photo by: Chance Parker

Free State senior Cooper Jackson drives the ball against Olathe South Friday, Feb. 4, 2022.

The Free State High boys basketball team, led by Jordan Brown’s 24 points, took down Olathe South 53-40 in front of a packed home crowd.

Mozae Downing scored seven points and Camren Edwards chipped in five to secure the victory.

“I thought defensively, we were pretty dialed in,” FSHS head coach Sam Stroh said. “I thought we defended the perimeter well. Jordan Brown hit some timely shots and I thought our free throw shooting was better tonight.”

Brown and Downing led the way in the first quarter for the Firebirds (12-0), with each scoring five points in the opening minutes.

Their tough man-to-man defense paved the way for easy scoring opportunities and led to seven first-half turnovers by the Falcons (9-6).

Despite six turnovers of their own, the Firebirds led 14-6 after the opening eight minutes.

“I’ve been happy with our defense so far,” Stroh said. “We are a team that can create some turnovers and turn it into points we needed tonight.”

Brown scored 10 points in the second quarter. After a couple early misses from 3-point range, he hit his last two attempts of the first half to lead the Firebirds with 15 points.

The Falcons started to chip away at the Firebirds’ lead in the third quarter, cutting it to as little as four.

Brody Casson and Caden Kaberline led the way for the Falcons, while Tucker Armstrong knocked down a 3 as well to keep Olathe South in the game.

But Brown took over again in the fourth quarter. After knocking down two 3-pointers in a row, he found out he was only six shy of hitting 1,000 varsity points for his career.

Stroh, however, was more concerned about closing the game strong against the tough Falcons.

“I wasn’t concerned about that at all,” Stroh said. “I wanted to win the game. The two 3s that he hit coming off the bench were huge.”

The Firebirds will face Lee’s Summit on Saturday, and Stroh said it was important that they move on to the next game.

Friday’s performance showed there is still room for growth, but also room for optimism.

“Lee’s Summit is a great offensive team and we have to find a way to score the basketball,” Stroh said. “They’re one of the best teams in the city and we have to play better than we did tonight for tomorrow.”

Box Score

Free State (53)

Brown 8-15 3-4 24, Edwards 3-5 1-1 8, Downing 3-6 0-0 7, Jackson 2-6 2-4 7, Cleveland 2-4 0-0 4, Thompson 0-2 2-2 2, Dineen 0-0 1-2 1, Gonzales 0-2 0-0 0. Totals: 17-40, 9-13, 53.

Olathe South (40)

Kaberline 5-12 3-5 13, Johnson 2-6 4-4 9, Casson 3-3 2-4 8, Dozier 1-7 0-0 3, Armstrong 1-5 0-0 3, McGriff 1-7 0-0 2, Stankiewicz 0-3 2-2 2, Alexander 0-2 0-0 0. Totals: 13-45, 11-15, 40.

3-PT FGs: OS 3-21 (Johnson 1, Armstrong 1, Dozier 1); FS 8-17 (Brown 5, Jackson 1, Downing 1, Edwards 1). Turnovers: OS 9; FSHS 8. Fouled out: None

Wiley scores first points in FSHS’ defeat

Olathe South (11-4) controlled the pace of their game against the Free State girls and scored consistently, downing the Firebirds 53-8.

The Firebirds (1-14) struggled to get into any flow offensively as Olathe South’s constant defensive pressure gave FSHS fits moving the ball up the court.

Despite the loss, Free State has made progress throughout the season, with different players stepping up. Head coach Chris Linner knows his team has made strides from its first game on Dec. 4.

“We played one of the top teams in the Sunflower League and we knew it was going to be a challenge,” Linner said. “They continue to make me proud of who we are as they play really hard, and they are exactly who Lawrence Free State wants to represent them.”

The Firebirds had a spark in the third quarter. Freshman Ashley Ianello, the leading scorer for FSHS with four points, had three of them in that period.

Free State senior Taylor Wiley scored her first varsity points late in the game. She banked in two free throws to a large ovation from the crowd, showcasing how hard she has worked in the last four years.

“Taylor is just an awesome kid just in general,” Linner said. “She’s a kid who you want representing the school and for her to score her first varsity points is pretty awesome. That’s why it got the reaction that it did.”

The Firebirds will be back in action next Friday night at home as they will take on Shawnee Mission East. Game time is set for 5:30 p.m.

Box Score

Free State (8)

Ianello 1-5 2-4 4, Wiley 0-2 2-2 2, Price 1-3 0-0 2, Lonnberg 0-1 0-0 0, Frost 0-1 0-0 0, Richardson 0-1 0-0 0, Jamiez 0-1 0-0 0, Spencer 0-2 0-0 0, Spriggs 0-1 0-0 0. Totals: 2-17, 4-6, 8.

Olathe South (53)

Anderson 6-11 0-0 12, Tetley 6-10 0-0 12, Lahey 3-8 0-0 6, Bigelow 2-6 0-0 5, 2-5 0-0 5, Webb 2-7 0-2 4, Halliday 1-5 2-2 4, Wiley 1-4 1-4 3, Wiman 1-3 0-0 2, Totals 24-58, 3-8, 53.

3-PT FGs: OS 2-10 (Bigelow 1, Kentner 1), FS 0-3. Turnovers: OS 4; FSHS 31. Fouled out: None