Earlier this season, Free State boys basketball coach Chuck Law talked about how the offense wasn’t clicking the way he was hoping for, and how that was the missing piece when they were playing strong defense in losses.


I don’t think anyone has to wonder anymore about how dangerous the Firebirds are with an offense that’s found a rhythm. They beat sixth-ranked Shawnee Mission North on Tuesday, 69-57, at home.


“I’ve told the guys in the locker room,” senior guard Weston Hack said, “when we were all talking, I said, ‘Three or four weeks ago, I think when they cut it to 58-54 or at any other point before that, we might just fold. They might just run away with it. Then it would just be a free throw shooting contest at the end but it would be their game to lose.’ But we battled and came out here with a win.”


The Firebirds aren’t folding when the going gets tough anymore. Right now with their confidence, I don’t think any team in the Sunflower League would want to play them. Now on their first three-game win streak of the year, they have some good matchups coming up to really show their potential: vs. Olathe South, at SM South, and a rematch at home against Olathe East, who they lost to in the third-place game at the Aquinas Tournament.


Give a lot of credit to Free State’s girls basketball team for its 52-20 victory against SM North on Tuesday. The Firebirds didn’t get to play the style they wanted (or were even really expecting), and they are down two starting guards: Cameryn Thomas and Jaycie Bishop.


But after a slow first quarter, they adjusted well and dominated. Even though SM North is at the bottom of the league standings, they avoided a trap game and bounced back after a loss on Friday.


“It was a huge motivation,” senior Hannah Shoemaker said of Friday’s loss. “We’ll have bumps to go over, it’s part of the journey. I think that a main thing to focus on is that those losses only plunge us to our next success. … I think a key to success is acknowledging that we lost, don’t ignore it, face up with it and then move on. Use it to succeed.”


In case you missed it, we’re copying one of the popular features of KUsports.com, “Keegan’s Ratings,” where Sports Editor Tom Keegan ranks KU football and men’s basketball players after every game he attends and I’m bringing back the high school ratings for this basketball season. These individual rankings are just one person’s opinion, but it’s a good way to look at how each person impacted each game.

Free State girls basketball

1. Madison Piper, so. — The big key to the Firebirds’ win was moving Piper into the paint and running the offense through her when she was in a good position to shoot or pass. She scored a game-high 17 points, had five assists, four rebounds, a steal and no turnovers. With freshman point guard Cameryn Thomas still out with an injury, Piper’s doing a good job of running the offense.


2. Adriana Jadlow, sr. — With the game going at a slow pace for most of the first half, Jadlow helped quicken it up. She doubled teamed ball handlers from anywhere on the court and she was aggressive on offense. She finished with 11 points, six rebounds and an assist.


3. Hannah Shoemaker, sr. — Shoemaker was one of the biggest differences for the Firebirds in the first half. Once she entered, they went on a big run and the game was never close again. She scored six points and had seven rebounds.


“I’m not really an offensive player,” Shoemaker said. “I love to screen, honestly. And I love what me and Madison do, where I always go backdoor where she is and wait for the rebound or wait for her, because she’s really good at passing out of traps, so that’s how I make my points.”


4. Sarah Coversup, sr. — Coversup was limited defensively because SM North made the girl she was guarding the primary ball handler. That pushed the Firebirds’ top shot blocker closer to half court to play defense. She still scored four points, grabbed five rebounds and got steals on back-to-back possessions in the second half.


5. Morgan Gantz, sr. — The Firebirds’ 5-foot-4 senior point guard played well and was stronger with the ball on Tuesday. She scored one point, but had four rebounds and an assist.


6. Hannah Walter, jr. — Walter played solid defense on the perimeter and was just as good on offense. She scored three points, had three rebounds and a steal.


7. Calli Bowen, so. — Bowen came off of the bench in the second quarter and helped bring the ball up the court. She didn’t take any shots.


8. Jaelyn McKay, fr. — The 5-foot-6 freshman had a good command of the court in the final minutes. She knocked down a three-pointer, grabbed two rebounds and had a great assist from around half court.


9. Erin Cushing, fr. — Cushing did a nice job playing point guard in the final few minutes. She scored two points at the free throw line after missing a three. She also dished an assist.


10. Molly Murray, fr. — From the top of the arc right before the final horn, Murray drilled a three and was mobbed by her teammates, giving a nice ending to the night for the Firebirds.


11. Sophia Jadlow, so. — Jadlow snuck past the defense and scored on a layup late in the fourth quarter.


12. Caroline Patton, fr. — Patton did a nice job cleaning up the glass, grabbing four rebounds. However, she missed her only shot from the field and two free throws.


13. Peyton Brown, jr. — Brown entered in the fourth quarter and grabbed a steal.


• Next up: 5:30 p.m. Friday vs. #3 Olathe South. Record: 12-3.

Free State boys basketball

1. Weston Hack, sr. — Hack has taken his game to another level in the past week. Four days after scoring a career-high 28 points, he topped it by dropping 30. It’s impressive because he’s not forcing his shot, but he’s letting the game come to him and making the most of it. He also had eight rebounds, five assists, three steals and a block.


“He’s doing what a senior, best player on the team is supposed to do,” FSHS coach Chuck Law said. “He’s taking over games when he needs to. He involves his teammates which also allows him to control the game at times. You notice his stat line, he fills it up. Hunter (Gudde) is kind of the same way. They are just stat sheet fillers.”


2. Hunter Gudde, jr. — I joked on Twitter about Gudde being dunked on early in the game, but he had a great all-around game on Tuesday. Gudde drew a few offensive fouls, which led to SM North’s top two scores fouling out in the fourth quarter. On offense, he was Hack’s sidekick when he wasn’t limited by foul trouble late in the second half. Gudde finished with 11 points, seven rebounds and two assists.


3. Andrew Keating, sr. — Keating had the tough defensive assignment of face-guarding Michael Weathers in the first quarter, and he did a good job holding him to two points and drawing an offensive foul. Keating scored seven points and had one rebound before exiting with an injury late in the third quarter trying to keep Weathers from stealing the ball.


4. Jack Raney, sr. — Raney had a solid game on both sides of the court. He scored nine points, grabbed two rebounds and had two assists.


5. Sloan Thomsen, so. — When Free State needed a lift, Thomsen was there, knocking down two three-pointers midway through the third quarter. He also grabbed four rebounds and blocked a shot. You can tell he’s gained a lot of confidence shooting the ball over the past month or so.


6. Jay Dineen, so. — The Firebirds’ middle linebacker was well-suited for Tuesday’s physical game. He grabbed two steals and nearly had a few more diving all over the court. He scored three points and had three rebounds. He’s also an underrated passer, and is good at finding open teammates.


7. Justin Narcomey, sr. — Narcomey didn’t fill up the stat sheet on Tuesday, but he still had a big impact. He scored two points and had one rebound, but he plays such good help side defense and does a good job of providing space and stability on offense.


8. Chrision Wilburn, jr. — Wilburn does a good job in the middle of the Firebirds’ zone defense using his 6-foot-3 length. He didn’t take a shot on offense.


9. Shannon Cordes, so. — Cordes entered in the fourth quarter and went 1-for-3 at the free-throw line.


• Next up: 7 p.m. Friday vs. Olathe South. Record: 8-6.
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