OLATHE – In a game that went down to the last possession, the Free State boys basketball team fell 75-73 at Olathe West on Friday.

Despite 47 combined points from Zeek Brown and Jailen Thompson, the Firebirds (9-4) came up just short against the Owls (11-3), who made several key stops down the stretch and pushed themselves across the finish line with a late 3 by Harrison Kisling in front of a raucous crowd.

“First you tell them great job because they played their tails off,” FSHS coach Sherron Collins said. “They played really hard. It was the little things that hurt us.

Zeek Brown stole the show early with 13 points, including three 3-pointers through the first eight minutes of play.

Both teams shot exceptionally well from the floor out of the gate, but Free State made a few more shots, giving themselves a 28-19 lead at the end of the opening quarter.

Olathe West scored the first five points of the second quarter, and with their home crowd helping them out, the Firebirds’ lead was trimmed to a one possession game midway through the period.

After both teams traded baskets for the rest of the half, Olathe West forced a late turnover, which led to a game tying basket to knot things up at 38 apiece heading into halftime. Brown’s 16 points led all scorers but Jackson Collins’s 12 points sparked the Owls first half comeback.

The third quarter featured continuous back-and-forth action, with neither team able to gain a comfortable lead for the majority of the period.

However, Collins hit a buzzer-beating 3 to put the Owls up 64-60 heading into the fourth quarter, as a pair of FSHS turnovers gave Olathe West a much needed advantage going into the fourth.

After a quick 4-0 start by Olathe West, the Firebirds clawed their way back and trimmed the deficit to just one, led by Thompson’s five early fourth-quarter points.

Each team continued to make shot after shot. A 3 from Dash Johnson put the Firebirds up 73-72 with 10 seconds left, and the Owls responded with the go-ahead 3 by Kisling with just 5.3 seconds left in regulation.

The Firebirds could not get another shot off, falling 74-72, and now will prepare for the rest of their Sunflower League schedule throughout February.

Free State next will face Lee’s Summit West on Saturday on the road in the 810 Varsity Showcase. Tip-off is set for 8 p.m.

“We got better today,” Collins said. “I feel like we took the next step forward. We just have to finish off quarters better.”

Olathe West (75)

Harrison Kisling 4-10 0-3 11, Sherron Woodberry 4-6 1-3 11, Thatcher Ahlers 1-1 0-0 2, Cole Vader 0-1 0-0 0, Tyler Jones 4-9 2-2 13, Madut Bol 0-1 0-0 0, Wyatt Wynn 3-5 3-4 9, Jackson Collins 10-12 1-3 24, Jarren Hay 1-2 0-0 3, Carter Stuck 1-1 0-0 2, Totals 28-48 FG, 7-15 FT, 75.

Free State (73)

Jailen Thompson 8-13 6-9 22, Dre Daniels 2-9 1-3 5, Tay Daniels 2-2 0-0 4, Wesley Edison 0-1 2-2 2, Dash Johnson 2-5 0-0 6, Zeek Brown 8-11 4-4 25, Will Mlynek 4-5 1-1 9, Totals: 26-46 FG, 14-19 FT, 73.

Score by quarters

Olathe West 19 19 26 11 — 75

Free State 28 10 22 13 — 73

3-point goals: OW 12-25 Sherron Woodberry (2), Tyler Jones (3), Jackson Collins (3), Jarren Hay (1) Harrison Kisling (3); FS 7-18 Zeek Brown (5), Dash Johnson (2). Turnovers: OW 7; FSHS 10. Fouled out: None.

Olathe West girls 79, Free State girls 9

The Free State girls basketball team fell 79-9 at Olathe West on Friday night in the team’s first game of February.

The Firebirds (0-15) could not withstand a strong start from the Owls (7-7), whose outside shooting led the way to a wire-to-wire victory for the home team.

“It’s hard to obviously lose like that but we recognize that we are young,” FSHS coach Summer Frantz said. “The changes that we need to make are things we can change and it’s in our control.”

Olathe West started out fast courtesy of eight points from Emma Sales and four 3-pointers as a team, forcing a Free State timeout down 17-0 with 2:30 left in the first quarter.

Cara Jeffries scored a late basket for the Firebirds, but they still trailed 25-2 through the opening eight minutes despite forcing four turnovers.

In the second quarter, Jeffries continued to lead the Firebird offense after hitting a 3-pointer to give her five first-half points, but the Owls continued to use their ball movement and extended their advantage heading into halftime, leading 42-5 through 16 minutes.

The third quarter featured more 3s from the Owls. A late 3-pointer from Free State’s Cydnee Price only put the score at 70-9 heading into the fourth quarter.

The Firebirds held The Owls to nine points in the fourth but couldn’t land any shots of their own as Olathe West soared to a 79-9 victory and evened up their record to 7-7.

Free State next will take on Olathe South at 5:30 p.m. Tuesday at home.

Olathe West (79)

Nora Horward 2-2 0-0 5, Emma Sales 7-9 0-0 17, Jessica Borders 4-4 1-2 9, Keely Barnard 5-9 0-0 13, Kate Harter 1-1 0-0 2, Hannah Cooley 3-4 0-0 7, Scarlett Swinford 3-3 0-0 7, Emma Thomas 1-3 2-2 5, Asees King 2-3 0-0 4, Lexi Cooley 4-5 0-0 8, Molly Collins 1-2 0-0 2, Totals 33-45 FG, 3-4 FT, 79.

Free State (9)

Addie Fulscher 0-5 0-0 0, Hadley Lonnberg 0-1 0-0 0, Cara Jeffries 2-7 0-0 5, Cydnee Price 1-2 0-0 3, Symira Spencer 0-6 0-0 0, Chloe Clossen 0-4 0-0 0, Aly Richardson 0-1 1-2 1, Totals: 3-26 FG, 1-2 FT, 9.

Score by quarters

Olathe West 25 17 28 9 — 79

Free State 2 3 4 0 — 9