photo by: David Rodish/Journal-World

Lawrence freshman Lucy Juelsgaard Eurosteps toward the basket in the third-place game of the Capital City Classic against Topeka West on Saturday. The Lions lost 58-53.

Topeka — The Lawrence girls basketball team finished the Capital City Classic with a 58-53 loss to Topeka West in the third-place game on Saturday.

The Chargers started the game with an early lead, as the Lions missed a few shots on open looks. Senior Brynnae Johnson hit the team’s first two buckets, and the Chargers scored 12 points. By the end of the first quarter, the Chargers held a 17-8 lead.

The second quarter was a complete switch. The Lions attacked the rim with ease and supplemented it with 3-point shooting. Senior D’ema Barnes hit a 3 at the start of the quarter, and junior Jada Baars hit one right after. Johnson scored nine of the Lions’ next 11 points, with sophomore Cami Nauholz supplying the other two.

Johnson led the team with 19 points in the game.

“Brynnae Johnson showed why she is a Division I player in this tournament,” coach Jeff Dickson said. “She played the entire game today. She carried the team the entire tournament against good competition, and I am super proud of how hard we played.”

Thanks to the 17-3 run in the second quarter, the Lions’ almost-10-point deficit became a five-point lead. Topeka West prevented the Lions from running away with the game with three baskets late. By halftime, the Lions led 29-26.

As Lawrence started the second quarter with a run, Topeka West did the same to begin the third quarter. The Chargers scored eight points to regain the lead, and the Lions couldn’t take it back for the remainder of the game. The Lions only hit two field goals through the first 6 minutes of the quarter, but freshman Zoey Barber provided a late spark, scoring six points and stealing the ball for her final bucket at the end of the quarter. Barber finished with 12 points.

Dickson said the Lions avoided resting players during the prior games in the tournament, which led to some lapses on the court due to fatigue.

Still, the Lions kept the pressure on the Chargers late in the game and almost made a comeback, but they ultimately fell short. The Chargers won 58-53, leaving the Lions in fourth place in the tournament.

Dickson said after the game that he was proud of his team’s performance throughout the tournament. No matter the situation or opponent, the Lions continued to play hard.

“They play with their heart,” Dickson said. “It’s a dream to coach. I’m so excited for games because I want to watch it and see what they do. You know they’re going to go hard.”

Going forward, Dickson said that the team needs to channel the intensity better so that high-energy forced turnovers on defense don’t turn into sloppy offensive possessions that result in turnovers of their own.

“We’ve got to still play with that level of intensity but slow it down on offense, so we’re not turning the ball over,” Dickson said. “Turnovers were probably a lot, and that probably would’ve been a big difference had we not done that.”

The Lions will next play at Olathe West on Tuesday at 5:30 p.m.

photo by: David Rodish/Journal-World

Lawrence senior Brynnae Johnson maneuvers around the defense for a layup against Topeka West in the third-place game of the Capital City Classic in Topeka on Saturday. The Lions lost 58-53.