photo by: David Rodish/Journal-World

Lawrence sophomore Zoey Barber gets in front of a defender in a 41-34 win over Olathe West on Tuesday, Feb. 3, 2026, in Lawrence.

With mid-season tournaments over, the Lawrence boys and girls basketball teams returned to their home gym to host Olathe West, with the girls coming away with a win and the boys losing.

The Lawrence girls basketball team found themselves in another gritty game where defense made the difference. Lawrence trailed for most of the game, but some big shots and timely turnovers lifted the Lions to the 41-34 win.

“We talked about energy in the locker room (postgame),” sophomore Macyn Ramsay said. “We knew what we needed to do in the second half, and it was boxing out and energy.”

To start the game, the Lions were quiet offensively, scoring only four points in the opening quarter. The Owls didn’t light up the scoreboard on the other end but were able to get a comfortable lead by scoring 13 points.

“They’re just a solid team on defense,” junior Cami Nauholz said. “They had a lot of people in the paint. We like to drive a lot and score in the paint, so it’s hard when they’re clogging up the paint and we weren’t getting open 3s.”

Lawrence freshman Marley Doleman started the second quarter with a field goal, but the Owls went on a 6-0 run to take a 13-point lead. The Lions were able to regroup defensively and held the Owls scoreless for the rest of the first half.

In that final stretch of the first half, the Lions were aggressive and effective at getting to the free throw line. Nauholz ended the Owls’ run with a field goal in the paint but got to the line her next trip. Senior Jada Baars-Turner and sophomore Lucy Juelsgaard also got to the free throw line late, but all three Lions made a free throw and missed one. So while the Lions slowed the Owls down and cut the deficit, the Owls still held a 19-11 lead at halftime.

Nauholz said the Lions “played scared” in the first half but were able to play more like themselves coming out of the break. Everyone’s confidence in each other helped in that moment as the Lions knew what they needed to do in the second half.

Nauholz started the second half with a field goal, but the Owls finally saw one go in with two-straight buckets to push the lead back to nine points. Ramsay got her first points of the night with a 3-pointer, and Nauholz followed that up with one of her own, which quickly put the Lions within two possessions and forced the Owls to call a timeout.

“When Cami has the ball, I know I can always trust her to kick it out whenever she needs to,” Ramsay said. “Hitting those big shots and seeing the bench go crazy — the whole gym go crazy — is just a blessing.”

The Lions didn’t let up. Ramsay finished a layup through contact and hit an and-1, and Juelsgaard hit two free throws to tie the game. Sophomore Zoey Barber gave the Lions the lead after scoring in the paint, and Nauholz hit a buzzer-beater 3-pointer after the Owls tied it up to give Lawrence a slight edge entering the final eight minutes.

“It feels good — I don’t do it a lot,” Nauholz said of shooting 3s. “It’s definitely fun to hit one.”

Both teams drove to the rim and took free throws in the fourth quarter, starting with the Owls hitting two before Nauholz hit two. The first five minutes were quiet offensively outside of those free throws until the Owls got a 2-pointer to make it a one-point game. Ramsay hit a 3-pointer to give the Lions the cushion back, followed by two free throws from Nauholz and another from Ramsay to give the Lions a seven-point lead.

That would ultimately be too much for the Owls to overcome in the final two minutes, as Lawrence was able to stay ahead and hit late free throws to keep the Owls at bay. The 41-34 win was a fun one for the team after a couple close losses in the mid-season tournament in Topeka last week.

Ramsay said that the energy in the locker room is high, and that what the team talks about in practice and in the locker room translates out to the court during the game. Assistant coach Olivia Lemus said the team is fighting and getting better each week.

“It’s super exciting,” Lemus said. “A lot of people are going to underestimate us because we’re young. It’ll be good to keep going and hit people in the mouth a bit.”

In the boys basketball game, the Lions had a competitive first half but mistakes and defensive lapses in the third quarter led the Owls to a 74-51 win over the Lions.

“Our effort and commitment to what we were trying to get done was really good for a half,” Lawrence coach Nick Wood said. “In the third quarter, Olathe West put it on us. It didn’t matter if we were zoning or man or what. They made plays.”

Lawrence senior Eddie Roman Nose started the game with a 3-pointer in his first game back after missing the last week with an injury. The Owls responded with a 3 of their own and two more field goals to take a lead. The Lions and the Owls went shot for shot for the rest of the opening quarter, but the Owls hit a buzzer beater to take a 22-14 lead.

Both teams got most of their points in the paint and were able to get to the free throw line with two attempts or as an and-1. Roman Nose finished a layup through contact but missed the and-1 at the end of the half, leaving the Owls with an eight-point lead.

“There were moments where I was really happy and proud of what we were doing,” Wood said. “There were moments where we let down, and we can’t let down. Teams in this league are too good. But we’ll learn from it and move on.”

Lawrence offensively was still able to be effective in the third quarter, but the defense allowed six 3-pointers in the quarter, which led the Owls to extend their lead to 18 points despite some big makes from sophomore Joey Dooley, sophomore Truth Pope and senior Devin Foster.

The deficit was too much to overcome for the Lions in the final quarter, as the home team was outscored by five points. Junior Caleb Wingerd hit a couple of late 3-pointers, but the Owls were able to close out with a 74-51 win.

Lawrence boys basketball will be on the road on Thursday to play Schlagle, while both the boys and girls teams will be at home on Friday to host Shawnee Mission West.

photo by: David Rodish/Journal-World

Lawrence junior Cami Nauholz dribbles the ball in a 41-34 win over Olathe West on Tuesday, Feb. 3, 2026, in Lawrence.

photo by: David Rodish/Journal-World

Lawrence junior Cami Nauholz fights for a rebound in a 41-34 win over Olathe West on Tuesday, Feb. 3, 2026, in Lawrence.

photo by: David Rodish/Journal-World

Lawrence sophomore Lucy Juelsgaard looks to pass the ball in a 41-34 win over Olathe West on Tuesday, Feb. 3, 2026, in Lawrence.

photo by: David Rodish/Journal-World

Lawrence senior Jada Baars-Turner looks to pass the ball in a 41-34 win over Olathe West on Tuesday, Feb. 3, 2026, in Lawrence.

photo by: David Rodish/Journal-World

Lawrence junior Cami Nauholz shoots the ball in a 41-34 win over Olathe West on Tuesday, Feb. 3, 2026, in Lawrence.

photo by: David Rodish/Journal-World

Lawrence sophomore Macyn Ramsay brings the ball up the court in a 41-34 win over Olathe West on Tuesday, Feb. 3, 2026, in Lawrence.

photo by: David Rodish/Journal-World

Lawrence freshman Marley Doleman dribbles the ball in a 41-34 win over Olathe West on Tuesday, Feb. 3, 2026, in Lawrence.

photo by: David Rodish/Journal-World

Lawrence senior Eddie Roman Nose drives to the rim in a 71-54 loss to Olathe West on Tuesday, Feb. 3, 2026, in Lawrence.

photo by: David Rodish/Journal-World

Lawrence sophomore Joey Dooley hands the ball off to sophomore Truth Pope in a 71-54 loss to Olathe West on Tuesday, Feb. 3, 2026, in Lawrence.

photo by: David Rodish/Journal-World

Lawrence junior Caleb Wingerd cuts to the basket in a 71-54 loss to Olathe West on Tuesday, Feb. 3, 2026, in Lawrence.

photo by: David Rodish/Journal-World

Lawrence senior Eddie Roman Nose jumps for a layup in a 71-54 loss to Olathe West on Tuesday, Feb. 3, 2026, in Lawrence.

photo by: David Rodish/Journal-World

Lawrence sophomore Simon Simien follows through on a shot near the rim in a 71-54 loss to Olathe West on Tuesday, Feb. 3, 2026, in Lawrence.