Free State High’s girls basketball team went 10-12 last season, losing in the sub-state title game. Probably not the year the Firebirds were hoping for but definitely no reason for panic.


But when I stopped by practice last Tuesday, there was a different vibe from their practice. Everybody seemed more loose. There were a lot of smiles and laughs. It’ll be interesting to see how that translates to play on the court when games bring more pressure.


But there’s a lot of reasons for the Firebirds to be optimistic this season, not just counting how they’re acting in one practice. They bring back sophomore Madison Piper, who averaged more than 15 points per game and picked up All-State honors last year, along with senior forwards Adriana Jadlow and Hannah Shoemaker, and junior guard/forward Hannah Walter. All four of them played big minutes in the varsity rotation last year.


Now add in sophomore Jaycie Bishop, a sharpshooting guard who transferred from Lawrence High, and senior Sarah Coversup, a strong and talented forward from Horton. That’s two more players with varsity experience who can help the Firebirds this season.


Free State is ranked No. 10 in the preseason coaches poll for Class 6A, and the Firebirds definitely have the pieces to make a strong run. If they’re playing loose and having fun, it might even take their game up a level, which could be a scary thing for a lot of opponents.


I shot video of them during a practice last week, as they worked on cutting without the ball on offense. The video can be seen below:


http://www2.ljworld.com/videos/2014/dec/01/36016/
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For the curious minds, the winter sports preview for Free State will appear in Tuesday’s newspaper. Lawrence High’s preview likely coming on Wednesday. Plenty more preps coverage coming in print (and online) this week.


If you’ve missed any previous winter sports blog posts, including videos of their practices, you can find them below:


Lawrence High girls basketball: http://www2.ljworld.com/weblogs/dividing_line/2014/nov/26/a-new-era-for-lawrence-high-girls-basket/


Free State boys swimming: http://www2.ljworld.com/weblogs/dividing_line/2014/nov/27/free-state-boys-swimming/


Free State wrestling: http://www2.ljworld.com/weblogs/dividing_line/2014/nov/28/plenty-of-youth-and-enthusiasm-for-free-/


Lawrence High boys basketball: http://www2.ljworld.com/weblogs/dividing_line/2014/nov/30/big-expectations-and-talent-for-lawrence/
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As always, feel free to comment, email me, or find me on Twitter @nightengalejr.