FSHS boys fall short against Olathe East

Free State guard Brett Frantz applies defensive pressure to Olathe East guard Payton Snell (5) on Friday, Jan. 6, 2012, at FSHS.

Olathe East 48, Free State 43

FSHS (43)

Cameron Dabney 4-9 3-4 11, Brett Frantz 4-10 0-0 10, Reshawn Caro 2-3 0-0 6, Cole Moreano 2-5 0-0 5, Tyler Self 2-4 1-2 5, Blake Winslow 2-3 0-0 4, Shawn Knighton 0-3 0-3 0, Gabe Patterson 1-2 0-0 2, Kyle McFarland 0-2 0-0 0. FSHS – 17-41 4-9 43.

OE (48)

Bret Cook 0-0 0-2 0, Austin Brown 3-3 5-8 12, Kyle Smith 5-12 14, Blaine Miller 2-5 1-2 5, Matthew Baltimore 3-3 2-4 8, Jonah Jacobsen 2-3 0-0 4, Taren Robinson 0-2 0-0 0, Caelan Neal 0-1 0-0 0, Payton Snell 1-2 0-0 2. Olathe East – 16-34 8-16 48.

FSHS 10 8 16 9–43

Olathe East 15 11 11 11–48

Three Points: FSHS – Frantz 2-6, Caro 2-3, Moreano 1-4; Olathe East – Smith 4-9, Brown 1-1. Turnovers: FSHS – 12; Olathe East – 15. Shooting Percentage: Free State – 41; Olathe East – 47.

When Free State High coach Chuck Law talked about his team closing the gap, he wasn’t talking about points.

He saw the Firebirds make competitive strides while playing one of the top teams in the state.

“We were right there,” Law said. “We were right there with them.”

FSHS lost at home, 48-43, to Olathe East on Friday night. Other than a few minutes of the game, the Firebirds played some of the best basketball they had all season.

“If we can tidy some things up,” Law said, “this team has a chance to be a really good basketball team as we go forward.”

The Hawks started the game with a 9-2 run, and it looked like it would be a long night for the Firebirds (2-5).

They made a few runs, but still trailed by eight at halftime. During the third quarter, FSHS went on an 11-0 run and took a 32-31 lead off of a bucket from sophomore Blake Winslow.

Then O-East went on a little run of its own, hitting three three-pointers during an 11-2 run.

Though the Hawks missed several free throws in the final minutes, the Firebirds didn’t have time for a comeback.

Two players scored in double figures for the Firebirds, with senior Cameron Dabney getting 11 and senior Brett Frantz adding 10. Sophomore Reshawn Caro had six points on two three-pointers off the bench.

FSHS is as close to being a solid team as the game suggests, but Law said these moral victories can only go so far.

“At some point we’ve got to get a win,” Law said. “They’ve got to believe that they can get one.”

Next up for Free State is Shawnee Mission South at 7 p.m. Tuesday at FSHS.