By Dean Backes
MaxPreps.com
Following a pair of narrow losses to Manhattan (55-51) and Olathe North (59-57) in January, Lawrence Free State was in desperate need of a lift. The Firebirds needed to turn their luck around.
Free State got the boost they were looking for and a rise in the polls following Friday’s last second 53-52 win over previously fourth-ranked Shawnee Mission South. The Raiders fell to seventh after the narrow road loss.
Firebird guard Kris Wilson made the play Free State was hoping for when the senior scored on a lay-up late in the game. But then Free State coaches, players and fans had to hold their breath as Raider sophomore Will Spradling missed on his attempt at last second heroics.
“That was a big, big win for us based on my concern about our team’s psyche after losing our last two games where it came down to last possessions,” Free State coach Chuck Law told the Kansas City Star. “To win one where it comes down to the last possession is really critical for us.”
Wilson scored 12 of his team high 15 points for Free State in the second half. Despite missing his last second shot, Spradling scored 14 of his game high 22 points in the second half.
Besides the inspirational effort Free State displayed Friday, the Firebirds have come up big in other games this season. Law’s team scored wins over Class 6A No. 2 Shawnee Mission East (57-36), Class 6A No. 9 Blue Valley Northwest (74-66) and Class 5A No. 6 McPherson (65-57). The Firebirds own four wins over teams that are ranked in this week?s MaxPreps Kansas Boys Basketball Rankings.
The one-point squeaker advanced Free State three spots to fourth behind top-ranked Wichita Southeast (15-0), Shawnee Mission East (13-1) and Leavenworth (11-3).
Class Leaders (Boys) – Wichita Southeast (Class 6A), Topeka Highland Park (Class 5A), Topeka Hayden (Class 4A), Wichita Trinity Academy (Class 3A), Syracuse (Class 2A) and Crest (Class 1A).
Class Leaders (Girls) – Blue Valley (Class 6A), Wichita Bishop Carroll (Class 5A), Andover Central (Class 4A), Riley County (Class 3A), Southwestern Heights (Class 2A) and Centralia (Class 1A).
Kansas Boys Basketball Rankings
Top 10
1. Topeka Highland Park (13-1) 1
2. Bishop Miege (14-2) 2
3. Wichita Southeast (15-0) 3
4. Shawnee Mission East (13-1) 4
5. Topeka Hayden (12-1) 8
6. Leavenworth (11-3) 9
7. Lawrence Free State (10-5) 10
8. Blue Valley West (9-5) 5
9. Wichita East (10-4) 7
10. St. Thomas Aquinas (7-5)
Dropped Out: No. 6 Shawnee Mission South
Class 6A
1. Wichita Southeast (15-0) 1
2. Shawnee Mission East (13-1) 2
3. Leavenworth (11-3) 6
4. Lawrence Free State (10-5) 7
5. Blue Valley West (9-5) 3
6. Wichita East (10-4) 5
7. Shawnee Mission South (9-4) 4
8. Wichita South (13-2) 9
9. Blue Valley Northwest (7-5) 10
10. Wichita Heights (12-4) 8
Class 5A
1. Topeka Highland Park (13-1) 1
2. Bishop Miege (14-2) 2
3. St. Thomas Aquinas (7-5) 5
4. Emporia (9-5) 4
5. Shawnee Heights (9-6) 7
6. McPherson (12-3) 3
7. Liberal (13-2) 8
8. Salina Central (13-2) 6
9. Sumner Academy (9-3) 10
10. Topeka Seaman (6-4)
Dropped Out: No. 9 Hays
Class 4A
1. Topeka Hayden (12-1) 1
2. Andover (14-0) 2
3. Ottawa (12-3) 3
4. Basehor-Linwood (10-4) 5
5. Colby (11-4) 4
6. Andover Central (9-5) 7
7. Cheney (12-2) 6
8. Perry-Lecompton (15-1) 8
9. Clearwater (13-2)
10. Holton (11-4) 10
Dropped Out: No. 9 Fort Scott
Class 3A
1. Wichita Trinity Academy (14-1) 2
2. Wichita Collegiate (12-1) 1
3. Sabetha (13-2) 3
4. Republic County (12-1) 7
5. Larned (13-3) 6
6. Nemaha Valley (15-1) 4
7. Holcomb (12-4) 5
8. More Prep-Marian (7-5) 8
9. Lakin (12-4) 9
10. Belle Plaine (12-4) 10
Class 2A
1. Syracuse (11-2) 6
2. Marmaton Valley (6-1) 4
3. Humboldt (11-1) 2
4. Frankfort (12-2) 1
5. St. Mary’s Colgan (14-2) ?
6. Berean Academy (12-3) 3
7. Wathena (12-1) 9
8. Trego (14-1) 7
9. St. John (10-3) 10
10. Smith Center (13-1) 8
Dropped Out: No. 5 Meade
Class 1A
1. Crest (13-1) 2
2. Centralia (14-1) 1
3. Wallace County (12-3) 3
4. Hanover (14-2) 4
5. Olpe (14-1) 5
6. South Gray (13-4) 6
7. Quinter (15-1) 7
8. Hutchinson Central Christian (14-2)
9. Blue Valley (10-3) 8
10. Macksville (12-3) 10
Dropped Out: No. 9 St. John’s-Beloit
Kansas Girls Basketball Rankings
Top 10
1. Andover Central (14-0) 2
2. Blue Valley (14-1) 3
3. Wichita Heights (14-1) 1
4. Abilene (16-0) 5
5. Olathe South (13-2) 6
6. Lawrence (11-3) 4
7. Wichita Carroll (12-2) 9
8. Riley County (15-0) 7
9. St. Thomas Aquinas (10-4) 8
10. Washburn Rural (10-3)
Dropped Out: No. 10 Basehor-Linwood
Class 6A
1. Blue Valley (14-1) 2
2. Wichita Heights (14-1) 1
3. Olathe South (13-2) 4
4. Lawrence (11-3) 3
5. Washburn Rural (10-3) 5
6. Shawnee Mission West (7-3) 7
7. Goddard (13-2) 8
8. Shawnee Mission East (11-4) 6
9. Shawnee Mission South (10-4) 10
10. Blue Valley North (8-6)
Dropped Out: No. 9 Junction City
Class 5A
1. Wichita Carroll (12-2) 2
2. St. Thomas Aquinas (10-4) 1
3. Emporia (11-3) 3
4. Shawnee Heights (10-4) 5
5. Great Bend (11-4) 4
6. McPherson (11-3) 6
7. Wichita Kapaun Mount Carmel (9-5) 7
8. Bishop Miege (10-6) 9
9. Hutchinson (9-5) 10
10. Lansing (10-5) 8
Class 4A
1. Andover Central (14-0) 1
2. Abilene (16-0) 2
3. Basehor-Linwood (13-1) 3
4. Colby (15-0) 4
5. Holton (14-1) 5
6. Topeka Hayden (11-2) 6
7. Tonganoxie (12-2) 7
8. Rose Hill (12-2) 8
9. Concordia (11-6)
10. Buhler (10-4)
Dropped Out: No. 9 Marysville, No. 10 Eudora
Class 3A
1. Riley County (15-0) 1
2. Cimarron (13-1) 3
3. Wichita Collegiate (11-2) 2
4. Rock Creek (10-3) 4
5. Garden Plain (13-2) 5
6. More Prep-Marian (7-4) 6
7. Medicine Lodge (11-3) 8
8. Sacred Heart (11-4)
9. Phillipsburg (11-3) 10
10. Norton (8-5) 7
Dropped Out: No. 9 Neodesha
Class 2A
1. Southwestern Heights (13-1) 1
2. St. Marys (10-2) 2
3. Berean Academy (14-1) 3
4. St. John (11-2) 4
5. Oakley (14-3) 5
6. Osborne (12-2) 6
7. Frankfort (11-5) 7
8. Sublette (13-2) 8
9. Moundridge (11-4) 9
10. Syracuse (6-5)
Dropped Out; No. 10 Lyndon
Class 1A
1. Centralia (13-2) 2
2. Olpe (15-0) 1
3. South Barber (15-1) 3
4. Blue Valley (14-2) 4
5. South Gray (15-1) 5
6. Quivira Heights (16-0) 6
7. Linn (12-4) 10
8. Southern Coffey County (14-0) 8
9. Hoxie (12-4)
10. Weskan (11-3)
Dropped Out: No. 7 Skyline, No. 9 Lakeside
