Free State senior Kristian Rawls (0) drives around Lansing senior Hunter Majure during their game Tuesday evening at FSHS.

It’s nearly impossible to catch Free State High’s boys basketball team on an off night. Some nights, the starters play well. On Tuesday against Lansing, the Firebirds just turned to their bench.

Playing seven games in the last 14 days, the Firebirds have proven their depth is a luxury that most teams can only dream of, coasting to a 66-53 victory at FSHS. The Firebirds received 30 points and 15 rebounds from their bench Tuesday, showing there isn’t much — if any — drop off in talent between the first and second units.

Free State only scored two points in the first five minutes before the bench stepped in and elevated the offense. The Firebirds scored on five straight possessions during the end of the first quarter, turning a five-point deficit into a 14-11 lead.

Senior Drew Tochtrop, who scored a career-high 29 points in the first round of the McPherson Invitational last week, gave the Firebirds some rhythm with a layup and a three-pointer from the corner. Junior 6-foot-6 forward Cameron Clark added a layup and senior Darian Lewis scored on a putback.

With no starters on the court for the start of the second quarter, junior guard Shannon Cordes scored eight straight points with two triples.

“Coach (Jeff) Haas, one of our assistants, said, ‘Are you ready to go back with the first group?’ I said, ‘No, let’s just see how the second group looks,'” FSHS coach Sam Stroh said. “Next two or three possessions they scored. We’ve got confidence in them. That’s something we kind of tell the guys. The next guy has to step up.”

Playing off of the bench, players know their roles. Cordes is a deep threat, Tochtrop is turning from an energetic defender into an energetic scorer, and Clark provides a post presence in the paint. Clark finished with eight points and a game-high eight rebounds.

Lewis, a hard-nosed rebounder, always knows how to be in the right spots on offense. Junior Jay Dineen, a middle linebacker in football, provides energy on both sides of the court and sophomore Simon McCaffrey is a reliable point guard, setting up his teammates for open shots.

“A lot of teams, you take away a couple of players and they are out of the game,” Cordes said. “I feel like you can’t really scout us that well because if you take away two players, we’ve got five more.”

The strong play off of the bench sparked Free State’s starters at the end of the first half. Senior Hunter Gudde, who scored a game-high 17 points, had six points in a two-minute stretch and senior point guard Kristian Rawls added two lay-ups on drives to the rim.

“We all have the same confidence,” Clark said. “We come out and play hard.”

In the second half, the Firebirds (10-2, ranked No. 6 in Class 6A) had trouble pulling away from the Lions. Free State led by 14 points in the third quarter after a layup by junior guard Jacob Pavlyak, but Lansing (5-6) responded with a 8-0 run.

Free State’s second unit, off of the bench, provided another lift. Dineen scored on a lay-up while being fouled and the Firebirds held the Lions scoreless for the final three minutes of the period. Lansing was never any closer than nine points in the fourth quarter.

“Toward the end of the year we might have to go to seven, eight or nine guys,” Stroh said. “But heck, tonight we played 12 guys. I thought every guy did something to help us win.”

LANSING (53)

Sam Lorenzen 5-13 3-3 16, Chaz Young 0-0 0-0 0, Dylan Jenkins 6-12 0-0 12, Isaiah Figueroa 0-0 0-0 0, Jalen Douglas 2-6 1-1 5, Travon Tucker 2-6 2-2 7, Hunter Majure 1-3 0-0 3, Quinton McQuillan 3-5 1-2 7, Josh Robinson 1-2 1-1 3, Jonavan Hunley 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 20-47 8-9 53.

FREE STATE (66)

Kristian Rawls 3-4 2-3 8, Chrision Wilburn 2-3 1-2 5, Sloan Thomsen 0-1 0-0 0, Jacob Pavlyak 3-5 0-0 6, Hunter Gudde 4-7 9-12 17, Darian Lewis 1-2 0-0 2, Cameron Clark 4-7 0-1 8, Drew Tochtrop 2-5 2-2 7, Simon McCaffrey 0-1 0-0 0, Shannon Cordes 2-5 2-2 8, Jay Dineen 1-3 0-1 2, Reece White-Downing 0-0 3-4 3. Totals 22-43 19-27 66.

Lansing 11 15 12 15 — 53

Free State 14 24 13 15 — 66

Three-point goals: Lansing 5-16 (Lorenzen 3, Tucker, Majure); Free State 3-10 (Cordes 2, Tochtrop). Fouled out: Jenkins. Turnovers: Lansing 13, Free State 13.