FSHS girls ‘disappointed’ in loss to Olathe East

Free State sophomore guard Sam Lawrence (4) looks to steal the ball from Olathe East's Molly Kaemmer (30) on Friday at FSHS.

It was a lot to ask of the Free State girls basketball team to continue its winning ways without the team’s best player and against one of the better rosters in the Sunflower League.

Still, that didn’t prevent coach Ted Juneau from being disappointed with his squad’s showing following a 55-30 loss to Olathe East on Friday during Senior Night. The loss snapped a three-game streak by the Firebirds, which began after losing senior all-state forward Madison Piper for the season.

“We played a good team and we knew that,” Juneau said. “But this is the first time in a long time that I have been disappointed in the way we have played. Somehow we forgot how we should play. Without doing that, we aren’t going to compete against anybody.”

In Piper’s absence, two FSHS players averaged double digits over the last three outings. Junior Jaelyn Two Hearts had posted 14-or-more points over that span, while junior Cameryn Thomas had an 11 points per game mark.

Against the Hawks (14-4, 8-1 in league) the pair were held to a combined three points on a total of eight shot attempts. Senior Jaycie Bishop was the only player to record double figures, scoring 10 points on a 4-of-8 effort.

“I thought (Bishop) played well,” Juneau said. “She made some good shots and she was a bright spot for us.”

The Firebirds (11-7, 5-4) played from behind for nearly every possession between the tipoff and the final buzzer. In fact, the only time Free State was even tied after the start was when Piper sunk a layup — in crutches — in the opening seconds.

In her final regular-season game at Free State, Piper was introduced in the starting lineups. She stood by the rim and awaited the pass after Olathe East began the game with a quick layup. She netted the bucket and was immediately subbed out, as she went to the sideline, she was greeted by a standing ovation.

“We had planned a way to get Madison introduced,” Juneau said. “Honestly, all we were going to do was tip it and let it roll out of bounds to let her get off the floor. But coach (Clint) Evans from Olathe East, is the one who suggested to get her in the book. So we cooked that up right before the game.”

Bishop connected on a 3-pointer at the 6:11 mark in the first period to give the Firebirds a 5-3 advantage. That moment was brief, though, as the Hawks scored 13 unanswered points over the next five minutes of action.

Olathe East’s lead never got down to single digits after the opening period.

Free State will travel to Shawnee Mission West at 5:30 p.m. Tuesday.

“We hope to bounce back, if we don’t the season is going to be really short,” Juneau said.

OLATHE EAST (55)

Jordan Rehagen 1-3 0-0 3, Sydney Wilson 8-11 0-0 18, Caroline Hoppock 2-4 1-2 6, Regan Schumacher 5-7 0-0 10, Cameron Kincaid 4-5 0-0 8, Makenna Winemiller 2-2 0-0 4, Hope Owens 0-2 0-0 0, Lauren Kirk 0-4 1-2 1, Savanna Perez 1-1 0-0 3. Totals: 23-39 2-4 55.

FREE STATE (30)

Sam Lawrence 2-6 0-0 4, Cameryn Thomas 1-4 1-1 3, Jaycie Bishop 4-8 0-0 10, Caely Kesten 0-4 0-0 0, Jaelyn Two Hearts 0-4 0-0 0, Erin Cushing 0-1 2-2 2, Haley Hippe 4-5 1-1 9, Madison Piper 1-1 0-0 2. Totals 12-33 4-4 30.

O-East 18 11 20 6 — 55

Free State 7 8 3 12 — 30

Three-point goals: O-East 5-10 (Wilson 2, Rehagen, Hoppock, Perez); Free State 2-13 (Bishop 2). Turnovers: O-East 8, Free State 11.