Basketball Game Preview: Derby Panthers vs. Lawrence Free State Firebirds

The Derby Panthers will square off against the Lawrence Free State Firebirds at 7:00 p.m. on Friday. Derby knows how to get points on the board -- the squad has finished with 55 points or more in their past 21 matchups -- so hopefully Lawrence Free State likes a good challenge.

Derby is on a roll after a high-stakes playoff matchup on Tuesday. They breezed past Haysville Campus to the tune of 73-43. Given the Panthers' advantage in MaxPreps' Kansas basketball rankings (they are ranked seventh, while the Colts are ranked 252nd), the result wasn't entirely unexpected.

Cale Clingan

Steals (Career)

03/04/25 vs Haysville Campus	3
12/06/24 vs Andover	2
02/21/25 @ Maize South	1
01/28/25 @ Hutchinson	1
01/24/25 vs Junction City	1

Multiple players turned in solid performances to lead Derby to victory, but perhaps none more so than Cale Clingan, who shot 58% from the field en route to 16 points along with five boards and three steals. Those three steals gave Clingan a new career-high. The team also got some help courtesy of Jack Ulwelling, who went 6-for-10 on his way to 18 points and six rebounds.

Derby was working as a unit and finished the game with 25 assists. That's the most assists they've managed all season.

Meanwhile, Lawrence Free State was able to grind out a solid victory over East on Tuesday, taking the game 69-62. The win continues a trend for the Firebirds in their matchups with the Aces: they've now won three in a row.

The victory got Lawrence Free State back to even at 9-9-1. As for Derby, their win bumped their record up to 20-1.

Everything came up roses for Derby against Lawrence Free State in their previous matchup back in January of 2024, as the team secured a 74-45 victory. Will Derby repeat their success, or does Lawrence Free State have a new game plan this time around? We'll find out soon enough.