When Lawrence High’s girls basketball team came out wearing one knee-high red sock and one ankle sock before Monday’s game against Free State, LHS coach Kristin Mallory wasn’t thrilled.

If the Lions didn’t open the game with a flourish, Mallory warned things might get ugly.

“I told them before the game that I wasn’t against ripping the socks off during a timeout,” she said.

She didn’t, but the coach’s threat probably wouldn’t have made a difference.

It was the Firebirds’ zone defense that stifled LHS early, keeping the score low and close until midway through the fourth quarter, when the Lions pulled away from FSHS, 53-39, in a non-league game at Free State.

LHS swept three games from Free State for the first time in the city rivalry’s six-year history. The Lions had won the first two meetings by an average of 28 points.

“That was a six- to eight-point game all the way,” FSHS coach Bryan Duncan said. “They hit some big shots and some free throws at the end, but we were there.”

Indeed, the Firebirds (4-15 overall, 1-8 Sunflower League) led 6-4 with 2:32 left in the first quarter, thanks to a matchup zone that prevented any decent LHS shots. The Lions took a 9-6 lead two minutes later, when junior Rachael Klingler completed a three-point play.

LHS (14-5, 6-3) never trailed again, but the game was far from over.

The Firebirds climbed to within one, 16-15, when junior Jenny Gwaltney hit one of two free throws midway through the second quarter. They stayed within four until the end of the half, when Mallory had seen enough.

Leigh DeBiasse, right, of Lawrence High dribbles past Free State's Jaime Stanclift during the Lions' 53-39 victory. DeBiasse scored eight points Monday in the Lions' victory at Free State.

The socks came off, and the LHS lead started to grow.

“Free State had a great defensive game plan,” Mallory said. “They were very aggressive with their zone, they tripled the post, and they were beating us to loose balls. But I thought we made some adjustments in the second half that worked.”

The Lions opened the third quarter with a 10-4 run, pushing their lead to 34-25. FSHS closed to within three, 36-33, with just over a minute remaining, but two Lion scores gave them a comfortable margin heading into the fourth.

So was it the socks?

“I think it’s a superstition thing,” junior Cherrale Ricks said. “But they shouldn’t affect us like that.”

They didn’t affect Ricks. She was one of the few constants for LHS, scoring a game-high 13 points and grabbing nine rebounds.

Saddled with foul trouble during the second and third quarters, Ricks was the difference down the stretch, scoring four points and snagging four rebounds.

“When she wants to, she can just own the lane,” Mallory said. “On rebounds, she gets her hand on the ball so many times, that just gets us going inside.”

Free State's Jamie Stanclift, right, shoots over Lawrence High's Audrey Pope and Jodie Cochrane (40) in the Lions' 53-39 victory. The Lions completed a season sweep of the Firebirds Monday at FSHS.

Junior Josie Polk, who never wore the odd socks to begin with, added 12 points for LHS.

The Lions close their regular season Thursday at home against Leavenworth. Free State, which ends with a trip Thursday to Shawnee Mission North, got better each time it played the Lions, but never more so than Monday.

“We were awesome on defense tonight,” Duncan said. “I think we were able to frustrate them and we were extremely aggressive. We played more aggressive tonight than we have all year.”

The Firebirds, who were led by junior Kirby Beneventi’s 11 points, just needed more balanced scoring. But that’s something Duncan said will continue to improve.

“We’ve had problems scoring all year,” Duncan said. “We put ourselves into the position to score, but we just couldn’t finish.”