The chant started softly before gathering momentum, eventually becoming loud enough for Shawnee Mission North guard Michael Weathers to shake his head with a wry smile.

“You can’t dunk. You can’t dunk,” the words echoed in the Shawnee Mission East gym after a foul prevented Weathers from reaching the rim.

The proof otherwise came soon enough.

Weathers stole a pass near half court and exploded for a one-handed jam, the punctuation during a 13-point spurt that jump-started the Indians to a 69-49 victory Friday at Shawnee Mission East.

“That got me motivated to get one in the game,” said Weathers, who led all scorers with 27 points and added five blocks. “I got the crowd riled up, and we got riled up on defense, and that turned up everything.”

The dunks supplied highlights. A combination of defense and free-throw shooting provided the win.

SM North, 4-2, held the Lancers to only one field goal in the second quarter, turning a two-point deficit into a 31-23 halftime lead. SM North mixed in a 13-0 run, capped by Weathers’ first dunk.

And in a game littered with fouls, particularly in the opening half, SM North made its first 11 free throws. It finished 30 of 42 from the line.

SM East kept the game competitive in the third quarter, but it couldn’t furnish enough offensive outlets to creep closer than eight points, and starting guard Alex Glazer spent most of the night on the bench with foul trouble.