If there was instant replay in high school basketball, Lawrence High would’ve been the team celebrating after the final buzzer.

In a one-point game with 1.2 seconds left, Grandview (Mo.) senior forward Michael Nweke jumped to catch the ball in the low post, turned while dipping his shoulder and made a layup as the horn sounded. Lawrence players believed the shot was after the buzzer. Grandview players jumped up and down awaiting the officials’ decision.

After a quick delay, an official ruled that the basket counted. The Lions wore looks of confusion, suffering their first loss of the season, 58-57, in the Blue Valley Shootout semifinals at Blue Valley High. Grandview players shouted in joy before celebrating with Nweke.

Lawrence will play Olathe South at 6:45 p.m. in the third-place game today.

"I didn’t think it was even close," Lawrence coach Mike Lewis said. "But my opinion really doesn’t matter, right?

“It’s sour is what it really is.”

The Lions (2-1, ranked No. 3 in Class 6A) were upset that they put themselves in a position to lose. They led by eight points with under two minutes left, turning the ball over on their final four possessions against a full-court press.

Grandview ended a five-minute scoring drought when 6-foot-4 senior guard Mason Taylor (32 points) scored on a put-back with 1:28 remaining. Taylor added a steal and dunk, then a 3-pointer to cut the score to 57-56.

After another LHS turnover, the Bulldogs (3-0) had three chances at a game-winning score. A missed shot was deflected out of bounds with five seconds left. An inbounds pass was deflected out of bounds. Then with 1.2 seconds to go, a game-winning shot that was slightly after the buzzer.

For more, read the LJWorld.com