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Lee’s Summit put itself through fire in December to get ready for the rigorous schedule the rest of the way. And LSHS feels good after emerging with a winning record going into January.

The Tigers endured seven games in 11 days against tough competition, including playing in the Webster Classic tourney in St. Louis, then returning to play four games in three states over another five-day stretch. Overall, Lee’s Summit now stands at 5-3 and ranked No. 6 in the 810 Varsity Top 25 with its strength of schedule.

LSHS figures after walking over the hot coals of the schedule, the December games will have prepped them for upcoming conference play and other challenges.

“We came out of that stretch of games stronger and learned lessons along the way,” stated head coach Blake Little. “We’ve had good practices since then and are ready to go for league play.”

After opening the season with a 52-47 win over No. 4 Rockhurst, also ranked in the top 10 of the 810 Varsity Top 25, the Tigers traveled to St. Louis and won the Webster Classic held annually at Webster Groves High School. LSHS, Lee’s Summit North and Staley have participated in the event over the past two decades – but haven’t won the event until the Tigers did with wins over CBC (74-59), Webster Groves (60-58) and John Burroughs (52-48).

“We’ve been five times and never won it before,” Little recalled. “I believe we’re the first team in the Kansas City area to win it, so to go there and win it is something special.”

Amongst the top players for the Tigers has been Jaylen Lockhart. The 6-foot-6 senior paces Lee’s Summit in scoring with over 15 ppg, as well as seven rebounds while shooting over 50% from the floor. Lockhart was named MVP of the Webster Classic.

“Jaylen’s off to a great start and playing really well,” Little commented. “He’s leading us in scoring, but he’s also getting rebounds and playing good defense. He’s been really efficient with his play and our most steady player.”

Following the Dec 12-14 getaway to St. Louis, Lee’s Summit returned to play in Kansas (at No. 5 Blue Valley North), home against Belton (W, 60-57) and then played a pair of games in the Bulldog Classic in Springdale, Ark.

“We had the flu go through us and those were tough games in that span. Springdale and Bentonville are very good,” Little analyzed. “We went into the year thinking we can either schedule likely wins, or go prepare ourselves for the league and postseason. We went with the tougher schedule – kids are only in high school once, so may as well play some good games and get better.”

Senior Cameron Yows also received all-tourney team accolades at the Webster Classic, posting over 9 ppg. But the Benedictine commit sustained a battle with the flu and missed the last four games before the break.

“Cameron can fill a stat sheet in many ways,” Little said of the 6-foot-4 senior. “He was really missed when he was sick, but should be ready for the second half.”

Also serving as integral cogs are seniors Gatlin Brody and De’Anthony Carter, and juniors Mekhi McNeil, Landon Van Pelt and Kameron Johns.

“Mekhi is a three-year starter with a very high assist to turnover ratio, plays great defense and is an emerging scorer,” Little touted. “Gatlin is one of the most valuable players that doesn’t show up in stats. He guards the other team’s best player and doesn’t matter if he’s the point guard or the tallest kid. He guarded the 6-foot-10 John Burroughs kid, and then will face up with a guard.”

“Landon is coming around from football, and will come on strong and have a good second half,” Little continued about the 6-foot-9 junior.

The Tigers continue to run deep with their bench, which Little views as a strength over the course of games, and the season.

“We may not always have the best player on the floor, but not many are deeper than us,” Little viewed. “We play 10, sometimes 11 kids and not many teams have that depth to run fresh players out there.”

The Tigers will need the legs ahead with the Suburban Conference play ahead, as well as the Summit Grill Shootout on February 20-24, and 810 Varsity Showcase 40 when LSHS plays Father Tolton Catholic and Mizzou commit Aaron Rowe on February 1.

“Winning our first four games shows what our potential is, but we’ve got to grind it out and get better,” Little forecasted. “There is no easy game on our schedule as it’s a strong year on the Missouri side in Kansas City. It’s one of those years that you have to bring it every night on the court and as a coaching staff, and that makes it an exciting year for everyone.”