That's back-to-back, Jack.
For the second straight season, Free State High boys basketball coach Jack Schreiner has directed his squad to the Class 6A state tournament thanks to a nail-biting 53-51 sub-state championship victory Saturday night against Lawrence High in an ear-splittingly loud LHS gym.
FreE State High School's Keith Wooden, left, celebrates with teammate Andron Cruse after the Firebirds nipped Lawrence High 53-51 in Saturday night's 6A sub-state final. Wooden hit the game-winning free throws. For more on the game, see page 1C.
The boys' state-qualifying victory came just hours after the girls team also narrowly advanced with a 49-45 win at Olathe East.
"Not only is that huge for the program," Schreiner said of the return trip to state, "but it's huge for the school that the boys and girls are both going. That's just really special. I hope we really play that up because that says a lot for what we've been able to do at Free State and hopefully we'll continue to do so."
The No. 8-seeded Firebirds (11-11) were able to slip past top-seeded Leavenworth in the semifinals before surviving the Lions (15-7) for their fourth straight sub-state victory.
What's the secret to Schreiner's postseason success?
"If I could answer that for you, I'd have done better in the past," said Schreiner, who also directed the Lions to the state championship in 1995. "This is my eighth year coaching and this will be my third time going to state. What happened to the other five? Obviously, the magic didn't work those five times."
The magic was with FSHS sophomore center Keith Wooden, who scored just seven points but was responsible for Free State's final four. None were bigger, though, than two clutch free-throws with five seconds remaining to break a 51-51 deadlock.
Lawrence High's C.J. Kie, left, and Free State's Keith Wooden battle for a rebound. Wooden hit the game-winning free throws in the Firebirds' 53-51 win Saturday night at the LHS gym.
"I was just thinking, 'I have to hit 'em. This is for the game,'" Wooden said. "In the back of my mind I knew I could hit 'em. I just had to do it. It's huge. It's our second sub-state (championship) in a row. Hopefully there's more in the future."
Not only was Wooden confident he could hit the free throws, but Schreiner was as well.
"We do a thing every night in practice where we put somebody on the line in a pressure situation and that son-of-a-gun knocks them down every time," Schreiner said of the 6-foot-7 center. "He's got a great stroke. I was convinced he would make at least one of them."
Wooden may have contributed key points, including two free throws that capped an 8-0 surge and gave Free State a 51-43 advantage with 4:34 to play, but it was the seniors who soared.
FSHS senior forward Pat Krivoshia scored a team-high 15 points on 4-of-7 shooting and was a sizzling 7-of-8 from the charity stripe.
"This is great," said Krivoshia, who is the Firebirds' lone returning starter from last year's state-qualifying team. "This is the biggest game I've ever played in. Last year was great, but doing it against LHS was even better. We wanted revenge and we came back and we got it. We're going to state again. It doesn't get much better than this."
All told, the Free State seniors accounted for 35 points, including all 13 off the bench.
FSHS senior guard Greg Dillon was the Firebirds' answer to LHS sniper Stephen Vinson, who scored a game-high 24 points on 9-of-15 shooting. Dillon scored six of his nine points on back-to-back trips down the floor, sandwiched around a Vinson trey.
"You have to give each team credit because it was down to the wire," Dillon said. "That's what I was hoping it wouldn't be because I did not want it to be like that. But I'm happy now, I'm happy that we pulled it out and I'm speechless. I'm losing my voice."
The Firebirds also received eight points from sophomore point guard Neil Dougherty whose sister, Megan, is on the Free State girls squad including 2-of-4 shooting from three-point range.
Free State likely will be seeded eighth at state and will play a to-be-determined opponent probably, top-seeded and undefeated Hutchinson in the quarterfinals Wednesday at Emporia's White Auditorium.
"When we got here, we walked into the gym and our fans applauded for us," Schreiner said. "I said, 'Now that's a special feeling that I'm so excited you got to experience. And if you think this is a special feeling, you ought to see what it's like next week if we get to make that extra step.'"
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