photo by: Nathan Friedman/Special to the Journal-World

Free State guard Morgan McClorey dribbles towards the baseline during the game against Shawnee Mission Northwest on Tuesday, Feb. 24, 2026, in Shawnee.

SHAWNEE — The Free State girls and boys basketball teams lost a pair of close games on Tuesday night at Shawnee Mission Northwest, with the girls losing 47-44 and the boys falling 51-50.

In the girls game, Free State (7-15) mounted a furious comeback in the fourth quarter, but it ultimately fell short after the team rallied from a 17-point deficit.

“I was just really, really proud of how we came back,” Free State head coach Summer Frantz said. “We haven’t been a great second-half team, but I thought we made the adjustments at halftime.”

Freshman Morgan McClorey scored a game-high 25 points for Free State and played a key role on both ends of the floor in helping the team climb back into the game.

“Obviously she’s our primary ball handler at times, and then our best defender,” Frantz said. “Tonight, she was also our primary scorer when we needed it.”

The Firebirds got off to a hot start thanks to a 3-pointer by sophomore Sarai Preston and a bucket by freshman Quinlynn Vail to take an early 5-0 lead. The offense soon cooled off, however, and the Cougars took advantage of their size advantage in the post, scoring 15 straight points.

Vail put an end to the run with a 3-pointer, and after five more points by Shawnee Mission Northwest, McClorey hit a 3-pointer of her own with five seconds remaining in the first quarter as Free State trailed 20-11 after the first eight minutes.

The second quarter began with four straight points from McClorey to pull the Firebirds within five. The Free State defense stifled Shawnee Mission Northwest for the first five minutes of the second period before a 3-pointer finally ended the dry spell, leading to an 8-3 run to end the half for the Cougars, who led 28-18 at halftime.

The Firebirds began the second half with a 3-pointer by Vail before the Cougars scored 10 consecutive points to take a 17-point lead. The two teams traded points at the free-throw line before McClorey scored an and-1 late in the quarter, while the Cougars hit a 3-pointer as time expired to take a 42-25 advantage into the fourth.

Free State pulled itself back into the game in the fourth quarter, starting with seven straight points from McClorey. After a 3-pointer by Vail to cut the deficit to seven, Shawnee Mission Northwest scored its first two points of the quarter.

“We really locked in defensively,” Frantz said. “So just buying in on defense, and our offense feeding off our defense. And then obviously, Morgan hit some really, really tough shots that kind of kept us in it there.”

Freshman Taylor Hulcher cut the deficit to five with a four-point play, and a layup by McClorey made it a three-point game. After another basket by the Cougars, McClorey’s 3-pointer made the score 46-44, prior to a late free throw by the Cougars.

McClorey had one last chance to send the game into overtime at the buzzer, but her shot fell just short, ending the Firebirds’ comeback attempt.

Despite the result, Frantz said that the effort the group showed in the second half was a positive sign moving forward.

“I think that says a lot about the character and just the resolve of our girls,” Frantz said, “To be down and believe they can come out and just chip away at it and get themselves back.”

FIREBIRD BOYS FALL SHORT

The Free State boys (7-15) had a late comeback attempt of their own, but couldn’t complete the comeback against Shawnee Mission Northwest.

“I thought (Shawnee Mission Northwest) played more desperate,” Free State head coach Dwayne Paul said. “It showed in their willingness to do all the intangible things. Until we understand consistently how hard it is to win, we’re going to keep going on this up and down path.”

The Firebirds and Cougars went back and forth in the early parts of the first quarter, as the score was tied at five three minutes into the game.

Senior Ethan Prescott and sophomore Brayden DeBruin scored on consecutive possessions before senior Bennett Nagel scored four straight on his own to give Free State a 13-5 lead. Shawnee Mission Northwest hit a 3-pointer late in the quarter to make the score 13-8 after the first.

After a layup and a free throw by freshman Packson McDaniel to push the Firebird lead back to eight, the Cougars scored five straight of their own to cut the deficit to three. Back-to-back buckets by Nagel made the score 20-13, forcing a timeout.

The lead started to dwindle for Free State, as Shawnee Mission Northwest used an 8-0 run to take a 21-20 advantage with less than a minute left in the half. However, sophomore Brendan Barrett made a field goal with 37 seconds left to give Free State a 22-21 halftime lead.

The two teams traded buckets to start the second half, with Nagel, DeBruin, and Prescott all getting involved. The Cougars built a four-point lead thanks to a 3-pointer and a layup, before Nagel and Prescott both scored to tie the game at 35.

The Cougars responded with a 3-point play before a 3-pointer by senior Jadon Clock tied the score once again at 38 to end the quarter.

The guard play for Shawnee Mission Northwest continued to cause fits for Free State in the fourth quarter, as the Cougars hit multiple 3s en route to a 51-42 lead.

Paul said that the Firebirds had multiple lapses in the scouting report to start the fourth quarter, to which the Cougars took full advantage of.

“Credit to (Cougar senior Jett Smith), we couldn’t stop him (from) going left and the whole scout was to force him to go right, and we didn’t,” Paul said.

In the final two minutes, the Firebirds scored eight straight points with a layup by DeBruin and a pair of 3s by Barrett, making it a one-point game. The Firebirds had a chance to take the lead, but committed a turnover, and despite two missed free throws with three seconds left, Prescott’s halfcourt heave was no good as the Cougars held on for the win.

Free State will finish the regular season on Friday at Mill Valley before postseason plays begin next week.

photo by: Nathan Friedman/Special to the Journal-World

Free State guard Morgan McClorey works around a screen set by Free State forward Sarai Preston during the game against Shawnee Mission Northwest on Tuesday, Feb. 24, 2026, in Shawnee.

photo by: Nathan Friedman/Special to the Journal-World

Free State forward Sarai Preston dives for a loose ball during the game against Shawnee Mission Northwest on Tuesday, Feb. 24, 2026, in Shawnee.

photo by: Nathan Friedman/Special to the Journal-World

Free State guard Brendan Barrett puts up a shot in the paint during the game against Shawnee Mission Northwest on Tuesday, Feb. 24, 2026, in Shawnee.

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