Free State High’s girls basketball team has three forwards — senior Sarah Coversup, sophomore Madison Piper and senior Adriana Jadlow — who are matchup nightmares for opposing teams and they all can score in quick bursts.


When one of the three has an off night, the other two usually step up to lead the team in scoring. But on Tuesday, in their 54-30 victory over Shawnee Mission East, they were all on the top of their games and it was something to watch. They accounted for all of the Firebirds’ points in the first half and were racking up assists by passing amongst each other from the wings or in high-low situations in the paint.


They aren’t the only scoring options for Free State, sophomore guard Jaycie Bishop can shoot the ball and freshman point guard Cameryn Thomas is improving with her drives to rim, but if all three post players are playing well, they are nearly impossible to stop. It’s one of the big reasons the Firebirds have jumped out to a 6-0 start this year.


“We’re definitely having fun with it,” Jadlow said. “Our record is what keeps motivating us and pushing us to do better every game.”


Free State’s boys basketball team played well defensively against a tough SM East squad in a 54-35 loss on Tuesday. The Firebirds have played strong team defense all year long, and it’s impressive to watch against teams that would seem to cause matchup problems with them on paper.


But offensively, Free State still has some ways to go. The Firebirds just aren’t shooting the ball well this season from behind the three-point line (22 for 85, 26 percent). When they’re facing a team that has rim protectors, it stunts their offense. After tying the game with 3:26 left in the third quarter, the Firebirds shot 2-for-8 over the next eight minutes (along with two turnovers) and the Lancers took a 10-point lead.


“It’s hard. Offensively we’re just not there yet, we’re not clicking the way that I hope that we will later in the season,” FSHS coach Chuck Law said. “But (SM East’s) got such size and such length at the rim, the way we play, it’s just hard to get in there sometimes. I think their size bothered us but we missed probably half a dozen layups, that if we make those, a couple of them in critical situations, we would have been right there at the end of that game.”


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 boys basketball

1. Justin Narcomey, sr. — The senior had a solid all-around game, scoring eight points and grabbing two rebounds. It seemed that SM East defense marked him after he hit a couple of threes and wouldn’t allow him space for open threes. He also drew two offensive fouls in the first quarter, taking charges on fast breaks and played solid help defense throughout the game.


2. Weston Hack, sr. — Hack didn’t have his sharpest game, but he stepped up in big moments. He scored a team-high nine points on 4 of 12 shooting and grabbed six rebounds and two steals. Foul trouble kept him from probably making a bigger impact defensively. When the Firebirds stalled on offense, they turned to him to for scoring, but the Lancers focused their defense around him in the fourth quarter.


“I’m horrible offensively right now,” Hack said. “I’ve really been struggling with my jumper. I’m not really sure. It’s obviously, like the (Lawrence High) game, I hit a few shots early and I got going (for 18 points). But I just haven’t seemed to be able to find it. But I have to start making shots. No excuses.”


3. Andrew Keating, sr. — Keating played aggressively, scoring eight points and grabbing two rebounds. He wasn’t afraid to drive into the paint, and made some tough layups. But defensively, he ran into early foul trouble and wasn’t able to stay on the floor for long stretches in the second half.


4. Jack Raney, sr. — Raney drained a three on the Firebirds’ first offensive possession of the game, but wasn’t able to land any triples afterward. He had the tough task of battling SM East’s height in the paint and did a good job forcing them to work for position. He drew a few offensive fouls because of his effort defensively. He also grabbed three rebounds.


5. Hunter Gudde, jr. — He scored seven points on 3 of 10 shooting, but I think he was most affected by SM East’s rim protectors. His slashing drives were usually met with 6-foot-6 and 6-foot-8 forwards waiting for him to put the shot up. He played great defense against the Lancers’ height, drawing at least one charge.


6. Jay Dineen, so. — Dineen brought plenty of energy off of the bench, snagging three boards and dishing an assist before the first quarter buzzer so Hack could get a layup. He nearly had a highlight reel play, dribbling behind his back on a one-on-one fast break to get rid of the defender, but his layup attempt rimmed out.


7. Jacob Pavlyak, so. — When Keating ran into foul trouble late in the game, Pavlyak was the one to fill in off of the bench to guard the opposing point guard and help set up the Firebirds’ offense. I thought he played well defensively to limit drives, and he grabbed one rebound.

8. Zion Bowlin, so. — Bowlin missed his only shot from the field, but he was reliable with the ball at the end of the first half with Keating and Hack on the bench because of foul trouble.


9. Darian Lewis, jr. — He entered the game in the fourth quarter to pick up fouls when the Firebirds were well short of the seven team fouls to get the Lancers in the bonus. He didn’t record any stats on offense.


10. Caleb Holland, sr. — Like Lewis, he entered the game in the fourth quarter for defensive purposes to foul. He didn’t record any other stats besides a technical foul. I didn’t see it but judging by how stunned the crowd was by it, I think the referee might have used a quick whistle on that call.


11. Shannon Cordes (so.), Sloan Thomsen (so.), and Chrision Wilburn (jr.) — All three of them entered the game in the final minute, and Thomsen was the only one to shoot, missing a three.


• Next up: 7 p.m. Friday at Olathe North. Record: 3-2.

Free State girls basketball

1. Sarah Coversup, sr. — The senior transfer from Horton was dominant throughout the entire game. She scored a game-high 22 points (10 of 12 shooting), grabbed seven rebounds and had two blocks, two steals and an assist. She was everywhere on the court, did a little bit of everything, and couldn’t be stopped by the Lancers.

2. Adriana Jadlow, sr. — Jadlow had one of her most efficient offensive games of the year, scoring early and often on her way to 16 points. She also did a great job passing the ball with a team-high four assists and she grabbed two steals.


3. Madison Piper, so. — She was targeted by SM East’s defense and she still found a way to contribute in big ways. She had three steals and was pretty dominant defensively. On offense, she passed the ball really well, racking up three assists to go along with her eight points and seven rebounds.


4. Cameryn Thomas, fr. — Thomas is the glue for the Firebirds. She hardly ever leaves the court, and frustrates opposing point guards with a tough full-court press. To start the second half, she stole the ball at half court after the inbounds pass. On the next possession, she picked another pocket for her second steal in 30 seconds. She scored eight points in the second half.


5. Jaycie Bishop, so. — Bishop didn’t score (0 for 4 from the field), had one rebound and one steal. But she did a ton of things that don’t show up on the box score. She was a great help defender and closed out well to contest shots. On one possession in the second quarter, she left her man to help deny the ball in the post, got stuck behind a screen, then sprinted back and closed out to prevent an open three.


6. Hannah Walter, jr. — Walter provided good energy off of the bench, though she missed her only shot from the floor. She played solid defense on the perimeter and was diving around the court for loose balls.


7. Morgan Gantz, sr. — She’s one of the first players off of the bench and brings stability when she’s on the court. She grabbed one rebound, but played good defense and moved the ball well on offense.


8. Hannah Shoemaker, sr. — Shoemaker picked up an assist at the end of the game, finding Piper for a layup. She didn’t attempt a shot, but played well in her role off of the bench.


9. Calli Bowen and Sophia Jadlow, so. — Both of the sophomores entered the game in the final minute when the Firebirds were running out of the clock. I only saw parts of the second half in the JV game, but they both had nice games in that victory.


• Next up: 5:30 p.m. Friday at Olathe North. Record: 6-0.
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