Player ratings from the basketball City Showdown; LHS boys and FSHS girls complete season sweeps

After 13 weeks, the postseason has arrived for all of the city high school basketball teams.


But what a way to end the regular season with another chapter of the City Showdown in the books. Free State’s girls basketball team played well on both sides of court in a 58-45 victory and Lawrence High’s boys basketball team relied on its defense to pull away for a 57-50 win.


Starting with the girls’ game, it’s easy to see what an impact freshman point guard Cameryn Thomas makes for the Firebirds with her ability to set up the team’s offense. Even with sophomore wing Madison Piper facing plenty of defensive pressure, senior forwards Adriana Jadlow and Sarah Coversup were able to play strong in the low post.


Lawrence’s girls basketball players had one bad quarter, which put them in a hole they couldn’t climb out of. But they’re proving they can hang with elite teams and have improved since their last matchup against Free State in December. If the Lions can avoid some bad stretches and play like they did in the first and fourth quarters, they could pull off some upsets in sub-state.


Free State’s boys basketball team made some uncharacteristic errors in the second quarter with a few defensive breakdowns and unforced turnovers. But as Tom Keegan wrote in his column about the Firebirds, they didn’t need to use the stall tactic they used in December to keep up with the second-ranked team in the state, proving how far they have come along this season.


The LHS boys completed a perfect Sunflower League season, and showed why with their ability to score quickly and play tough defense. Now the Lions have arrived to the part of the season they’ve been waiting for. During the summer, they said they had state-title-or-bust expectations, and they’ll have to reel off five straight wins to complete that goal.


In case you missed it, we’re 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 and 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.

Free State girls basketball

1. Madison Piper, so. — Piper was face-guarded by LHS guards Marissa Pope and Skylar Drum, and drew double teams when she tried to drive. That didn’t stop her from scoring 22 points and grabbing seven rebounds. On defense, she blocked a shot and grabbed a steal.


2. Adriana Jadlow, sr. — The 6-foot small forward played hard and couldn’t be stopped on both sides of the ball. When the Firebirds pulled away in the second quarter, she scored seven of her 16 points, fighting through contact for layups and even banking in a three-pointer. She also had four rebounds, two steals, a block and drew a charge in the fourth quarter.


3. Sarah Coversup, sr. — Coversup had to fight for space inside the paint, and she did a good job finishing through contact. She scored 14 points on 6-of-10 shooting, and just missed out on a double-double with nine rebounds.


4. Cameryn Thomas, fr. — In just her second game back from a knee injury, Thomas looked like she was playing close to 100 percent. She had a tough matchup against Pope on defense and did a solid job staying in between her and the rim. Thomas had three assists, grabbed four rebounds and scored three points.


5. Hannah Walter, jr. — Walter played strong defense on the perimeter and also played good help-side defense. She scored one point, grabbed three rebounds and had one steal.


6. Hannah Shoemaker, sr. — The 5-foot-11 forward was strong on the defensive glass, grabbing four rebounds off of the bench. She also scored on a layup, running past the defense and catching a full-court pass from Piper.


7. Morgan Gantz, sr. — The senior point guard played well off of the bench, helping move the ball around on offense. She didn’t attempt a shot but dished an assist to Piper on a three.


8. Jaycie Bishop, so. — Bishop played solid defense of off the bench and didn’t attempt a shot from the field.


• Next up: 7 p.m. Thursday vs. KC Wyandotte. Record: 16-4.

Free State boys basketball

1. Hunter Gudde, jr. — With Lawrence High’s defense focused on stopping Hack, Gudde provided a ton of offense for the Firebirds. He scored six points in an 8-1 run to open the second half and he finished with 17 points, nine rebounds, an assist and a block.


2. Weston Hack, sr. — Hack was guarded tightly the entire game, and he still found a way to make a huge impact. He had a double-double, scoring 20 points and grabbing 10 rebounds. When the Firebirds tried to make a comeback in the fourth quarter, it was led by Hack who scored nine points in the final period.


3. Justin Narcomey, sr. — Narcomey knocked down a three-pointer in the first quarter, giving the Firebirds an 11-6 lead, their biggest lead of the game. He had to run around everywhere on defense, guarding LHS senior Anthony Bonner. He also had an assist and a steal.


4. Andrew Keating, sr. — The 5-foot-9 point guard was strong with the ball and played solid defense, though he was limited by foul trouble in the second half. He scored two points on a nice drive to the rim and he had one steal.


5. Jacob Pavlyak, so. — Pavlyak had the tough task of matching up with Lions point guard Justin Roberts on defense, and he did well staying in front of him, trying to limit drives to the hoop. He missed his only shot, a three-pointer, and he grabbed one rebound.


6. Jay Dineen, so. — The 6-foot linebacker did his best to contain LHS senior Anthony Bonner, and he helped force a couple of turnovers. He scored two points from the free throw line and grabbed a steal.


7. Jack Raney, sr. — Raney was strong in the first quarter, playing solid defense and helping move the ball around on offense. He missed his only shot, a three-pointer, but he grabbed two rebounds, a steal and dished an assist to Narcomey for a three.


8. Sloan Thomsen, so. — Thomsen heated up in the final 20 seconds, knocking down two three-pointers. He also had a rebound. When he enters games, opposing teams know his ability to shoot from deep, but he does a good job finding space to launch away.


9. Chrision Wilburn, jr. — Wilburn played a few minutes off of the bench but didn’t attempt a shot from the field.


• Next up: 7 p.m. Wednesday at SM North. Record: 11-9.

Lawrence High girls basketball

1. Marissa Pope, sr. — It’s rare to see a team’s best offensive player guard the opposing team’s best player because they try to conserve energy for offense. That doesn’t apply to Pope, who guarded Piper for the majority of the game and did a good job defensively. Pope received a lot of attention when she had the ball and she scored all five of her team’s points in the second quarter. She finished with 10 points and two steals.


2. Alexis Boyd, jr. — Boyd was given some space to hit mid-range jumpers and she delivered with 14 points. When she’s making shots, it makes the Lions that much better. She scored six points apiece in the first quarter and fourth quarter and grabbed six rebounds.


3. E’lease Stafford, fr. — There was something different about Stafford in the fourth quarter. She was aggressive and wasn’t going to let anybody stop her. She scored eight points in the final eight minutes and was everywhere on the court trying to help her team make a comeback. Incredible effort and she showed how big of a difference she can make for the Lions.


4. Matia Finley, sr. — Finley played well on the low post, matching up against Coversup and doing a good job playing help defense. She scored six points, grabbed seven rebounds and had one steal.


5. Skylar Drum, so. — Drum couldn’t get her shots to drop so she helped out her team in a lot of other ways. She grabbed four rebounds, had three assists, blocked a shot and had one steal. She also had three points.


6. Olivia Lemus, so. — The 5-foot-4 guard usually sticks behind the three-point line but she had some nice drives on Friday. She scored four points, had two rebounds and dished one assist on a layup to Boyd.


7. Rebecca Finley, sr. — Finley gets bonus points in my book for my favorite senior advice in Friday’s program, “Any pizza is a personal pizza if you believe in yourself.” Classic. She grabbed four rebounds, but missed the two shots she took from the field in her Senior Night start.


8. Asia Goodwin, fr. — Goodwin played a few minutes off of the bench, grabbed one rebound and missed the only shot she took.


9. Madison McKinney, so. — McKinney played hard defense on the perimeter but didn’t attempt a shot.


• Next up: 7 p.m. Thursday at SM South. Record: 6-14.

Lawrence High boys basketball

1. Anthony Bonner, sr. — Trailing by five points after the first quarter, Bonner went to work to pull the Lions back ahead. He opened the second quarter with a floater and eventually scored eight points in the period. The Firebirds face-guarded him with Narcomey and Dineen, but he kept finding ways to score via threes, slashes to the rim or pull-up jumpers. He scored a game-high 21 points, and had four rebounds and three assists.


2. Justin Roberts, jr. — Along with Bonner, Roberts played a huge role in the Lions’ huge second quarter, scoring seven points and dishing three assists. He also faced tight defense from Keating and Pavlyak but he didn’t let that stop him from driving to the rim to get to the free throw line. On defense, he was smart but aggressive and kept the Firebirds from setting up some of their plays with tight ball pressure. He had 16 points, four assists, three steals and a rebound.


3. John Barbee, sr. — Barbee couldn’t get his shot to drop, scoring one point on 1-of-3 shooting, but that was probably the only negative to his night. He played tight defense on Hack, limiting the Free State’s leading scorer to 11 points in the first three quarters. He also dominated on the glass, grabbing a team-high nine rebounds while dishing two assists, snagging two steals and blocking a shot.


“I thought he did a great job as usual,” LHS coach Mike Lewis said of Barbee. “He’s a good defensive player. As a team, I just liked the way our seniors got in the game. I liked the way they contributed. I just like the overall feel of the game.”


4. Price Morgan, jr. — When the Lions needed offense in the first quarter, Morgan was there to pick them up. He scored the game’s opening bucket on a nice roll to the basket and four minutes later, he slammed home a one-handed dunk on a nice drive to the hoop. He finished with six points and a steal.


5. Ben Rajewski, sr. — Rajewski had some nice looks behind the three-point line, creating space with pump-fakes or shaking his defenders, but he just couldn’t get them to drop. Instead, he played solid defense and had good ball movement on offense. He had one rebound.


6. Logan Applegate, sr. — Off of the bench, the 6-foot-3 senior made a big impact on his Senior Night. He scored on a layup midway through the fourth quarter and he grabbed four rebounds. He also played strong defense in the low post.


7. Fred Brou, jr. — The 6-foot-5 junior brought a ton of energy off of the bench. I thought Brou played one of his best games of late with four points, including a buzzer-beating layup before halftime, two blocks and two steals. He was just locked in once he came off of the bench.


8. Anthony Harvey, jr. — Harvey missed his only shot, a three-pointer, but he was flying around on defense, playing help-side and fighting through a few screens. He grabbed one rebound.


9. Kyle Hoffman, sr. — Hoffman had plenty of chants from the student section and he nearly delivered with a three-pointer from the wing. Instead, he settled for three free throws.


10. Jackson Mallory, so. — Mallory entered late in the fourth quarter and sunk three free throws in the final 12 seconds.


11. Tae Shorter, sr. — Shorter picked up some nice minutes on his Senior Night and played solid defense. He scored one point and grabbed a rebound.


• Next up: 7 p.m. Wednesday vs. SM Northwest. Record: 19-1..
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Here is a look at the sub-state brackets. Two teams earn trips to state from each sub-state, so two wins equals a berth at the state tournament in Wichita.


BOYS (starts at 7 p.m. Wednesday)


8. Shawnee Mission Northwest (3-17) at 1. Lawrence High (19-1)


5. Shawnee Mission East (11-9) at 4. Shawnee Mission South (11-9)


6. Free State (11-9) at 3. Shawnee Mission North (13-7)


7. Shawnee Mission West (9-11) at 2. KC Wyandotte (15-5)


GIRLS (starts at 7 p.m. Thursday)


8. Shawnee Mission East (1-19) at 1. Shawnee Mission Northwest (17-3)


5. Lawrence High (6-14) at 4. Shawnee Mission South (7-13)


6. Shawnee Mission North (4-16) at 3. Shawnee Mission West (12-8)


7. KC Wyandotte (1-14) at 2. Free State (16-4)
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As always, feel free to comment, email me, or find me on Twitter @nightengalejr.