Kansas City, Kan. — Near the end of the first quarter, Free State senior guard Caely Kesten saw a pass fly just over her head. Kesten hustled down the other end, though, blocking a Lansing shot and ending the impromptu back-and-forth with a layup of her own. “That was one of the points of emphasis over the break,” Free State coach Nick Wood said. “We need to get the ball out in transition and make plays ...
Kansas City, Kan. — Despite cooling off after a fast start, Free State boys basketball held on for a 53-43 victory over Lansing at the 810 Varsity Sunflower Showcase on Saturday. DK Middleton led the way for Free State with 22 points. “We need DK to play (like that) the rest of the year,” Free State coach Sam Stroh said. “I don’t think he would say he that played very well to start the season, but ...
Shawnee — From the opening tip, Free State girls basketball faced a relentless shooting attack and aggressive defense from Shawnee Mission Northwest — a difficult combination to handle. “Shawnee Mission Northwest is a really good basketball team,” Free State coach Nick Wood said. “And you know what, our margin of error is really small and we’re still learning how to play together and what it takes ...
Shawnee — Right after the Firebirds gave up a basket in the lane at the beginning of the third quarter, Free State coach Sam Stroh clapped his hands and yelled for his team to “wake up.” “For our guys, being in the hole was kind of shocking,” Stroh said. “But you’ve got to bring some energy, whether you’re on the bench or in the game, we want to be the most vocal team in the gym. And we ...
A second-place finish in a tournament — especially in December — is nothing to lose sleep over. And while Eudora boys basketball coach Kyle Deterding recognizes that, the Cardinals’ 66-35 loss to Harmon on Thursday still stings. “Overall (the tournament) was a positive,” Deterding said. “But this was a sour taste to end on.” While the Cardinals held on against the Hawks for much of the first ...
In an absolute nail-biter, Free State girls basketball pulled out a narrow 57-54 victory over Barstow in the Olathe East tournament Thursday. Junior guard Evy Harrell led the way for the Firebirds with 18 points, with junior guard Shannon Clarke and senior guard Caely Kesten right behind, each scoring 14 points. After the Firebirds trailed 28-24, the second half proved to be the turning point for Free State as ...