It was one of those games that people will remember for years when they think back on Lawrence High’s boys basketball team.


LHS and Barstow just kept trading big play after big play in a three-overtime classic at the Hyvee Shootout on Saturday. It was the first three-overtime game in the 20-year history of the Hyvee Shootout.


Neither team deserved to lose, but LHS made enough to plays to pull out a 79-75 victory, giving the Lions a perfect 6-0 record into winter break.


“Oh man, it was probably one of the most exciting (games) I’ve ever been in,” junior forward Fred Brou said. “I’ve never been in a triple overtime game. I was standing at the end of the bench the whole game, I couldn’t even sit down after I fouled out.”


It seemed like every player stepped up at some point. Barstow’s Jeriah Horne was dominant with 32 points and 20 rebounds despite being the focus of the Lions’ defense. The Knights also had clutch baskets from Shea Rush, Tripp Walsworth and Jacob Gilyard in overtimes. For LHS, it was another game that needed an entire team effort to pull out a win.


But somehow, the Lions continue to find ways to win games. It was the opposite type of game than they played in Friday’s City Showdown, and they recovered from a slow start to beat one of the top teams in Missouri.


“We’ve had a really good December,” LHS coach Mike Lewis said. “If you look at where we started with our Emporia game to now, playing six games in December and looking at who we played and the situations that we were in, it’s been a really good December.”


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 boys basketball

1. Justin Roberts, jr. — When the Lions got off to a slow start in the first quarter, Roberts was there to keep it from getting out of hand. He made 3 of the team’s 4 shots in the opening quarter. Later, Roberts scored eight of his 26 points during a 11-3 run midway through the third quarter, which gave the Lions their first lead of the night. He also played great defense on Barstow’s quick point guard, Jacob Gilyard, who was 3 of 14 from the field. Roberts was a perfect 8 for 8 at the free throw line, had three rebounds and four assists.


2. John Barbee, sr. — Barbee played great defense, rotating from guards to 6-foot-7 forward Jeriah Horne, who gave the Lions problems all night. But his biggest contribution was battling on the glass against Barstow’s height (there was also 6-foot-6 forward Shea Rush) to grab a team-high 15 rebounds, 12 on the defensive end. He struggled to shoot, scoring five points on 1 of 7 shooting, but he had five steals and three assists.


3. Anthony Bonner, sr. — He was frustrated in the first half, shooting just 1 for 8 from the field. But credit to Bonner for staying aggressive and not giving up on his jump shot. He drilled a three with under a minute to go in the fourth quarter, giving LHS a brief lead. Then he saved his best for last with 18 points in overtime. Even when he wasn’t making shots, Bonner played solid defense, grabbing three steals and snagging four rebounds.


“My dad always tells me never stop believing in your jump shot,” Bonner said. “So I just kept shooting. My teammates kept giving it to me, stayed confident in me, and it started rolling.”


4. Fred Brou, jr. — Brou played 22 minutes because he matched up well against Horne. Though Brou had plenty of help defenders alongside him, he made entry passes difficult and forced Horne to work for all of his buckets. He scored four of his six points within a minute during the second quarter in a nice sequence in the low post. Brou also grabbed four rebounds, had two assists and two steals.


5. Logan Applegate, sr. — Applegate played nearly 15 minutes off of the bench, using his height (6-foot-3) to guard Horne and cause problems for him in the post. He scored four points and grabbed four boards, but his biggest contribution was guarding Horne and Rush in crunch time.


6. Ben Rajewski, sr. — Down two points in the final seconds of regulation, Roberts had a dribble bounce off of his foot and never really regained possession of the ball. That set off a frenzy, and Rajewski made the heads up play of trying to fire a three before the buzzer, and he was fouled in the process. He went 2 for 3 at the line, sending the game to overtime. He also played solid help defense in 32 minutes on the court, grabbing one steal.


“I just knew I needed to make the second and third,” Rajewski said of his thoughts at the free throw line, as the Knights called a timeout to try to ice him after he missed the first.


7. Price Morgan, jr. — Morgan had a tough matchup against Horne, but he did well against him with six points, three rebounds and two blocks. He had a putback before the halftime buzzer to give LHS some momentum. Like the Free State game, he also showed he can knock down free throw line jumpers when given space.


8. Anthony Harvey, jr. — Harvey played a very valuable 12 minutes off of the bench. He missed his only shot, but he was helpful on offense moving the ball as a second point guard, then he played tough defense against Barstow’s top shooters. He also switched into some one-on-one matchups against Horne in the third overtime where he did well denying the ball.


9. Tae Shorter, sr. — Shorter entered the game for 1:26 and didn’t record any stats besides picking up a foul. He did play good defense on the possessions he was in the game.


• Next up: 7 p.m. Jan. 6 vs. Leavenworth. Record: 6-0.

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Some more quick thoughts from the Hyvee Shootout:


• I’ll be stunned if anyone can beat Leavenworth’s girls basketball team this season. The Pioneers are just relentless on both sides of the ball. They have shooters and size inside, and on defense, they play the passing lanes and are difficult to shoot over. Leavenworth beat Blue Valley North (ranked #7 in the coaches poll), 73-17.


• Watch out for Shawnee Mission South’s boys basketball team this season. I thought the Raiders were going to be in for a down year after losing most of their starters to graduation, but they beat a good Lee’s Summit team, 52-47. SM South point guard C.J. Hill led the team with 18 points, using his quickness to slash to the hoop.
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I hope everyone has a good winter break and happy holidays. For those that are curious, the fall sports All-Area teams will be released over the next week (or so). As always, feel free to comment, email me, or find me on Twitter @nightengalejr.