There’s just something special about the second to last home game of the regular season for Lawrence High’s boys basketball team.


Last year, the Lions knocked out 10th-ranked Olathe North with a 25-point win. Facing Olathe Northwest on Friday, the Lions threw a few haymakers early and never looked back in a 70-34 victory. It’s not like either team is any pushover. The Ravens are now 3-3 in the Sunflower League, with losses to Olathe East and SM North, which are both ranked.

“They had a good feel about them really during pre-game,” LHS coach Mike Lewis said of his team. “They were just excited to put on the striped pants and have some fun. They were loose and having fun. We came out and I thought our defense was OK, and I thought our offense was pretty OK, too.”


Now the question is whether the Lions can keep their momentum into next week. Ahead are matchups against sixth-ranked SM North on Tuesday and third-ranked Olathe North.


Lawrence’s girls basketball team doesn’t celebrate moral victories but Friday’s 53-48 loss to Olathe Northwest was probably as close as it could get to one.


The Lions bounced back from each punch thrown by the Ravens. They didn’t fade away when Northwest went on a few runs by stringing together some three-pointers. A few turnovers and missed shots, though, kept them from picking up a home win.


“My biggest frustration all season long isn’t how hard these girls work or the level of commitment,” LHS coach Jeff Dickson said. “It’s they do all of that at 6:30 in the morning on a Saturday, and then we get to a game and we get a little scared and tentative. … I think we have shown those flashes that we can compete with anybody that we play.”


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. — After the Ravens went on a big run to open the second half, Pope brought the Lions right back into the game with seven points in the third quarter. Pope finished with 14 points, two rebounds and three assists. But even more important than her offense was the defense she played against Olathe Northwest senior point guard Shaleia Jamison, who averages 16 points per game. Pope denied the ball after the first pass and held Jamison without a shot in the first half. Jamison only made one shot, which came in transition when Pope wasn’t on her.


2. Alexis Boyd, jr. — Boyd was really strong against Olathe Northwest’s 2-3 zone defense. With a nice turnaround jumper, she scored 14 points and grabbed nine rebounds. She also drew two charges on defense.


“I thought offensively we shared the ball nicely and did a good job,” LHS coach Jeff Dickson said. “Alexis Boyd put together a really nice night for us. She’s really coming along.”


3. Matia Finley, sr. — Facing a team that took 46 three-pointers, it’s hard to grab rebounds because so many of them go long after hitting the rim. But that didn’t affect Finley, who grabbed a game-high 17 rebounds. She was a big key for the Lions, not allowing the Ravens to score second-chance points. Finley also had six points and a steal.


4. E’lease Stafford, fr. — Judging by the box score, Stafford scored two points on 1 of 7 shooting, scoring the first points of the game by beating Olathe Northwest’s defense down the court. But she actually made a huge impact on offense, helping move the ball along the perimeter for open shots. She had two assists, four rebounds and a steal.


5. Skylar Drum, so. — The 5-foot-6 guard couldn’t get her shot to fall, scoring three points on 1 of 5 shooting. But she had three rebounds and an assist, and she played solid defense on the perimeter.


6. Olivia Lemus, so. — Lemus scored all five of her points in the second quarter, starting a 12-0 LHS run to end the first half. She also had five rebounds and an assist.


7. Rebecca Finley, sr. — Finley was the first player off of the bench, and she brought good energy to the court. She scored two points in the first quarter on a layup and she had two rebounds.


8. Madison McKinney, so. — The 5-foot-4 guard scored on a putback before the first quarter buzzer. In the third quarter, she had a nice assist to Boyd for a layup.


9. Asia Goodwin, fr. — Goodwin brought good energy off of the bench and she grabbed two rebounds. She missed all three shots she took.


• Next up: 5:30 p.m. Tuesday vs. SM North. Record: 3-13.

Lawrence High boys basketball

1. Anthony Bonner, sr. — When Bonner is making shots, there’s not much opposing teams can do but just sit back and watch. The 6-foot-2 senior was in rhythm throughout the night, scoring a game-high 21 points, including going 4 for 7 from behind the three-point line. He also had two buzzer beaters, four rebounds and an assist. In the third quarter, he went 4 for 4 from the field for 12 points.


2. Justin Roberts, jr. — Roberts gave the Lions a lift in the first quarter, scoring six points and dishing an assist. He finished with 13 points, four rebounds and three assists. When the Ravens went on a quick 8-0 run to open the fourth quarter, Roberts responded with five points to put an end to any comeback bid.


3. Ben Rajewski, sr. — After scoring 18 points on Tuesday, Rajewski opened the scoring with a putback before knocking down a three-pointer a few minutes later. He did a good job digging on Olathe Northwest’s post players and closing out on shooters, and he drew a charge in the fourth quarter.


4. Price Morgan, jr. — Morgan heated up in the third quarter after sitting with some foul trouble in the first half. He scored seven of his nine points in the period, blocked a shot, grabbed a steal and had a nice and-1 finish.


5. John Barbee, sr. — Barbee couldn’t get his shot to drop, but played stellar defense and started a few transition buckets by leading the Lions down the court. He finished with four points, six rebounds and one steal.


6. Logan Applegate, sr. — Facing some physical opposing post players, Applegate played really well, scoring four points and grabbing five rebounds. He also did a really good job playing interior defense without fouling.


7. Anthony Harvey, jr. — In one of my favorite plays of the season, Harvey dove head-first out of bounds trying to chase down a long rebound with a 30-point lead and 1:02 remaining. Incredible effort. A minute before that, Harvey knocked down a three from the top of the arc.


8. Fred Brou, jr. — Brou scored on a smooth hook shot late in the third quarter. He played strong defense, denying the ball in the post.


9. Kyle Hoffman, sr. — I watched him shooting a few hours before the game with headphones on and he was just draining threes. After the student section chanted his name, prompting his coaches to put him in the game, he delivered with a deep three before the final buzzer.


“A guy like Kyle Hoffman and a guy like Tae Shorter, those guys fight every day in practice,” LHS coach Mike Lewis said. “They work extremely hard. They’re very loyal teammates. When they get in the game, I want them to play hard and take advantage of the situation they’re given.”


10. Jackson Mallory, so. — I heard Mallory made nine three-pointers in the junior-varsity game beforehand, so no wonder his hot shooting continued in the final minutes when he drained a three in front of the student section. He also had a rebound and a steal.


11. Tae Shorter, sr. — Shorter showed off some nice crossover dribbles at point guard in the final minutes. He scored on a free throw and grabbed a rebound.


• Next up: 7 p.m. Tuesday vs. #6 SM North. Record: 15-1.
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