photo by: Landon Cory/Special to the Journal-World

Senior guard Wesley Edison goes up for a layup against Shawnee Mission West High School on Friday, Dec. 15, 2023.

The Free State boys basketball team started its home campaign off in style by defeating Shawnee Mission West 66-46 Friday night at Free State High School.

The Firebirds (2-2) used a 10-1 start to pull away early from the Vikings (0-3), who were plagued by 16 turnovers forced by Free State’s pressure defense.

“I thought we played well defensively,” coach Dwayne Paul said. “We scored the ball well and made open shots, and the biggest growth that I saw from last week is I thought we were locked in defensively.”

Right out of the gate, the Firebirds moved the ball around at will, causing havoc for the Vikings and keeping them from getting into any sort of rhythm on the defensive side of the ball.

With all five starters scoring for Free State, the home team took an early 15-6 lead at the end of the opening quarter and looked to keep the momentum on its side and pull away.

AJ Eason led the way in the opening minutes of the second quarter by scoring the first five points, including knocking down a 3-pointer to give his team a double-digit lead for the first time all game.

From there, Korbin Dowdell and Jameson Carter both contributed off the bench, along with the rest of the starting five, to start pulling away from the Vikings, who turned the ball over 10 times in the first half compared to the Firebirds’ seven.

Despite Dylan Parkhurst of SM West scoring seven first-half points, Eason led the way for the Firebirds with 10 of his own, helping his team pull ahead by nearly 20 going into halftime.

Eight players scored for the Firebirds in the first half alone, and the ball movement and great passing helped keep Free State in control throughout the opening 16 minutes. Free State went into the second half leading 35-16.

“We did a good job of pressuring without fouling,” Paul said. “We did a good job defensively last week but we weren’t making shots. Now when we’re able to make shots and speed them up, it helps us create the tempo that we want to play with.

The Firebirds’ offense started the third quarter strong as Dash Johnson knocked down an early 3 for the Firebirds, while four points off the bench from Bennett Negel helped his team lead by as much as 26 throughout the quarter.

Four more turnovers forced by Free State’s defense led to several easy baskets on the other end, and as a result, the Firebirds headed into the fourth leading 50-24.

A 3-ball by Kyle Duncan extended Free State’s lead in the opening moments of the fourth quarter, and baskets from Eason and Everett Essman put the Firebirds’ lead at 27.

Free State proceeded to score several more baskets late and took down the Vikings convincingly for its second straight win.

Free State now turns its attention to Life Prep Academy, which it will host at 7 p.m. Monday in the team’s last game before the holiday break.

“We always talk about consistency,” Paul said. “We want to get better in every facet each day. Physically I think we’ll be ready to go but I want to come in and see their mentality. “It’s super important that we come focused and locked in.”

Shawnee Mission West (46) Ayden Nash 2-3 1-2 6; Steven King 4-8 0-0 10; Mikey Kellpouris 1-4 2-2 4; Dylan Parkhurst 6-9 2-3 15; Nick VanDeventer 1-2 0-2 2. Elijah Johnson 0-0 1-3 1, Jayon Noel 1-3 0-0 3, Ma’Lik Richmond 1-5 1-2 3, Caleb Hardin 1-2 0-0 3, Brayden Everett 0-1 0-0 0, Totals: 17-37 7-14 46.

Free State (66) Wesley Edison 1-1 1-1 3; Devon Hamilton 1-4 2-2 4; AJ Eason 5-8 2-2 13; Dash Johnson 2-3 0-0 6; Hueston Saunders 4-7 2-4 10, Korbin Dowdell 2-5 1-1 5, Nika Khosh 2-3 1-4 6, Kyle Duncan 1-3 0-0 3, Jameson Carter 1-1 3-4 5, Everett Essman 2-3 1-2 5, Bennett Nagel 1-1 4-4 6, Totals: 22-39 17-24 66.

Score by quarters

Shawnee Mission West 6 10 9 21 — 46

Free State 15 20 15 16 — 66

3-point goals: FSHS: 5-13 AJ Eason (1), Dash Johnson (2), Nika Knosh (1), Kyle Duncan (1); SMWHS: 5-14 Ayden Nash (1), Steven King (2), Dylan Parkhurst (1), Jayon Noel (1). Turnovers: FSHS 10, SMWHS 16. Fouled Out: None.

photo by: Landon Cory/Special to the Journal-World

Senior Devon Hamilton shoots a layup against Shawnee Mission West on Friday, Dec. 15, 2023.

photo by: Landon Cory/Special to the Journal-World

Senior Dash Johnson shoots a 3 pointer against Shawnee Mission West on Friday, Dec. 15, 2023.

photo by: Landon Cory/Special to the Journal-World

Sophomore Hueston Saunders attempts a layup against Shawnee Mission West on Friday, Dec. 15, 2023.

photo by: Landon Cory/Special to the Journal-World

Senior Devon Hamilton pulls up for a jump shot against Shawnee Mission West on Friday, Dec. 15, 2023.

FSHS girls drop home opener

The Free State girls basketball team fell to Shawnee Mission West 55-24 on Friday in the first home game of the season and the second-to-last game before the holiday break.

The Vikings (1-4) took control late in the first half and never looked back against the Firebirds (0-4), who despite having great efforts throughout the lineup could not overtake SM West.

Despite the lopsided score, head coach Summer Frantz said there were positives that could come out of Friday’s game, especially with lots of younger players showcasing their potential.

“We just have to respond to runs better,” Frantz said. “I thought in the first quarter we did a decent job, but they went on the run and we just didn’t respond as well as we needed to. I thought in the second half we came out and we competed a little bit.”

The first several minutes of the contest featured a tight defensive battle, as neither team managed to get on the board early, but after a 3-pointer by Addie Fulscher, FSHS tied the score at five midway through the opening quarter.

It remained a tight ballgame through the first eight minutes, but after a late 3-pointer by Deser’ee Mponezya, the Vikings took a 10-7 lead going into the second quarter.

Back-to-back baskets from Anniston Clark kept the Firebirds in it, and they were down just seven with four minutes left before halftime. However, a late run led by Izzy Joyce put the Vikings ahead by 20 after 16 minutes of play.

Still, the Firebirds were determined going into the second half, knowing that they were in the game for most of the first two quarters.

In the third quarter, Shawnee Mission West used its speed and fast-paced offense to extend the lead more, but a 3-pointer from Peyton Moore gave the home team some momentum heading into the final eight minutes of play.

Clark continued to lead Free State late in the game, after a solid drive rewarded her with an old-fashioned three-point play to give her team more late momentum.

Even with the continued effort and intensity on both sides of the ball, the Vikings’ solid shooting allowed them to control the game late, and they earned their first win of the season.

Free State will take on Mill Valley at 5:30 p.m. Wednesday in the team’s last game before the break.

“I’m looking forward to seeing this team continue to grow,” Frantz said. “We see it in spurts and improvement from last year, but Mill Valley will be a challenge going into break.”

Shawnee Mission West (55) Izzy Joyce 7-17 7-8 22; Jordan Lippold 3-7 0-0 9; Kate Van Deventer 0-3 0-2 0; Macie Loe 2-3 0-0 4; Aliyah Jones 2-4 0-0 5. Lydia Safly 0-2 0-0 0, Deser’ee Mponezya 6-15 0-0 15, Ciara Moos 0-1 0-0 0, Ty Roundtree 0-1 0-0 0, Totals: 20-53 7-10 55.

Free State (24) Addie Fulscher 2-8 3-3 8; Cydnee Price 0-1 0-2 0; Anniston Clark 6-14 0-2 12; Chloe Clossen 0-2 0-0 0; Aly Richardson 0-2 0-0 0. Hadley Lonnberg 0-1 1-2 1, Peyton Moore 1-2 0-0 3, Totals: 9-30 4-9 24.

Score by quarters

Shawnee Mission West 10 22 16 7 — 55

Free State 7 4 6 7 — 24

3-point goals: SMWHS: 8-28 Jordan Lippold (3), Aliyah Jones (1) Deser’ee Mponezya (3), Izzy Joyce (1): FSHS: 2-10 3-point goals Addie Fulscher (1), Peyton Moore (1); Turnovers: FSHS 18, SMWHS 5. Fouled Out: None.