Two sophomores stole the show Tuesday night during Lawrence High’s Senior Night boys basketball game against Free State High at LHS.

LHS sophomore David Freeman sparked his team to an early lead, but FSHS sophomore Brady Morningstar topped him with a game-winning three-pointer at the end of the Firebirds’ 51-50 overtime win.

And that’s just for starters.

The game featured 11 ties or lead changes, several big shots down the stretch by seniors and a perfectly executed game plan by the Lions, which nearly gave them the win.

But the Firebirds, who swept the season series with LHS for the first time since the 1998-99 season, had just enough offense and a little bit of luck on their side.

“You can’t ask for much more than this,” FSHS coach Jack Schreiner said. “Lawrence High did what they needed to do, and I think we responded. I’m just really happy. I’m just pleased with the win. Obviously we did some good things and we did some bad things, but we got the win, and we’re gonna go home happy.”

The Firebirds (13-6 overall, 6-3 Sunflower League) were in trouble late in regulation and in overtime, trailing with less than a minute left both times. But both times, FSHS got big buckets — one from junior Dain Dillingham, the other by Morningstar — for the non-league win.

The Lions (8-11, 4-5) used a stalling offense throughout the game to disrupt Free State’s rhythm. The slow-down tactic forced the Firebirds to play long stretches of defense and let LHS nurse its lead late.

“Our kids executed our game plan very well,” LHS coach Chris Davis said. “It put us into a position to win. But when you play a team as powerful as Free State is, you do what you need to do in order to have a chance to win.”

When the FSHS opened with an 8-2 lead midway through the first quarter, it didn’t look like the Lions would ever get a chance to stall. But Freeman scored nine straight points, including two threes, that pushed LHS into a lead it would keep until late in the third quarter.

“In the first half, it was Freeman — what a player. What a super game he had,” Schreiner said. “But I think Bijai (Jones) and Dain made the difference for us in the second half.”

Free State's Keith Wooden, center, battles Lawrence High's Derrick Newman (55) and Brandon McAnderson for a rebound. Wooden scored a game-high 18 points and added 10 rebounds and four blocks as the Firebirds defeated the Lions, 51-50, in overtime Tuesday night at LHS.

As the Firebirds focused on pressuring the LHS ballhandlers in the third quarter, they managed to regain the lead, 31-29, thanks to a Dillingham basket with 40 seconds left.

Just as the Firebirds opened up a slight fourth-quarter lead, LHS senior Bryan Cargill caught fire, scoring 10 points in six minutes, giving LHS a 43-41 lead. Dillingham, who finished with 14 points, sent the game into overtime, where the real drama started.

LHS senior Derrick Newman scored four points in a 30-second span, which gave the Lions a 48-47 lead, with 1:39 remaining. By now, LHS had spotted Newman, who finished with 13 points, underneath the basket four times because of the Firebirds’ over-rotation on defense. He was even more valuable on the defensive boards, where he was frustrating Jones and 6-foot-9 senior Keith Wooden.

After another hoop by LHS senior Brandon McAnderson, the Lions had a 50-47 lead with just more than a minute left. Dillingham sunk one free throw with 31 seconds left, and after Freeman missed the front end of a one-and-one, Morningstar drove and missed. Wooden and McAnderson grappled for the rebound, but McAnderson was whistled for his fifth foul, sending Wooden to the line.

Wooden — who scored a game-high 18 points, grabbed 10 rebounds and blocked four shots — missed the free throw. But FSHS senior Cameron Karlin tipped the rebound, which came to Jones, who finished with seven boards and 12 points.

“It felt like football,” Jones said. “The ball’s up in the air and it’s mine.

“A couple of times Derrick Newman tried swatting the ball from me, but I thought I couldn’t let the ball get away my last game here.”

Jones grabbed the loose ball, passed to Dillingham at the top of the key, who then zipped it Morningstar in the left corner.

Lawrence High's Derrick Newman scores two of his 13 points on a layup. Free State defeated Lawrence High, 51-50, in overtime Tuesday at LHS.

The sophomore guard was 0-for-5 until that point, but he never hesitated.

Nothing but net.

“I caught the ball and I thought to myself, ‘I gotta hit this,'” Morningstar said.

LHS called a timeout to set up a last-second shot, but Karlin deflected the inbounds pass, giving the Firebirds their third straight win against their intracity rival.

“Brady made a good shot. That’s the breaks of the game,” Davis said. “But it was such good, hard-fought game that I don’t think there’s much else you can say.”

It was Morningstar’s only points of the game, but that didn’t stop the FSHS fans from rushing the court and hoisting him in the air, all the while chanting his first name in exhilaration.

It was the stuff playground dreams are made of, but Morningstar wasn’t sure if his social life at school would change drastically. After all, it was just one shot — well, one huge shot.

“I don’t know” he said, the smile growing larger and larger on his face. “I lot of high fives I guess. We’ll see.”