LHS girls overwhelmed by deep Washburn Rural squad in Capital City Classic opener

photo by: Conner Becker/Journal-World

Lawrence High senior Emma Roman Nose watches the ball during a 67-27 loss to Washburn Rural at the 2024 Capital City Classic at Seaman High School in Topeka, Kansas.

Topeka – A 17-point deficit by the end of the first quarter was far too steep a hill for Lawrence High girls basketball to climb, and the Lady Lions fell 67-27 to Washburn Rural in the opening round of the Capital City Classic tournament on Thursday.

Washburn Rural senior Zoe Canfield, who has committed to Kansas, was the main threat keeping the Lady Lions (5-5) busy in the first half — she had 21 total points and three 3s in the first quarter alone. The Junior Blues (7-2) got a boost from sophomore Josie Carlgren off the bench, adding 15 total points from behind the arc.

The Lions, who just had arguably their best win of the season at Spring Hill (52-24), looked far from that team on Thursday afternoon. Freshman Cami Nauholz led LHS with just nine points, followed by senior Azura Clark with seven and a 3-pointer by Nyasia Ramos off the bench.

“We were outcoached today,” LHS head coach Jeff Dickson said. “It’s 100% on me. I thought we had stretches where we looked solid, but we didn’t guard the way I know we’re capable of and I don’t believe we played the way we’re capable of.”

And Dickson was right. The Juniors Blues, who had a 23-6 lead by the end of the first quarter, outrebounded LHS 9-2 in the first eight minutes.

photo by: Conner Becker/Journal-World

Lawrence High head girls basketball coach Jeff Dickson speaks with his bench during a 67-27 loss to Washburn Rural at the 2024 Capital City Classic at Seaman High School in Topeka, Kansas.

Rural cooled off from the 3-point line, but it also brought senior Destiny Ochs and junior Katie Hinck into the scoring column to amass a 25-point lead with under two minutes to go in the first half.

Nauholz had her first two baskets late in the second quarter but didn’t quite give the Lady Lions the spark they needed heading into the locker room. At the half, LHS trailed 35-12.

Dickson said the expectations aren’t changing for his freshman forward, even with the absence of injured starting guard Brynnae Johnson.

“Cami’s been a big part of everything we’ve done since the beginning,” Dickson said. “You can’t replace any one player, and if you lose a player, everyone has to step up. She’s progressed, but she was always going to do that regardless.”

photo by: Conner Becker/Journal-World

Lawrence High senior Cyrenity Hardy (middle) tries to swipe the ball from Washburn Rural sophomore Josie Carlgren during a 67-27 loss to Washburn Rural at the 2024 Capital City Classic at Seaman High School in Topeka, Kansas.

Canfield and Carlgren heated up again from behind the arc in the third quarter, beginning the second half with 11 combined points, and Ochs sank another 3.

LHS senior Miri Pickman grabbed her first of four total rebounds midway through the third quarter, but the Lady Lions weren’t able to make much happen, and Washburn Rural was sitting at a comfortable 56-19 at the beginning of the fourth quarter. Ramos made the most of her minutes off the bench, with a 3-pointer and seniors Cyrenity Hardy and Delilah Barnes each made a 2-point jumper before time expired.

Reflecting on the final quarter, Dickson said LHS must capitalize on the little moments for the rest of this weekend’s tournament, no matter who has the ball in their hand.

“(Ramos and Pickman) have worked hard and they’re taking advantage of opportunities,” Dickson said. “It’s an open competition and they know the starting lineup isn’t set in stone. It’s constant competition to see who’s going to rise up.”

LHS returns for the consolation bracket, taking on the losing team of Wichita Heights (9-0) and Topeka High (2-7) on Friday at Seaman High. Tipoff is set for 3 p.m.

BOX SCORE:

LHS 6 6 7 8 – 27 WRHS 23 12 21 11 – 67

Lawrence High (27) Emma Roman Nose 0-2 0-0 -; Destiny Savannah 0-4 0-0 -; Delilah Barnes 1-3 0-0 2; Cami Nauholz 4-5 1-2 9; Cyrenity Hardy-Billy 1-3 0-0 2. Totals: 12-28 2-4 27.

Washburn Rural (67) Maddie Vickery 2-7 0-0 4; Katie Hinck 3-3 2-2 8; Destiny Ochs 3-4 0-0 7; Zoe Canfield 8-11 0-0 21; Tenly Bunck 0-0 0-0 -. Totals: 25-44 3-5 67.

3-point goals: LHS: 1-8 (); WRHS: 14-25 (). Turnovers: LHS 15, WRHS 10. Fouled Out: None.