photo by: David Rodish/Journal-World

Lawrence senior Jada Baars-Turner drives for a layup in a 70-45 win over Highland Park in the Capital City Classic on Saturday, Jan. 31, 2026, in Topeka.

TOPEKA — Lawrence girls basketball finished the Capital City Classic with a 75-40 win over Highland Park in the seventh-place game on Saturday.

“I think we played really well,” Lawrence assistant coach Olivia Lemus said. “It was a fun one to have, especially coming off two hard losses. It was a nice game to get our swagger back.”

Overall, the Lions got a lot of growth out of the tournament. Offensively, the Lions had some of their best games all season and got more people involved in the scoring.

“We shared the ball a lot more as a team, which helped a lot,” junior Cami Nauholz said. “We were all playing for each other, and when we do that, it allows us to score more.”

The Lions led the entire way in the final game against Highland Park and held a double-digit lead from about midway through the opening quarter through the final buzzer.

The Lions won the opening tipoff, and freshman Marley Doleman drove to the rim with the ball for a layup just seconds into the game. Junior Cami Nauholz and sophomore Macyn Ramsay both scored fast-break layups to give the Lions a six-point lead within the first 50 seconds of the game.

Following Highland Park’s first points on two free throws, Nauholz scored 13 of the Lions’ next 18 points on six shots, including a 3-pointer. The Scots hit a buzzer-beating 3-pointer, but the Lions still held a commanding 24-9 lead at the end of the first quarter.

Senior Jada Baars-Turner started the second quarter with a layup through contact and an and-1 after the bucket. Ramsay hit back-to-back shots with assists from Baars-Turner, followed by another bucket from Baars-Turner herself, giving the Lions a 22-point lead.

Baars-Turner is the team’s primary point guard, and her ability to move the ball around makes a big difference for the Lions’ offense. But sophomores Zoey Barber and Lucy Juelsgaard have taken on more ball-handling responsibilities and have risen to the occasion.

“They’ve been put in different roles, and every time we ask them to do something or put them in a new role, they step into it and take all the coaching,” Lemus said. “They have the natural ability for it. Being an undersized guard with the ball is kind of hard, but they’re adjusting well and utilizing their ball fakes more and getting everyone involved.”

Lawrence finished the second quarter with a couple of big shots from beyond the arc from sophomore Lucy Juelsgaard and Baars-Turner. By halftime, Lawrence led 43-16.

The Scots started the second half with back-to-back buckets, but the Lions responded with two field goals of their own from Nauholz and Ramsay. Lawrence pushed the lead to 30 points with Nauholz scoring twice and Ramsay scoring after a steal and assist from freshman Marley Doleman.

Doleman has continued to grow in her role and build confidence making plays.

“A lot of it comes from my teammates,” Doleman said. “Even if I do miss, they tell me to keep shooting.”

Highland Park cut the lead within 30 points by the end of the third quarter, but the Lions outscored the Scots 13-12 in the final eight minutes. Sophomore Reesing Urish scored five of Lawrence’s final 13 points, while sophomore Violet Koehn scored the final 2-pointer of the game, giving Lawrence the 70-45 victory.

Lawrence finished 1-2 in the midseason tournament but came away with confidence after seeing the growth the team has continued to make.

“It shows our progress,” Baars-Turner said. “We’ve really progressed from a couple weeks ago.”

With playoffs coming soon, this tournament experience will be something the Lions can turn to. Nauholz said the first two games of the tournament felt like substate games. But Lawrence still has a month left in the regular season to grow and get better before playoffs begin. The Lions will return home to host Olathe West on Tuesday before hosting Shawnee Mission West on Thursday.

photo by: David Rodish/Journal-World

Lawrence sophomore Macyn Ramsay passes the ball in a 70-45 win over Highland Park in the Capital City Classic on Saturday, Jan. 31, 2026, in Topeka.

photo by: David Rodish/Journal-World

Lawrence sophomore Lucy Juelsgaard passes to the corner in a 70-45 win over Highland Park in the Capital City Classic on Saturday, Jan. 31, 2026, in Topeka.

photo by: David Rodish/Journal-World

Lawrence senior Jada Baars-Turner drives through contact in a 70-45 win over Highland Park in the Capital City Classic on Saturday, Jan. 31, 2026, in Topeka.

photo by: David Rodish/Journal-World

Lawrence junior Cami Nauholz shoots a free throw in a 70-45 win over Highland Park in the Capital City Classic on Saturday, Jan. 31, 2026, in Topeka.

photo by: David Rodish/Jounral-World

Lawrence sophomore Zoey Barber dribbles the ball in a 70-45 win over Highland Park in the Capital City Classic on Saturday, Jan. 31, 2026, in Topeka.