Free State High’s boys basketball team played two games that were nearly polar opposites of each other on Friday and Saturday.


On Friday, the Firebirds struggled to hit shots in their rematch against fourth-ranked Olathe East, losing 52-44 at home on Senior Night. Then the next night, there was no pressure. It wasn’t a league game. There weren’t any Senior Night festivities. Free State responded by shooting lights out in a 63-47 victory against William Chrisman.


“Obviously Olathe East’s length gave us a lot of difficulty last night,” FSHS coach Chuck Law said Saturday. “Chrisman doesn’t quite have that same length, although they have some really good basketball players and some fine athletes. But we talked about that going in, kind of clearing our system from last night, coming in and being confident. … Just go out and play loose, and I think that’s what we did.”


It’ll be interesting to see how the Firebirds respond to their next two games, facing a gritty Shawnee Mission West team on Tuesday, then a rematch against Lawrence High in the City Showdown on Friday, both on the road.


Free State’s girls basketball team used a big fourth quarter to beat Olathe East, 49-43, in their lone game of the weekend.


The ninth-ranked Firebirds, who own a 14-4 record, likely will earn the second seed in their sub-state bracket, which would mean they get all their sub-state games at home. They’re still hoping to get freshman point guard Cameryn Thomas back on the court soon, but I think they’ve gained a lot of confidence playing without her.


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. — Olathe East’s coach was yelling at his players to be aware of where Piper was on the court. It didn’t make much of a difference. Piper scored a game-high 19 points to go along with six rebounds, three blocks and two assists. She opened the second half with seven straight points, keeping the Firebirds in the lead before their big fourth quarter.


2. Sarah Coversup, sr. — When the Firebirds went on their big run in the fourth quarter, Coversup scored seven points in the first four minutes. She drained a three, fought inside for layups and knocked down some free throws. She finished with 16 points and six rebounds.


3. Hannah Walter, jr. — Walter didn’t leave the court in the second half because she was doing a good job defending Olathe East’s point guard and taking ball-handling responsibilities for the Firebirds. She scored three points, had four rebounds and one steal.


4. Adriana Jadlow, sr. — Jadlow didn’t have her best day shooting the ball, scoring four points on 2 of 5 shooting, but she didn’t let that affect her on the other side of the court. She had two rebounds, a steal and a block. She has a great sense of when to double-team in the corners and plays passing lanes well, knocking a few balls out of bounds.


5. Hannah Shoemaker, sr. — The 5-foot-11 forward made a big impact in the first quarter, scoring four points and collecting two rebounds. She did a good job playing defense in the post without fouling, forcing Olathe East into some bad shots.


6. Jaycie Bishop, so. — Bishop played the passing lanes well and it forced some bad passes. She had one steal and scored three points, all at the free throw line. She also had two assists, setting a layup by Shoemaker and a jumper by Piper.


7. Morgan Gantz, sr. — Gantz did a good job setting up the Firebirds offense, never turning the ball over. She didn’t attempt any shots but had one rebound.


• Next up: 5:30 p.m. Tuesday at Shawnee Mission West. Record: 14-4.

Free State boys basketball vs. Olathe East

1. Justin Narcomey, sr. — With extra family and friends watching on his Senior Night, Narcomey put on a show in the first quarter with eight points, drilling two three-pointers. When the Hawks did their best to stop him from getting looks from behind the arc, he snuck behind them into the paint for layups. He finished with 12 points, two rebounds and an assist.


2. Hunter Gudde, jr. — When the Firebirds needed some scoring, Gudde responded by scoring eight of his 10 points in the first half. He added six rebounds and an assist.


3. Weston Hack, sr. — Hack was held scoreless in the first half, but he let the game come to him. He still made good passes, recording three assists and he did a good job grabbing six rebounds. In the second half, he found his offensive rhythm and scored 14 points, including 11 in the fourth quarter.


4. Andrew Keating, sr. — Keating did a good job at the top of the Firebirds’ 2-3 zone and he handled the speed of Olathe East’s guards. He scored four points and had one assist.


5. Jack Raney, sr. — He misfired on two three-pointers, but was solid defensively against some skilled Olathe East guards and forwards. He had two rebounds.


6. Sloan Thomsen, so. — Thomsen had some decent looks but just couldn’t get his shot to fall, going 0-4 from the field. However, he played good defense and he grabbed three rebounds.


7. Jay Dineen, so. — The 6-foot sophomore always brings a lot of energy off of the bench and Friday was no different. He scored two points on a coast-to-coast layup after grabbing a steal.


8. Caleb Holland, sr. — He earned the Senior Night start and did some good things defensively. He didn’t attempt a shot.


9. Chrision Wilburn, jr. — Wilburn scored on a putback late in the second quarter for his only points and rebound of the game.


10. Shannon Cordes (so.) and Jacob Pavlyak (so.) — Both of them entered the game in the final minute when the Firebirds were fouling.

Free State boys basketball vs. William Chrisman

1. Weston Hack, sr. — One day after going scoreless in the first half, Hack couldn’t be stopped in the first two quarters, scoring 16 points. After Chrisman focused on him afterward, he did damage on the glass, and just missed out on a double-double with eight rebounds to go along with his game-high 24 points. He also had three assists and a steal without any turnovers.


2. Hunter Gudde, jr. — Gudde let the game come to him, and his teammates found him under the hoop for layup after layup. He finished with 20 points and eight rebounds.


3. Jacob Pavlyak, so. — Playing extensive minutes for the first time since an injury, Pavlyak did a great job against Chrisman’s top three-point threats with his face-guard defense. He did a good job moving the ball on offensee and finished with five points and an assist.


4. Jay Dineen, so. — There were a few moments where Dineen played a little out of control, but when he was in rhythm, he did a little bit of everything. He had three points, two rebounds and two assists.


5. Justin Narcomey, sr. — Narcomey couldn’t get his threes to fall, going 0 for 2 from deep, but he hounded Chrisman’s top players on defense, denying them the ball. He scored two points at the free throw line, had five rebounds and two assists.


6. Andrew Keating, sr. — The 5-foot-9 point guard didn’t score, but he chased Chrisman’s top guards around the court in the second half, preventing them from getting any quality looks. Keating also had a nice steal, and somehow didn’t turn the ball over when he fell down while being double-teamed in front of Chrisman’s bench, by slipping a pass through the defenders.


7. Darian Lewis, jr. — Lewis provided quite a few minutes off of the bench in the first half, scoring two points and grabbing a rebound.


“I thought we got some nice minutes off the bench from some other guys,” FSHS coach Chuck Law said. “I thought Darian Lewis in the first half gave us a real nice lift. Jacob Pavlyak, back from injury, gave us a lift.”


8. Chrision Wilburn, jr. — Wilburn played well off of the bench, scoring four points and grabbing two rebounds.


9. Jack Raney, sr. — Raney missed the two shots he took, but he moved the ball well on offense and always provides reliable defense.


10. Sloan Thomsen, so. — Thomsen knocked down an early three-pointer to give the Firebirds their first lead of the game.


11. Caleb Holland (sr.), Shannon Cordes (so.), Kristian Rawls (jr.), Zion Bowlin (so.) — All of them entered in the fourth quarter, and didn’t attempt a shot from the field. Cordes missed two free throws and Rawls swatted a Chrisman layup attempt out of bounds.


• Next up: 7 p.m. Tuesday at SM West. Record: 10-8.
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