LAWRENCE — The scoreboard resembled a night the Emporia High Spartans might want to forget. But coach Bill Nienstedt saw it as a learning opportunity.
The EHS girls were demolished 77-40 Tuesday at Free State High School in a game EHS never led and was never really in.
“I think we have to learn from it because the biggest problem that was exposed tonight, and it’s been exposed about three times now, is that we just didn’t compete,” Nienstedt said. “We quit. We did everything but literally lay down. So we’ve got to find something that we fear more than quitting. Because right now when things go difficult for us, it’s so easy for them to feel sorry for themselves and quit.”
The Spartans (3-6) quickly got behind 8-0 on two FSHS 3-pointers and a layup before Brianna Knight hit two free throws to stop the run. But turnovers and slow transition defense led to the Firebirds taking a 23-9 lead at the end of the first quarter.
A free throw by Knight and 3-pointer by Kayna Hastings cut the deficit to 23-13, but that was as close as the Spartans would get the rest of the way. And a 13-5 Free State run to start the second half ended any chance of an EHS comeback. EHS was outscored 23-14 in the third.
“We cut it to 10 there at one point, and we gave up only seven in the second quarter,” Nienstedt said. “But when they came out and made a couple easy baskets to start the third quarter, that was when it went downhill. And this has been the third or fourth time where teams have come out and slugged us in the mouth to start the second half and we just shut down.”
Nienstedt said he would spend the next few days trying to figure out a remedy.
“We’ll see what we have to do to get it done,” he said.
The Spartans shot just 38 percent from the floor, but Nienstedt wasn’t too down on his offense. He was, however, upset with his team’s defense from start to finish.
“There were two or three possessions where we made the extra pass or dribble penetrated and got the open look and knocked down some shots,” he said. “To score 40 on 38 percent shooting, offensively we weren’t atrocious. We were average, but defensively we were the worst I’ve ever seen a team that I have coached.”
Knight led EHS with 17 points and Hastings had eight. Kennedy Kirkpatrick led Free State with 17.
Tuesday at Free State
Emporia 9 7 14 10 — 40
Free State 23 7 23 24 — 77
EMP: Knight 17, Johnson 3, Hastings 8, Wilhite 4, Starr 2, Schaefer 2, Garza 4.
FSH: Robinson 13, Kirkpatrick 17, Garcia 8, Rogers 4, C. Casady 11, Wiebe 4, A. Casady 7, S. Frantz 3, A. Frantz 3, White 2, Parker 4.