Basketball Recap: Lawrence Free State Falls Short of Derby in the Playoffs

It's hard to turn regular season success into postseason wins, a fact Lawrence Free State can now relate to. They fell to the Derby Panthers 52-46. The Firebirds lost against the Panthers in their previous head to head back in January of 2024, too, but the margin this time around was much closer than the 74-45 score last time.

Derby's victory was a true team effort, with many players turning in solid performances. Perhaps the best among them was Mason Bui, who posted eight points and six boards. The team also got some help courtesy of Jack Ulwelling, who put up 13 points.

Lawrence Free State now has a losing record of 9-10-1. As for Derby, the win was the fifth in a row for them, bringing their record for this year to 21-1.

Lawrence Free State does not have any more games scheduled as of now. Derby has already played their next match (against Olathe North), but no score has been uploaded at the time of writing.