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Free State’s Brendan Barrett dribbles into a swarm of defenders during a boys basketball game against Olathe East on Jan. 16 at Free State High School in Lawrence.
After failing to crack 40 points in a Sunflower League showdown with the visiting Olathe East Hawks, Free State Firebird head coach Dwayne Paul described his squad as putting forth a lackluster effort.
“It was like the movie ‘Space Jam’; Olathe East was the Monstars and took all our powers,” Paul explained, on the heels of Free State’s 51-38 setback Thursday night. “Our confidence is down, our swagger is down. We’re walking around like lost puppies — like, ‘woe is me.’”
A sluggish opening frame by both teams had the Hawks holding an 8-6 advantage through one quarter of play. But Free State quickly found itself in a hole after the Hawks opened the second quarter on a 10-3 run.
Free State (5-6, 2-3 Sunflower League) chipped away at the deficit, with Ethan Prescott’s close-range bucket cutting the Hawks’ lead to 20-16. After a 6-3 Hawks’ run, Bennett Nagel’s jumper just before the halftime horn left the Firebirds trailing 26-21.
Olathe East (7-3, 4-1 Sunflower League) opened the second half on an 8-0 spurt. Cade Alholm’s explosive athleticism was on full display during the run, as the high-flying 6-foot-6 junior rattled the rim courtesy of a mammoth dunk — while Benjamin Burton punctuated things with a steal and coast-to-coast layup for a 34-21 lead.
Mac Moore/Lawrence Sports
Free State’s Bennett Nagel attempts a 3-point shot during a boys basketball game against Olathe East on Jan. 16 at Free State High School in Lawrence.
Nagel dropped in eight points in the third quarter, including two 3-pointers. But despite his best efforts on the offensive end, the Firebirds mustered just five points in the final frame en route to the double-digit loss.
Nagel paced Free State with a team-high 18 points, while Prescott finished with nine points and six rebounds. Alholm concluded with a game-high 21 points and nine rebounds — an effort that also included five dunks.
Paul said that his squad practiced well earlier in the week, but that he was left concerned after they didn’t look as sharp during Thursday’s session.
“Coming out of practice on Thursday, I didn’t feel good coming into tonight,” he said, “but felt a little better after our shootaround Friday morning.”
Paul said that he was OK with how the Firebirds matched up with Alholm in the half-court set, but that his club did an inadequate job of slowing him in transition.
“In the actual half court, (Alholm) wasn’t a problem,” Paul said. “He was a problem in transition — he went 7 for 9 (from the field) without shooting a jump shot.
“We talked about ‘when he is going to the basket he’s going to score, he is not going to pass.’ So we needed to step over and take a charge, get into the gaps. The half court is not what hurt us — it was the turnovers in the full court.”
Mac Moore/Lawrence Sports
Free State’s Jadon Clock watches as Olathe East’s Desmond Washington jumps into the air to pick off a pass during a boys basketball game on Jan. 16 at Free State High School in Lawrence.
Paul also lamented ball security woes as the Firebirds committed 19 turnovers. He noted that too often his players were trying to make one-on-one plays, or in one case, a one-on-three “hero” play that resulted in a traveling call. He added that such plays fall into a category he dubbed as “soft, selfish, and stupid.”
“We have to play smarter, be tougher and share the ball,” he said.
Striking a positive tone, Paul said he was pleased with the contributions of Nagel and Prescott.
“But once again, it can’t just be Bennett being the guy,” Paul said. “It can’t just be Prescott being the guy.”
Free State will play next in the McPherson Invitational, facing Derby (6-5) in the opening round on Jan. 22 at the historic McPherson Roundhouse gym at McPherson High School.
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Free State’s Ethan Prescott dribbles toward the basket during a boys basketball game against Olathe East on Jan. 16 at Free State High School in Lawrence.
Mac Moore/Lawrence Sports
Free State’s Jadon Clock attempts a contested layup during a boys basketball game against Olathe East on Jan. 16 at Free State High School in Lawrence.
Mac Moore/Lawrence Sports
Free State’s Brendan Barrett attempts a layup during a boys basketball game against Olathe East on Jan. 16 at Free State High School in Lawrence.
