With only one regular season game remaining, it’s the time of the year when every high school basketball team wants to be playing its best basketball of the season.


Free State High’s boys basketball team showed off its offensive potential in a 77-66 victory over Shawnee Mission West on Tuesday.


The Firebirds were dominant in the first quarter, scoring on 13 of their first 16 possessions. Their only weakness is putting away teams when they jump to quick starts.


Heading into tonight’s City Showdown, it’ll be important for the Firebirds to learn their lessons from the first rivalry game. Free State had a lead at halftime before watching Lawrence High go on a big run in the second half.


“We’ve been playing well, we think,” FSHS senior point guard Kristian Rawls said. “Coach (Sam) Stroh always talks about we need to be playing our best basketball right about now, which I think we are or close to (it). This will be good for us.”


Free State’s girls basketball team picked up a big win against Shawnee Mission West, 77-64 in double-overtime. It was a chance for some revenge after losing to the Vikings in the sub-state title game last season, but it was important to win out a close game after several close losses.


The Firebirds are fighting for the No. 2 seed in their sub-state bracket, and each win gives them a potential opportunity at earning an extra home game for the postseason.
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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. 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, jr. — The best players step up in big games and that’s exactly what Piper did on Tuesday. On offense, Piper scored a game-high 27 points, making all 12 of her free throws. On top of that, Piper drew the toughest defensive assignment, guarding SM West center Kenzie Loe, the league’s leading scorer. She didn’t allow easy buckets in the paint and was dominant on the glass, grabbing a game-high 15 rebounds.


2. Cameryn Thomas, soph. — Thomas turned her game up a notch in the final minutes, scoring 10 of her 14 points in the fourth quarter and two overtimes. She added four rebounds, two assists and two steals. It always seems like she gets stronger as the game goes on, frustrating opponents with her full-court pressure.


3. Jaycie Bishop, jr. — When the Firebirds needed a big bucket, Bishop delivered from behind the arc. She scored 13 points, knocking down three triples. She added two assists and was at her best defensively, closing out on shooters and playing strong help-side defense.


4. Caiti Schlesener, sr. — Schlesener does a good job of speeding up her opponents to an uncomfortable speed. Along with Thomas, she helped force four straight turnovers in the second overtime on the perimeter. Schlesener grabbed three steals, dished two assists and scored 10 points.


5. Hannah Walter, sr. — On offense, the Firebirds went through Walter, who dished three assists, including the final go-ahead score on a three by Bishop. She added four rebounds and a steal, making her usual hustle plays.


6. Peyton Brown, sr. — Before fouling out in the first overtime, Brown did a good job of finding open space in the paint. She scored 11 points, going 7-of-12 from the free throw line. She added five rebounds, grabbing tough rebounds in traffic.


7. Jaelyn Two Hearts, soph. — Two Hearts couldn’t find her offensive rhythm, missing two three-point attempts. She added a rebound.


• Next up: 5:30 p.m. Friday vs. Lawrence High. Record: 13-6.

Free State boys basketball

1. Hunter Gudde, sr. — On one drive in the first quarter, it looked like Gudde lost control of the ball on his way to attempting a layup and the ball still found a way through the hoop. It was just one of those days. Gudde scored a team-high 19 points on a perfect 8-of-8 shooting. He added four rebounds and four assists.


2. Darian Lewis, sr. — In his first varsity start, Lewis was strong with the ball and knew to be in the right place at the right time. He scored 14 points and grabbed a team-high seven rebounds, scoring a few putbacks. On defense, he drew a couple of charges.


3. Kristian Rawls, sr. — Rawls scored 11 points on 5-of-5 shooting, including his first in-game dunk during the third quarter. Yet, he might have been even better defensively. He grabbed three steals, two rebounds and blocked two shots.


4. Chrision Wilburn, sr. — After missing his first two shots, Wilburn settled in and was strong in the paint. He worked around defenders for layups and had his first two in-game dunks of the season. Along with scoring 13 points, Wilburn had four rebounds and an assist.


5. Drew Tochtrop, sr. — Playing with his usual energy, Tochtrop had six points, two rebounds and a steal. He had a nice sequence in the fourth quarter, assisting on a bucket by Gudde, then scoring three straight points.


6. Jay Dineen, jr. — Throughout the season, Dineen has been playing with more and more confidence. He finished with six points, six rebounds and two assists.


7. Jacob Pavlyak, jr. — Pavlyak scored four points with both buckets within a two-minute stretch in the second quarter. He grabbed one steal on defense.


8. Sloan Thomsen, jr. — Scored on a missed free throw in the second quarter, grabbing the rebound and finishing through traffic. He added three rebounds.


9. Garrett Lunistra, soph. — Spelling Rawls for a few minutes at point guard, Lunistra made two free throws in the second quarter. He missed a couple of shots from the field and grabbed one rebound.


10. Cameron Clark, jr. — Playing a little sped up, Clark rushed through a couple of offensive moves in the post for a pair of turnovers. He added three rebounds, using his height in the paint to his advantage.


11. Shannon Cordes, jr. — Cordes kept the offense flowing when he was on the court, but he didn’t attempt any shots.


12. Simon McCaffrey (soph.), Jalan Robinson (soph.), Reece White-Downing (soph.) — All of them entered in the final minute so the seniors could exit to a big ovation. White-Downing grabbed a rebound.


• Next up: 7 p.m. Friday vs #1 Lawrence High. Record: 14-5.
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Sunflower League boys basketball standings


Team … League … Overall


SM North … 10-0 … 15-4


Lawrence … 9-1 … 17-2


Olathe East … 7-3 … 15-4


Olathe South … 7-3 … 13-6


Free State … 7-3 … 14-5


Olathe North … 4-6 … 12-7


SM South … 4-6 … 9-10


SM East … 4-6 … 7-12


SM Northwest … 3-7 … 8-11


SM West … 3-7 … 6-13


Olathe Northwest … 2-8 … 7-12


Leavenworth … 0-10 … 2-17


Sunflower League girls basketball standings


Team … League … Overall


Olathe South … 9-1 … 17-1


Leavenworth … 9-1 … 15-4


SM Northwest … 8-2 … 17-2


Olathe East … 8-2 … 15-4


Free State … 6-4 … 13-6


SM West … 6-4 … 10-9


SM North … 5-5 … 8-11


Lawrence … 4-6 … 10-9


SM South … 2-8 … 5-14


SM East … 2-8 … 4-15


Olathe Northwest … 1-9 … 7-12


Olathe North … 0-10 … 2-17
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