FSHS boys deny Jags

Free State High’s boys basketball players were supposed to have trouble defending Mill Valley’s post players Friday.

The Jaguars have a rotation that includes two 6-foot-7 forwards and another that is 6-foot-5. But the Firebirds flipped the script. It didn’t matter that they don’t have a starter taller than 6-foot-3. They weren’t fazed and made it difficult to catch a pass, or even move, in the paint.

Free State’s defensive effort helped the offense run up and down the court in transition for easy buckets in a 59-41 rout at Mill Valley.

“I thought that was about as good of team defense as a Free State basketball team has played in a long time,” FSHS coach Chuck Law said. “We’re undersized. We got guys playing their butts off. Jack Raney, Hunter Gudde, Jay (Dineen) and Weston (Hack) in particular, those guys that guarded in the post. My God, against those big guys, I couldn’t be more proud.”

The Jaguars, who played without injured star junior guard Logan Koch, just couldn’t find ways to take advantage of their height. Even when they pinned defenders to the perimeter, the Firebirds were there to help on the other side or jump high enough to grab a steal.

“We’re not the tallest team, but once we get the communication down, we’re a tough defensive team,” FSHS senior guard Justin Narcomey said.

The Firebirds (2-0) led by four at halftime after jumping to a 12-3 lead by making their first five shots. Narcomey had five points in the spurt, while Hack added a layup, Raney drilled a three, and Gudde had a coast-to-coast layup.

But in the third quarter, they turned the defensive pressure up a notch. The Jaguars (1-1) shot 2-for-8 from the field, while Free State ran the court for points in the paint by Gudde, Narcomey, senior Andrew Keating and the sophomore Dineen.

Gudde, Dineen and Hack went from covering guards to the tallest players on the court in the third quarter and never missed a beat.

“I’ve just been thinking this whole week that I’ve got to play hard and show something out there because people expect a lot out of me,” said Gudde, who had a game-high 16 points with seven rebounds.

After a sub-par defensive effort in their season opener, the Firebirds have already shown how much they can improve when they focus in on their weaknesses.

“It’s a work in progress, but I was very happy,” Law said. “Again, we’re talking about a team that had two guys who had played any extensive varsity minutes. We didn’t look like that team tonight. We looked like a pretty experienced group and bunch of guys that enjoy playing together, and that’s probably as important as anything else.”

The Firebirds will play host to Lawrence High in the City Showdown at 7 p.m. Friday.

Free State (59)

Andrew Keating 2-7 1-3 5, Weston Hack 5-10 3-5 14, Justin Narcomey 4-7 0-0 9, Hunter Gudde 6-7 4-7 16, Jack Raney 3-3 0-1 8, Jacob Pavlyak 0-1 0-0 0, Jay Dineen 1-3 1-2 3, Darian Lewis 0-0 4-4 4. Totals 21-37 13-22 59.

Mill Valley (41)

Kasey Conklin 5-11 0-0 12, Jaison Widmer 0-1 1-2 1, Mitch Perkins 0-3 3-4 3, Clayton Holmberg 5-12 2-5 12, Tyler Graver 0-2 0-0 0, Cooper Kaifes 2-7 0-0 6, Ethan Lane 2-3 0-1 5, Conner Kaifes 0-1 2-2 2. Totals 14-40 8-14 41.

Free State 14 9 14 22 — 59

Mill Valley 9 10 5 17 — 41

Three-point goals: Free State 4-12 (Raney 2, Hack, Narcomey); Mill Valley 5-17 (Conklin 2, Co. Kaifes 2, Lane). Fouled out: Raney, Lane. Turnovers: Free State 14, Mill Valley 15.