FSHS boys edge Washburn Rural, 63-58

Free State junior Garrett Luinstra jumps up for a layup against Washburn Rural in the first round of the Saints Classic at St. Thomas Aquinas on Thursday, Jan. 19, 2017.

OVERLAND PARK — Through the early part of the season, the Free State boys basketball team has struggled to effectively close teams out.

Once again the Firebirds were put to the test in Thursday’s opening round matchup against Washburn Rural. FSHS answered the bell, edging the Junior Blues, 63-58, in the first round of the Saints Classic at Saint Thomas Aquinas High School.

“The one thing about us is that every game we seem to make it interesting,” Free State coach Sam Stroh said. “We have to figure out ways to not only hold the lead but extend a lead and put a team away. Overall, it was good to get a first round win and move forward.”

The Firebirds (6-2, No. 9 in 6A) have now won four consecutive games after staving off a Washburn Rural (6-3, No. 10 in 6A) comeback attempt. FSHS will have a second round matchup with Blue Valley (6-2, No. 5 in 6A) at 6:15 p.m.

Stroh watched as his team let a seven-point advantage slip away in the early minutes of the final quarter.

With 5:01 left to play, senior Zachary Ebert nailed a 3-pointer from the left wing to pull within two. However, in attempt to get a hand in the shooter’s face, Free State senior Jay Dineen blew threw a screen and was called for the foul.

Since the Firebirds were already in the bonus, the foul sent senior Sam Wingert to the free throw line, where he knocked down both attempts, to even the score at 47-47. It was the first time the score had been tied since the 5:40 mark in the first period.

“Once they started putting pressure on us, it got to us as first,” senior Jacob Pavlyak said. “But then once we got used to it we did fine and were able to keep our lead.”

Rather than crumble under the pressure, Free State responded with an 8-2 run over the next few minutes to reclaim control.

Time and time again, junior Garrett Luinstra got a bucket when his team needed it the most. He scored nine of his team-high 19 points in the final period, including a driving baseline layup following the five-point play by Washburn Rural.

Luinstra is now averaging just shy of 19 points per contest in four games this calendar year, and has cemented himself as the go-to option on the offensive end for the Firebirds.

“He has been scoring really well the last four or five games,” Stroh said. “He’s only a junior. Heck, if you add up the games, he’s probably only played seven or eight varsity games in his career. Whereas some of the guys he’s playing have played 20, 40 or even 50.”

But it was other reinforcements that helped FSHS get out to an early lead.

At the start of the game, Free State and Washburn Rural traded buckets. But following an 8-8 tie at the 5:40 mark in the first period, the Firebirds orchestrated a 10-0 run to cease the advantage. Three of those buckets came via senior Cameron Clark, who notched 10 points.

Clark was one of four double-digit sores for his team. Senior Shannon Cordes finished with 12 points on five shots, while Dineen added 13 points, including seven in the opening quarter.

Meanwhile, sophomore Jordan White netted 19 points in a losing effort for the Junior Blues.

“I think it was one of our better games of the season,” Pavlyak said. “We talk about playing a full game well and I think that’s probably as close as we have gotten to playing a full 32 minutes well.”

FREE STATE (63)

Jay Dineen 5-7 3-3 13, Sloan Thomsen 1-3 0-0 3, Shannon Cordes 3-5 5-6 12, Cameron Clark 5-6 0-0 10, Jacob Pavlyak 0-3 1-2 1, Garrett Luinstra 8-13 0-0 19, Jalan Robinson 2-3 1-2 5, Simon McCaffrey 0-1 0-0 0. Totals: 24-41 10-13.

WASHBURN RURAL (58)

Zachary Ebert 4-8 0-0 12, Brayden White 3-5 2-2 9, Jordan White 7-13 2-3 19, Sam Wingert 1-4 2-2 4, Jack Hamilton 1-6 1-1 3, Raymond Swopes 0-1 0-0 0, Tyler Cummings 0-1 0-0 0, Jenner Hickel 3-8 4-4 11. Totals: 19-47 11-12.

Free State 18 12 12 21 –63

Washburn Rural 11 11 13 23 — 58

Three-point goals: Free State 5-11 (Luinstra 3, Cordes, Thomsen); Washburn Rural 9-23 (Ebert 4, Jordan White 3, Brayden White, Hickel). Fouled out: None. Turnovers: Washburn Rural 10, Free State 17.