After all of those workouts, scrimmages and team camps over the summer and fall, the high school basketball season is finally here.


Both the boys and girls basketball teams for Lawrence High and Free State made their debuts over the last two days.


Free State’s boys basketball team routed AC Prep in Kansas City, 67-32, but the Firebirds weren’t completely satisfied with how they played. The Firebirds’ girls, ranked No. 10 in the preseason coaches poll, rolled past Topeka for a 61-44 victory behind 20+ points each from Madison Piper and Sarah Coversup.


Lawrence High’s boys basketball team, ranked No. 1, started fast and cruised for a 64-43 victory over Emporia, while the girls team lost, 59-48, after falling into a 17-point deficit in the second quarter.


Copying one of the popular features of KUsports.com, “Keegan’s Ratings,” where Sports Editor Tom Keegan ranks KU football and men’s basketball players after every game he attends, I’m bringing back the high school ratings for this basketball season. These individual rankings are just one person’s opinion, but it’s a good way to look at how each person impacted each game.


This week I was able to cover Free State boys hoops and both Lawrence High teams, while fellow LJWorld reporter Chris Duderstadt (you can find him on Twitter @ChrisDuderstadt) gave me his rankings and thoughts from the Free State girls game. The player rankings are below:

Free State boys basketball

1. Weston Hack, sr. — Had a tough first quarter with a few turnovers, but dominated afterward with a team-high 15 points to go along with five rebounds, four assists and four steals. Also drained 3 of 5 threes.


2. Justin Narcomey, sr. — Narcomey made an impact a little later than coach Chuck Law was hoping for, but he was the leader on fast breaks in the second and third quarters. He made all five of his shots inside of the three-point arc while grabbing three rebounds.


3. Jack Raney, sr. — Did a little bit of everything throughout the game. He didn’t convert all of his shots in the paint, but still finished with six points, three rebounds and a steal.


4. Andrew Keating, sr. — Keating had some trouble in the early going with the full-court trap defense, but was strong with the ball once he settled in while adding eight points and four rebounds.


5. Hunter Gudde, jr. — He fit into the glue guy role on Thursday, grabbing six rebounds, dishing an assist and grabbing a steal while scoring four points.


6. Caleb Holland, sr. — Holland crashed the boards hard for three rebounds and made his only shot inside of the three-point arc. If he can start getting some threes to fall (0 for 2 on Thursday), he’ll be a big asset for the Firebirds.


7. Chrision Wilburn, jr. — Wilburn still has some things to work on defensively, but he scored four points in the paint and added five rebounds. He brought good energy off the bench.


8. Darian Lewis, jr. — Entered the game in garbage time, but Lewis made the most of it with 6 points and 2 rebounds.


9. Jacob Pavlyak, so. — He earned a spot in the starting lineup, but didn’t have the game he was probably hoping for. He made his only shot and grabbed three rebounds, but also had three turnovers.


10. Shannon Cordes, so. — Cordes didn’t have his best shooting night (1 of 6). Better days are ahead for the talented sophomore.


11. Sloan Thomsen, so. — Drained a three-pointer on an inbounds play, but missed his next one from the same spot off the same play. He also snagged two boards.


12. Logan McKinney, jr. — Missed his only shot but McKinney did grab a rebound.


13. Jay Dineen, so. — Entered the game in the final minute and hit a free throw before the running clock expired.


14. Zion Bowlin, so. — Entered in the final minute and missed his only shot from the field.


15. Mikey Corbett, jr. — Only player who stepped on the court and didn’t take a shot, but he did have a nifty behind-the-back pass in front of the Firebirds’ bench.


• Next up: 7:15 p.m. Friday at Mill Valley

Free State girls basketball

1. Sarah Coversup, sr. — If it were not for foul trouble, the senior transfer from Holton probably could have scored 30-plus easily, but she was very efficient (8-for-11 from the field, 4-for-5 from the line). Her impact as a vocal leader could help the Firebirds go a long way this season as well.


2. Madison Piper, so. — Piper picked up right where she left off last season by scoring a game-high 23 points in the opener. The star sophomore drained three triples and knocked down eight of her 14 field goal attempts.


3. Cameryn Thomas, fr. — Thomas had the primary responsibility of guarding Topeka’s Adrianna Henderson. Henderson scored a team-high 17 points, but she had to work for it with nearly every shot being well-contested. Thomas was able to rattle Henderson by drawing two offensive fouls, which helped lead to the Topeka guard fouling out with three minutes left.


4. Jaycie Bishop, so. — Bishop played well alongside Piper in Free State’s backcourt. The Lawrence High transfer hit two of her four field goal attempts, including a three-pointer.


5. Adriana Jadlow, sr. — The senior forward struggled from the field and the charity stripe, but she was physical on the glass and figures to help make a powerful frontcourt tandem with Coversup this season.


6. Hannah Shoemaker, sr. — Shoemaker’s leadership and unselfishness was apparent on the court Friday night. Off the court, the PA announcer mispronounced Coversup for most of the first half, saying Coverups instead. As Shoemaker was about to check in by the scorer’s table, the PA announcer slowly pronounced Coversup’s name correctly to emphasize that he caught the mistake and Shoemaker let out a laugh and gave her teammate a
big ovation.


7. Jaelyn McKay, fr. — The one area Free State did struggle at on Friday night was from the free-throw line, which is where McKay’s two points came from. She was the lone Firebird who was perfect from the charity stripe.


8. Hannah Walters, jr. — Walters did not register a shot, but her versatility off the bench gave the Firebirds some solid minutes.


• Next up: 7 p.m. Tuesday at Central Academy.

Lawrence High boys basketball

1. Anthony Bonner, sr. — Sat out for some of the first quarter with two fouls, but then found his rhythm with a game-high 19 points (7-for-8 from the free throw line) along with two rebounds and two assists. He also showed once again why he’s one of the team’s best players at finishing in transition with fast-break points.


2. Justin Roberts, jr. — Scored 10 straight points before going a little cold from the field. Roberts is the floor general at point guard, and is one of the better on-ball defenders. He had three steals and two rebounds.


3. John Barbee, sr. — One of the best in the Sunflower League at stealing passes. He finished with five steals to go along with 11 points, three boards and two assists.


4. Price Morgan, jr. — Completed a double-double with 11 points and 10 rebounds. The Spartans didn’t have a guy taller than him, and he made them pay by controlling the paint. LHS outrebounded Emporia 31-24, including grabbing 13 on offensive end.


5. Ben Rajewski, sr. — Missed his two three-pointers, but converted layups in transition. Also grabbed a steal and two rebounds. He played well as a help defender.


6. Fred Brou, jr. — Ran into foul trouble throughout the game, but grabbed five rebounds and scored two points.


7. Logan Applegate, sr. — Applegate, like Brou, also ran into some foul trouble. He had three boards, and made 1 of his 2 free throws at the end of the game.


8. Tae Shorter, sr. — He grabbed two rebounds, and when he puts the pedal to the metal in transition, it’s lightning quick to watch the ball travel from one side of the court to the other.


9. Kyle Hoffman, sr. — The crowd started chanting his name in the second quarter, but he only took one shot and missed a three pointer.

10. Anthony Harvey, jr. — Went 0 for 2 from the field but grabbed an offensive rebound at the end of the game.


11. Jackson Mallory, so. — Entered the game in the final minute and missed his only shot, a three-pointer.


• Next up: 3:15 p.m. Thursday vs. Wyandotte in the Blue Valley Shootout.

Lawrence High girls basketball

1. Marissa Pope, sr. — Pope led the Lions with 25 points, attacking the basket for layups and hitting jumpers throughout the game. She also only had two turnovers, providing the type of ball security the Lions need.


2. Talima Harjo, fr. — Only 5-foot-5, Harjo grabbed a team-best eight rebounds and added four points. She made some freshmen mistakes with three turnovers, but brought great energy off the bench and attacked the basket for a pair of layups. Her performance is even more impressive because she wasn’t sure if she was going to be able to play after taking a hard hit in Thursday’s practice.


3. E’lease Stafford, fr. — Didn’t look like her first varsity game with nine points and three boards. She seemed poised throughout the game and never seemed rattled by the speed of the varsity level.


4. Skylar Drum, so. — Had an off night shooting the ball (1 of 6), but caused havoc defensively and grabbed three steals. Also distributed the ball well when she moved over the point guard when Pope took a breather.


5. Madison McKinney, so. — Did a little bit of everything throughout the game, and had two points to go along with three rebounds. LHS coach Jeff Dickson said afterward that he was happy with the way she distributed the ball with unselfish play.


6. Devon Spoonhunter, jr. — Provided some good energy off of the bench with two points and three rebounds.


7. Alexis Boyd, jr. — Boyd didn’t have her best night shooting the ball, going 1 for 9 as she had a few just rim out. Also grabbed one rebound and had one turnover.


8. Matia Finley, sr. — Didn’t attempt a shot when she was on the court but grabbed two rebounds.


9. Madison Mask, jr. — Entered the game, but didn’t shoot or record any stats.


• Next up: 7 p.m. Tuesday vs. Blue Valley Southwest.
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