photo by: Val Montanez/Special to the Journal-World

Free State junior Bennett Nagel (11) shoots past a Mill Valley defender under the basket on Friday, Feb. 28, 2025.

The Free State boys and girls finished the regular season at home on Friday night, against Mill Valley, with the girls losing 59-22 after a second-half slump and the boys falling in a wire-to-wire showdown, 57-51.

The girls’ game had an emotional opening 30 seconds, as Firebird senior Hadley Lonnberg, who has missed this season with a knee injury, was able to suit up and score the first two points of the game for Free State.

“That’s something that we’ve been looking to, really since she tore her ACL,” head coach Summer Frantz said. “It was awesome to see her teammates so excited for her.”

“That meant like everything to me,” Lonnberg said. “The thought of everyone thinking about me and wanting me to have my special moment for the last time, that was really nice.”

After Lonnberg’s opening two, Mill Valley scored the next five points, but sophomore Sarai Preston cut the deficit back to three with a transition layup, then both teams traded 3-pointers, as Free State’s Libby Easter once again cut the deficit to three.

The Jaguars ended the quarter on an 11-5 run, thanks to a hot start shooting. The Jaguars made five 3s in the first quarter, and three of their final four makes were 3-pointers.

Free State senior Chloe Clossen scored the first four points of the second quarter for the Firebirds, including a 3-pointer to cut the deficit down to seven. That was the closest the Firebirds got in the quarter, as Mill Valley finished the quarter scoring eight of the last 10 points to take a 31-18 lead into the locker room.

Free State had a better second quarter defensively compared to the first, allowing just 10 points and not giving up a 3-pointer.

“I was really proud of the way we made adjustments to their shooters,” Frantz said. “I was really proud of our defense in the second quarter.”

Mill Valley separated itself in the third, exploding for 19 points and making four 3-pointers. The Jaguars held Free State to three points in the quarter to lead 50-21 going into the final period.

“We’re still trying to figure out how to put a full 32 minutes together, so it was really frustrating at times,” Frantz said.

The Firebirds’ second-half struggles continued in the final eight minutes. They didn’t score a point until 15.4 seconds remained in the game via a free throw by freshman Marlea Copeland.

The Free State girls end the regular season 3-17 and will await their opponent for the sub-state rounds next week.

photo by: Val Montanez/Special to the Journal-World

Free State freshman forward Marlea Copeland (14) goes up for a basketball against Mill Valley on Friday, Feb. 28, 2025.

photo by: Val Montanez/Special to the Journal-World

Free State freshman forward Marlea Copeland (14) drives into the basket against Mill Valley on Friday, Feb. 28, 2025.

photo by: Val Montanez/Special to the Journal-World

Free State freshman forward Marlea Copeland (14) watches the ball go out of bounds against Mill Valley on Friday, 28, 2025.

photo by: Val Montanez/Special to the Journal-World

Free State senior guard Chloe Clossen (23) gains control of the ball against two Mill Valley defenders on Friday, Feb. 23, 2025.

photo by: Val Montanez/Special to the Journal-World

Free State sophomore guard Aedri Grooms (4) dribbles past a Mill Valley defender on Friday, Feb. 28, 2025.

photo by: Val Montanez/Special to the Journal-World

Free State junior guard Addie Fulscher (0) dribbles the ball down the court against Mill Valley on Friday, Feb. 28, 2025.

photo by: Val Montanez/Special to the Journal-World

Free State junior guard Addie Fulscher (0) attempts a 3-pointer early in the game against Mill Valley on Friday, Feb. 28, 2025.

Firebird boys fall in back-and-forth battle with No. 5 Mill Valley

The Free State boys team never backed down against the No. 5 ranked Jaguars, but ultimately fell by a score of 57-51 in the regular season finale.

The Firebirds celebrated senior night by starting all five of their seniors: Korbin Dowdell, AJ Eason, Everett Essman, Connor McFarland and CJ Christwell. After the game, head coach Dwayne Paul described all five of his veterans as “culture changers.”

“Being able to come in and implement a style of play, expectations, I feel like this group has set the precedent for coming in to us wanting to win, not just wanting to come in and play well,” Paul said. “As a coach, that’s the best compliment that someone can get, if you change the culture in the program.”

Junior Bennett Nagel led Free State in scoring with 18 points and was the team’s only scorer to have double-digit points against Mill Valley.

The Jaguars scored the first five points and stifled the Firebirds offensively. Both teams struggled to make shots consistently in the first quarter as Mill Valley led 15-8 after one quarter.

Free State made its first 3-pointer early in the second as senior AJ Eason cut the score 17-11. After that, it was a back-and-forth affair, with both teams having more efficient offensive performances.

Junior Ethan Prescott cut the Firebirds’ deficit down to four at 26-22 before the Jaguars outscored the Firebirds 9-4 for the rest of the quarter, including scoring the final four points at the free throw line to take a 35-26 advantage at halftime.

After a back-and-forth start to the second half, Nagel ignited a 6-0 run to cut the deficit to five. Both teams struggled offensively to close out the quarter, as Mill Valley led 43-37.

Despite giving up scoring streaks, Free State kept itself in the game by stringing together consecutive points of its own. That made Paul proud of his group, but he said his team also needs to “get over the hump.”

“It shows we can go blow for blow with anybody,” Paul said. “But you know, it’s hard to hold a team like that to 57 points and not come out with the victory.”

The Firebirds cut the deficit to three points out of the gates in the fourth quarter, with a big boost from junior Ben Graves. Graves made a layup after an inbound play, then got fouled shooting a 3-pointer, and converted on two of his three attempts at the free throw line.

“Ben is one of the hardest playing dudes we have,” Paul said. “He took time off last year, focused on baseball, and he came back this year. He’s really rounded into form and is shooting the ball… He’s a winner, he’ll do anything to win.”

The three-point deficit was the closest Free State could get, although the Firebirds had an abundance of opportunities. Mill Valley responded to Graves’s hot start to the quarter with six straight points and never looked back.

Free State had one more chance to cut the lead to one possession but gave up a mid-range floater late in the shot clock, and couldn’t convert on the offensive end as the Jaguars held on to the win.

The Firebirds finish the regular season with an 8-12 record and have locked up the No. 9 seed in the substate playoffs.

photo by: Val Montanez/Special to the Journal-World

Free State sophomore Maddon Brittingham (32) shoots a 3-pointer against Mill Valley on Friday, Feb. 28, 2025.

photo by: Val Montanez/Special to the Journal-World

Free State senior AJ Eason (12) shoots a free throw against Mill Valley on Friday, Feb. 28, 2025.

photo by: Val Montanez/Special to the Journal-World

Free State senior Connor McFarland (40) shoots a 3-pointer against Mill Valley on Friday, Feb. 28, 2025.

photo by: Val Montanez/Special to the Journal-World

Free State senior Korbin Dowdell (5) shoots a layup against Mill Valley on Friday, Feb. 28, 2025.

photo by: Val Montanez/Special to the Journal-World

Free State junior Bennett Nagel (11) shoots a 3-pointer against Mill Valley on Friday, Feb. 28, 2025.

photo by: Val Montanez/Special to the Journal-World

Free State senior Korbin Dowdell drives the ball into the paint against Mill Valley on Friday, Feb. 28, 2025.

photo by: Val Montanez/Special to the Journal-World

Free State junior Braden Wilmes (44) shoots past a Mill Valley defender on Friday, Feb. 28, 2025.