West lifts Lions to crown

So far, there’s no sophomore slump for Lawrence High’s Mallory West.

The reigning state individual all-around champion improved to 2-0 in her follow-up campaign Wednesday night, winning at least a share of three events during a quadrangular meet at LHS.

West finished with a score of 35.9 points, topping Olathe North’s Brianna Willard by 0.7 points to win the all-around crown. The victory comes on the heels of her triumph at last week’s Shawnee Mission East quadrangular.

“There’s a little bit more pressure, but it’s not bad pressure,” West said of the mental outlook she has carried into this season after winning the state title as a freshman. “People know who I am and expect a little bit more, but I expect more out of myself.

Free State's Amelia Firns-Hubert competes on the balance beam. Firns-Hubert was third on the beam Wednesday at Lawrence High.

“I’m just trying to step it up and do better than last year.”

West won the vault with an 8.7, the beam with a 9.3, and tied for first on the floor with teammate Kara Kellison with a 9.3. The sophomore’s lone lackluster showing came on the bars, where she finished fifth with an 8.6.

Still, West’s performance was pleasing to Lawrence/Free State coach Kathy Johnson.

“She improved her scores from last time. That was positive,” Johnson said. “She’s been really working hard on bars. That’s the hardest event to pick back up (after a layoff). It will take a little bit longer before we get back where we want to be on bars.”

West’s strong effort helped the Lions win the team title with 105.3 points, with Free State taking second place with 103.45. Olathe South finished third (94.85), while Willard accounted for all of Olathe North’s scoring (35.2).

Amelia Firns-Hubert led the Firebirds, finishing fourth in the all-around with 34.85 points. It was an encouraging performance after Firns-Hubert was able to complete in just one event at the Shawnee Mission East quad while battling a slight knee strain.

Lawrence High's Kara Kellison vaults during a gymnastics quadrangular. Kellison helped the Lions win the quad Wednesday at LHS.

“That was a big boost for the team,” Johnson said. “She didn’t quite do everything we hope she’ll eventually get back to.”

Johnson was especially impressed with the progress both teams showed on the beam between last week’s meet and Wednesday night’s performance.

“The beam is the deciding factor a lot of the time in bigger meets,” Johnson said. “Every girl that does (the back handspring series) in her beam routine stuck it.”

Both teams will have an immediate chance to prove Johnson’s words to be prophetic. As regular-season competitions go, neither Lawrence or Free State will face a much bigger meet than this weekend’s Shawnee Mission East Invitational, which will feature most of the top teams in the state.

“It will be a good gauge to see where they are for the beginning of the season across the state,” Johnson said. “It should give them a little incentive for what they need to work for.”

J-W Cup

After Wednesday’s quad, Lawrence High took a 2-1 lead in the standings for the Journal-World Cup, the yearlong, all-sports competition between LHS and Free State High