHS (11-8) to a 22-11 lead over SM North (6-13) with 5:18 left in the half. A late 3-pointer by senior Destiny Savannah (five points) and layups by Ramos and senior Miri Pickman (two points) raised LHS to a 20-point advantage by halftime.

LHS nearly matched its first-half 3-point shooting in the second half, with Ramos making the biggest contribution of the third quarter with nine points all behind the line. Two more 3s by Hardy and Nauholz – accompanied by four points from senior Emma Roman Nose (seven points) – helped the Lions cruise to a 55-19 lead heading into the fourth quarter.

Roman Nose and Ramos each buried another 3-point basket in the fourth quarter, as LHS completed a dominant defensive stand against the Bison allowing just eight total points – six coming from the charity stripe – during the second half.

LHS hosts Shawnee-Mill Valley on Friday. Tipoff is set for 5:30 p.m.

BOX SCORE:

LHS 11 23 21 6 – 61

SM North 11 3 5 3 – 22

Lawrence High (61): Azura Clark 0-2 0-0 -; Emma Roman Nose 3-4 0-0 7; Destiny Savannah 2-6 0-0 5; Cami Nauholz 6-8 0-0 15; Cyrenity Hardy 5-10 0-0 15. Totals: 23-45 0-0 61.

Shawnee Mission North (22): Haley Wieneke 0-8 4-6 4; Iliana Garcia 0-2 3-3 3; Melina Dolezal 0-1 0-0 -; Nicole Mendez 3-4 0-0 9; Abi Cole 1-2 0-0 2. Totals: 6-21 7-13 22.

3-point goals: LHS: 15-29 (); SM North: 3-11 (). Turnovers: LHS 8, SM North 15. Fouled Out: None.

photo by: Chance Parker/Special to the Journal-World

Lawrence High freshman Camille Nauholz makes a 3-point shot against Shawnee Mission North on Tuesday, Feb. 20, 2024.

photo by: Chance Parker/Special to the Journal-World

Lawrence High Cyrenity Hardy shoots the ball against Shawnee Mission North on Tuesday, Feb. 20, 2024.