Lawrence senior returns with a flair in Lions’ Kansas 6A quarterfinal boys victory

Lawrence High senior Anthony Bonner did not waste any time bouncing back from a mild concussion that kept him out of last Friday’s Kansas substate victory against Shawnee Mission East.

Bonner was cleared for contact and went through a light practice on Tuesday, then he scored 19 points in Lawrence’s 64-46 victory against Wichita South on Wednesday in a Kansas 6A state quaterfinal game at Wichita State’s Koch Arena. With the victory, the second-seeded Chesty Lions improved to 22-1 and advanced to the semifinals on Friday.

“He is a tough kid and, again, it was mild, so it wasn’t anything that really, really rocked him,” Lawrence coach Mike Lewis said. “He lives for this moment and there was nothing that was going to get in his way.”

Bonner, who also tied for a team-high three assists and 29 minutes, was seven-of-12 from the field. Justin Roberts led the Chesty Lions with a game-high 24 points, which included three three-pointers.

Lawrence came out hot, shooting 50 percent from the field and 55.6 percent from beyond the arc for a 30-23 lead at halftime. Although they failed to hit a three-pointer after the break, they kept pace around the rest of the court and finished the game with a 48.8 shooting percentage for the game.

This story was originally published March 11, 2015 at 9:28 PM with the headline "Lawrence senior returns with a flair in Lions’ Kansas 6A quarterfinal boys victory."