photo by: Conner Becker/Journal-World

Lawrence High senior Zaxton King looks for a lane against Olathe South on Friday, Jan. 26, 2024, at Lawrence High School in Lawrence, Kansas.

Lawrence High senior star Zaxton King made it clear it was good to be home with a 40-point performance in an 88-78 loss to Olathe South in Friday’s home opener now eleven games into the regular season.

King, fresh off hitting a career-high 46 points against Hayden Catholic last week, opened the game with three consecutive 3-point baskets for LHS (2-10) early into the contest. O-South (9-3) arrived in similar fashion, however, opening the night 6 of 11 from 3-point territory.

O-South senior Matthew Corrales (24 points) and junior Nic Anderson (20 points) reached double-figure scoring before halftime, with the Lions trailing 44-36 at the break. Senior Jordan Mason kept LHS busy too, finishing the night with 21 points and 4 of 6 behind the arc.

The unfortunate outcome doesn’t take away from the homecoming feeling, King said.

“It felt really good,” King said. “It was nice to finally be back home. I just felt the energy from the start.”

photo by: Conner Becker/Journal-World

Lawrence High sophomore Edward Roman Nose watches the ball during a home game vs. Olathe South on Friday, Jan. 26, 2024, at Lawrence High School in Lawrence, Kansas.

LHS head coach Nick Wood said his team came into Friday’s game ready to compete.

“They competed and gave themselves an opportunity to win the basketball game,” Wood said. “It never got away from us. We were always within striking distance.”

Some of the early 3-point shooting rubbed off on LHS junior Avery Johnson and sophomore Edward Roman Nose – each burying two of their own before halftime.

Wood said something about the home crowd just seemed to rub off on his guys.

“Our roster was making plays and that was so encouraging to see our growth,” Wood said.

Entering the second half eight points behind, LHS simmered down from the 3-point line – the key edge O-South peppered the Lions with down the stretch. Corrales and Mason buried four more 3s before the third quarter wrapped.

photo by: Conner Becker/Journal-World

Lawrence High sophomore Josh Galbreath lines up with Olathe South senior Drew McGriff during a home game vs. Olathe South on Friday, Jan. 26, 2024, at Lawrence High School in Lawrence, Kansas.

Still, late baskets by King and a 3-point make by senior Gordon Fineday (seven points) gave LHS a fighting chance, trailing 67-56, heading into the fourth quarter. After the game, King said his team’s confidence is evident through all four quarters.

“I feel we’re playing with a lot more confidence than we did back in December,” King said. “The whole team fed off the energy from the crowd and fans and stuff. This should turn some things around for us.”

King dropped 14 fourth-quarter points in hopes of stirring up the Lions’ offense, with Roman Nose (nine points) and junior Jaylen Parks (three points) adding two more 3s late in the ballgame.

Foul trouble doomed LHS’ chances though, as King and Fineday each picked up their fourth foul with under three minutes remaining. Seven fourth-quarter points by Mason and another 3 by Corrales helped the Falcons shut down the Lions in the end.

LHS hosts Olathe West (9-2) on Tuesday.

BOX SCORE:

LHS 14 22 15 27 – 78

O-South 24 20 23 21 – 88

Lawrence High (78) Jaylen Parks 1-3 0-0 3; Zaxton King 16-27 2-3 40; Avery Johnson 3-4 0-0 8; Gordon Fineday 3-5 0-0 7; Josh Galbreath 2-4 3-3 7. Totals: 30-52 5-6 78.

Olathe South (88) Jordan Mason 8-11 1-2 21; Josiah Polynice 1-1 3-6 5; Matthew Corrales 7-12 4-5 24; Nic Anderson 7-13 6-11 20; Austin O’Gorman 2-4 0-0 4. Totals: 30-49 14-24 88.

3-point goals: LHS: 13-27 (); O-South: 14-26 (). Turnovers: LHS 7, O-South 5. Fouled Out: None.

Nauholz posts career-high 25 points in 49-31 win over Topeka High

Topeka – A career-high 25 points by Lawrence High freshman Cami Nauholz served as the driving force behind the Lady Lions’ 49-31 win over Topeka High in the fifth-place semifinal game on Friday at the Capital City Classic at Seaman High School.

From the tipoff, Nauholz was fighting T-High freshman Ahsieyrhuajh Rayton (20 points) for the role of the floor’s leading scorer. Nauholz broke the mold with an 11-point third quarter for the Lady Lions (6-5). Nauholz finished the day with a game-high four blocks and four rebounds.

Conversely, Rayton opened the game hot for the Trojans (2-9), knocking down two 3s on her way to nine first-half points. The freshman added 10 more points in the second half, finishing 5 of 6 from the charity stripe.

photo by: Conner Becker/Journal-World

Lawrence High senior Emma Roman Nose dives for the ball during a game vs. Topeka High on Friday, Jan. 26, 2024, at the Capital City Classic at Seaman High School in Topeka, Kansas.

LHS also received a strong second-half performance by Cyrenity Hardy, finishing with eight points and three rebounds. Fellow senior Emma Roman Nose grabbed a team-high seven rebounds and added five points.

LHS caps off its tournament run Saturday in the fifth-place title game against the winner of Shawnee Mission West (3-7) and Topeka West (4-7).

BOX SCORE:

LHS 8 10 15 16 – 49

THS 13 2 10 6 – 31

Lawrence High (49) Emma Roman Nose 2-8 0-2 5; Destiny Savannah 1-3 0-0 2; Delilah Barnes 1-2 1-2 3; Cami Nauholz 12-19 1-2 25; Cyrenity Hardy 3-10 0-0 8. Totals: 21-50 3-8 49.

Topeka High (31) Amari Triplett 0-1 1-2 1; Destiny Clanton 0-3 3-4 3; Keimara Marshall 0-8 0-0 -; Ahsieyrhuajh Rayton 6-11 5-6 20; Sasha Gotru 3-5 1-2 7. Totals: 9-28 10-14 31.

3-point goals: LHS: 4-23 (); THS: 3-6 (). Turnovers: LHS 12, THS 14. Fouled Out: None.