“Stay loose and have fun” was the advice Coach Mike Lewis gave his team before they stormed onto the court to meet opponets Shawnee Mission North in the semifinals round of tonight’s State Championship tournament.

The team seemed to take the advice to heart as they passed up the Indians 24-16 in the first half.

Junior Price Morgan won the tipoff, passing the ball to senior Justin Roberts, who then ran the first play.

Morgan made another key move early, shooting the Lion’s first field goal with 5:27 left in the first quarter. The game quickly tied up with a three, followed by the next shot outside of the paint by Roberts, pulling the Lions ahead.

Quarter one ended 14-5, Lions.

At 6:32, Morgan grabbed a rebound on the defensive end, hurling it to Roberts who sunk a three to kick off quarter two.

The Lions held off SMN offense entirely until the six-minute mark when the Indians made one free throw.

Lewis shook up his lineup late in the half, substituting Morgan and Bonner for juniors Anthony Harvey and Fred Brou. He then added more fresh faces, subbing in Jackson Mallory.

Koch Arena, the home of the Wichita State Shockers and the largest venue in which the Lions have played, is filled with the sound of the Shawnee Mission North pep band. Although LHS band members could not travel to the game because of their spring break trip to Orlando, the student section is at the sidelines, brought by a fan bus that left the LHS campus at 4:30 this afternoon.

Fans were admitted at the ticket office at the arena and were scanned in by arena employees as they would have been at a college or pro-level game.

Look for more coverage after the game.