John F. Kennedy’s Mark Komlanc sure did.

Free throws weren’t the only reason Champion pulled away from JFK, 47-43, Friday night at Champion High School, but they certainly played a big role.

The Golden Flashes (2-1) finished an embarrassing 9-of-31 from the free-throw line, but they made 6-of-12 in the fourth quarter, which was actually a big improvement, to come from behind and beat the Eagles (2-1).

“It’s something we’ve got to work on,” said Kish, who paused for a second and smiled before answering the question about poor free-throw shooting. “We’ve been shooting them every day, but it’s something you develop in the summer.”

Tribune Chronicle / Joe Simon John F. Kennedy’s Tyrel James, left, pressures Champion’s Chase Lindsay as he attempts to inbound the ball during their game Friday in Champion. The Golden Flashes won, 47-43.

Komlanc was irate about the foul discrepancy.

While Champion shot 31 free throws, the Eagles attempted just three. They still held a 34-32 advantage going into the fourth quarter, but a scoreless spell of more than six minutes allowed the Golden Flashes to go on a 10-0 run and a take a 44-36 lead.

Komlanc couldn’t help but vent about the stark contrast in fouls. He wasn’t as upset with the number of fouls called on Kennedy as he was the lack of fouls called on Champion.

“That’s the worst officiating I’ve seen in 20 years,” he said. “My guys played way too hard for that to go on. Twenty-five to seven was the fouls, and the last one (called on Champion) was with 30 seconds left. It’s inexcusable for officials to say, ‘I didn’t see it,’ or ‘It wasn’t a foul’ when it was the exact same play (on the other end of the floor). I understand OHSAA says they’re a part of the game, but they’ve got to do a better job for these kids than they did tonight.”

The coaches did agree that their teams needed to do better as well.

Tribune Chronicle / Joe Simon Champion’s Austin Wilforth, left, prepares to make a pass while Golden Flashes coach Nathan Kish shouts instructions during their 47-43 victory over John F. Kennedy on Friday.

Kennedy committed 20 turnovers, and Champion had 19. Neither side found a rhythm offensively, aside from a short spurt in the first quarter in which Kennedy took a 12-5 lead, making four 3-pointers.

Champion’s Joey Abramovich carried the Golden Flashes, with nine of their 11 first-quarter points. He finished with a game-high 18 and was relied on heavily after senior point guard Chase Wheelock injured his ankle early in the game.

“Joe showed some leadership tonight, and we’ve been desperately needing that,” Kish said. “So that was good to see.”

Abramovich got into foul trouble early in the second quarter, and Champion was without its two leading scorers and main ball-handlers for the rest of the first half.

JFK took a 24-19 lead in the quarter, but the Eagles struggled with their shooting after a hot start — making 2 of 18 3-pointers after the first quarter and hitting 18 of 50 field goals overall. Cameron Hollobaugh was the only Eagles player to reach double figures with 10 points.

JFK returned just one starter from last year, and Komlanc said an inexperienced group of players is still searching for roles.

“We just got a little scattered early on and frustrated,” he said. “It’s early in the season, and we’re young. We’re still trying to figure out what we’re running, when we’re running, how we’re running it, but when it clicks, it looks really good.”

Four different Champion players scored in the fourth quarter to help the Golden Flashes scrap out the win.

Champion also was relying on young, inexperienced players, especially after Wheelock went down. Abramovich said it was huge to see young guys step up and make key plays.

“It all comes down to our teamwork together,” he said. “We’re able to work well with each other, and we feed off each other’s energy. One guy gets a steal, and everyone gets hyped up about it and excited. Then another guy does it, and it cycles over and over.”

Abramovich expected Kish to call for an emergency practice today to shoot free throws (they made 3 of 19 in the first three quarters), but Golden Flashes are off until Sunday. Abramovich might show up with a few teammates anyway.

“I just went over to may family, and they said, ‘Oh, you guys played a great game defensively,’ ” Abramovich said. “I said, ‘Yeah, I know, but we’ve got to get in here in the morning and get 100 free throws up, shoot ’em for an hour and a half.’ ”

Maybe two hours would be better.