The wait was a little longer than they were probably hoping for, but Lawrence High girls basketball players picked up their first win of the season on Monday night.


The Lions jumped to a big lead and were the dominant team against KC Wyandotte in a 52-15 victory. They were happy with the win, of course, but you get the sense that they are buying into coach Jeff Dickson’s process and are focused on bigger things.


I think they are a better team than they are getting credit for, despite their 1-3 record, but it’ll be fun to see if this win has any carryover. Next up is the City Showdown at Free State, where the Lions are looking for their first win against their city rival since March 2009, when LHS beat them in the sub-state playoffs.


“We’re excited. There’s a lot of hype for this game,” senior point guard Marissa Pope said. “Everyone’s talked about we haven’t beat them in a while, but I guarantee this Friday will be a good game.”


In case you missed it, we’re copying one of the popular features of KUsports.com, “Keegan’s Ratings,” where Sports Editor Tom Keegan ranks KU football and men’s basketball players after every game he attends and I’m bringing back the high school ratings for this basketball season. These individual rankings are just one person’s opinion, but it’s a good way to look at how each person impacted each game.

Lawrence High girls basketball

1. Marissa Pope, sr. — She set the tone for the game with the first four points and a rebound in the game’s opening minute. She scored nine points (all in the first half), added five rebounds, dished four assists and grabbed two steals.


2. Alexis Boyd, jr. — Off of the bench, Boyd made her first three shots, and was strong with the ball throughout the night. She had a game-high 10 points to go along with five rebounds and a block.


3. E’lease Stafford, fr. — She had a few freshman mistakes with a pair of traveling calls, but also looked like a veteran when she shot the ball. Stafford finished with eight points, including a pair of threes, and one steal.


4. Matia Finley, sr. — Finley was the one of the first ones off of the bench and she brought a ton of energy. She snagged a game-high 11 rebounds and played solid defense with two steals and a block. She missed some shots in the paint (1 of 5), but that didn’t affect how she crashed the boards.


5. Skylar Drum, so. — She didn’t shoot the ball great, going 3 for 10 from the field, but Drum played great defense, snagging three steals and getting five rebounds. She also didn’t have a turnover, and did a good job running the offense.


6. Olivia Lemus, so. — Lemus provided a spark off of the bench, scoring seven points, grabbing two rebounds and adding a steal. It looks like she’s playing more confidently on offense, which is a big boost for the Lions.


7. Devon Spoonhunter, jr. — Spoonhunter had some great plays — five rebounds and two assists — and some not so great with two turnovers. She also scored four points.

8. Madison McKinney, so. — McKinney didn’t have her best day shooting, going 0 for 5 from the field. But she still grabbed three boards and had a steal.


9. Rebecca Finley, sr. — Finley scored her only basket on a pass from her twin sister at the end of the third quarter. She missed other close shots in the paint, but had four rebounds.


10. Talima Harjo, fr. — Harjo played a little loose with the ball, and had four turnovers. But when the freshman is locked in, she plays hounding defense and is aggressive on drives to the hoop. She missed all three of her shots, but had two rebounds, an assist and two steals.


11. Gracie Reinsch, jr. — In the final minute of the game, Reinsch drew a foul, made her first free throw, then grabbed the offensive rebound after missing the second, and drained a jumper. Three points and two rebounds on the night.


12. Madison Mask, jr. — Mask entered the game in the final minutes, but didn’t shoot the ball.


• Next up: 5:30 p.m. Friday at Free State. Record: 1-3.
*
As always, feel free to comment, email me, or find me on Twitter @nightengalejr.