photo by: Kahner Sampson/Special to the Journal-World

The Free State girls basketball team huddles on the court during the Firebirds' game against Olathe East on Friday, Jan. 16, 2026, at Free State High School in Lawrence.

Before Friday night, the last time the Free State girls basketball team had won a game in Sunflower League play was Feb. 19, 2021, a 55-46 victory over crosstown rival Lawrence.

That winless streak, lasting 1,792 days, came to a screeching halt as it took a fourth-quarter comeback for the Firebirds to down Olathe East, 50-48, in a game that perfectly encapsulated the momentum the program has started to build under fourth-year head coach Summer Frantz.

“The biggest growth I have seen is that we were down double digits multiple times, and we just responded,” Frantz said. “And that has not happened in the past, and that’s a credit to our seniors and everybody just staying together down the stretch and just responding and being the mentally tougher team.”

In the midst of Free State’s swarming comeback, the crowd could sense the importance of what a win would mean, and helped will the team across the finish line.

To Frantz, that support provided a clear indication of where the team is at now compared to where it started under her guidance.

“That’s not something we’ve always had,” Frantz said. “I think that we’re getting more people behind us because they can kind of see us turning a corner a little bit, so it meant a lot.”

Added senior Addie Fulscher: “I don’t think we’ve ever had our students stand. But them just showing their support, (and) all the parents, everyone is just amazing.”

It hasn’t always been easy sledding for Fulscher and her senior teammate Libby Easter, as the team won just a combined four games in the duo’s first three years within the program.

The pair, along with their teammates, have spent countless hours improving their skill sets in the gym, and just as much time in the film room, searching for ways to make internal improvements and prepare for each opponent.

These sacrifices, and the results they have yielded, made the moment that more special for Fulscher.

“(It’s) just a great feeling right now. It will probably take a little bit (of time) to get over, but it’s awesome,” she said.

That sentiment was shared by freshman Morgan McClorey, who has risen to the occasion as a first-year team member, starting in every game and on Friday leading the team with 24 points, including the game-sealing free throws against the Hawks.

“I’m glad that they finally got to get a win that they’ve been waiting for so long, and I’m just glad I could share that with them,” McClorey said.

As it stands, the Firebirds hold a record of 4-6 on the season, but those four wins are the most in a season since winning six in the 2020-21 campaign.

The win over Olathe East showed that the program is ready to take the next step and be competitive, both during the remainder of the season, and in the coming years.

“The future is bright,” Fulscher said. “Even next year after I’m gone, there’s a lot of potential here. And even moving forward this season, we have more games we can compete in, more games that can be like (Friday).”