Three thoughts to chew on while wondering how many consecutive days Lawrence’s high temperature will remain lower than the scoring average of Ottawa High senior Victor Ojeleye (29.7):

¢ I’m still waiting for a marquee win by the Free State High girls basketball team to validate the myriad polls that have the Firebirds ranked as one of the top Class 6A teams in the state.

Truth is, no one is a bigger advocate for the Firebirds than yours truly. I’ve written in stories and pontificated in podcasts that coach Bryan Duncan’s squad has the best postseason prognosis of the eight city basketball teams, thanks in large part to an experienced core of senior leaders in Jenna Brantley, Kelsey Harrison and Lauren Kimball.

The problem is, Free State isn’t really doing anything on the floor to earn its praise this winter. While a 6-2 mark is nice, the reality is all six wins have come against teams the Firebirds were expected to beat, including a pair of Class 5A schools.

The two times they’ve had the chance to make a solid argument for respect – against Junction City in the finals of the Metro Prep Classic and last week against Olathe East – they’ve reverted to their puzzling offensive inadequacies and come out on the wrong end.

This week, Free State plays host to Olathe South, another poll mainstay. It’s time for the Firebirds to live up to the voters’ lofty standards.

¢ With all due respect to Lawrence High boys basketball coach Chris Davis and the job he has done getting the Lions to forget their run-‘n’-gun past and buy into a new offensive philosophy, the early nod for coaching job of the year should go to rookie Seabury Academy boys coach Matthew Downing Jr.

In three games prior to the holiday break, the Seahawks faltered to an 0-3 mark, while also struggling to reach the Ojeleye barometer – averaging a paltry 29 ppg.

Downing – the son of a long-time high school coach – obviously took good notes, especially when it comes to making adjustments. Using the extra practice time to its advantage, Seabury came out of the break by scoring 65 and 50 points, respectively, in its first two contests and handed Downing his first career victory.

With Seabury sitting just 1-4 heading into Monday’s game against Williamsburg at the West Franklin Invitational, it will be interesting to see whether those two extra weeks of practice time ultimately help Seabury turn the corner and find a competitive identity in the Class 1A ranks, or if it’s simply a two-game aberration that I’m giving too much notice.

¢ The area wrestling spotlight typically shines brightest on Baldwin and Santa Fe Trail, two programs that have produced consistently strong team finishes at the Class 4A state meet in recent seasons.

This winter, none other than Baldwin coach Kit Harris has implored in multiple e-mails that people shouldn’t sleep on Eudora. Thus far, Harris’ assessment has been top-notch.

The Cardinals’ upperclassmen-laden roster includes four wrestlers who already have crossed the 20-win threshold, while six grapplers sport winning percentages of .700 or better.

That depth should help coach Bill Dewitt’s squad make a sizable blip on the postseason radar.