Keith Wooden’s game was sick on Saturday — literally and figuratively.

Fighting off a bout of the stomach flu, Wooden, a Free State High senior, scored 18 points, grabbed eight rebounds and blocked four shots in the Firebirds’ 61-45 victory over Lawrence High.

“I’ve been sick all week,” Wooden said. “But I’ll be all right.”

He seemed OK Saturday.

Wooden was the spark for the Firebirds (5-0), who got caught up in the Lions’ deliberate half-court game for the first 14 minutes. LHS senior Brandon McAnderson connected on his first three shots and the Lions showed no fear on offense. They didn’t allow the Firebirds any second-chance points, and never let them push the ball.

But down 19-18 with about two minutes remaining in the first half, Free State’s fortunes changed.

LHS (3-2) sagged on the 6-foot-9 Wooden whenever he touched the ball in the paint, so Free State had to move the ball more quickly around the perimeter. That allowed senior Bijai Jones to sneak in for a putback, junior Dain Dillingham to drive the lane and pull up for a short jumper and sophomore Brady Morningstar to get a wide-open look at a three-pointer.

That 7-0 run propelled FSHS to a 25-21 halftime lead, and it never trailed again.

“We changed our defense and went to a trap off the dribble instead of the pass. That’s why the offense picked up,” FSHS coach Jack Schreiner said. “It forced our guys to run and play the type of game that these kids excel at.”

It went ballistic in the third quarter.

FSHS scored six points in the first minute, then Wooden scored on back-to-back possessions, throwing down a dunk and finishing a layup on a Firebird fast break.

Lawrence High's Brad Collier (50) looks to pass as Free State's Bijai Jones defends. The Firebirds beat the Lions, 61-45, on Saturday night at FSHS.

Cole Douglas and Morningstar followed with a three-pointers, capping a 14-4 run that finished off the Lions.

“Our lack of experience showed,” LHS coach Chris Davis said. “When the game went into the second half, the pressure got higher and we didn’t respond. That will improve as the season goes on.”

When the Lions were able to slow the game down, they hung with Free State, but could never quite match the Firebirds’ athleticism. After putting up 19 points in the third quarter, LHS managed just five fourth-quarter points on 2-of-8 shooting.

“Our defense dominated, I felt, the first half of the game,” Davis said. “But (Free State) did in the second half. We just didn’t react to that well.”

Twenty-four LHS turnovers didn’t help, and neither did attempting just five free throws. McAnderson led LHS in scoring with nine points, while seniors Bryan Cargill, Brad Collier and Chris Fulton each added eight.

To go with Wooden’s 18 points, Dillingham, Jones and Cameron Karlin each added 10 points.

Now Free State, which enters the break ranked No. 2 in Associated Press and Kansas Basketball Coaches Assn. polls, can worry about relaxing before resuming play after the holiday break.

For Wooden, who on Saturday learned his ACT score was high enough to qualify him for his sophomore year at Arizona State, that means recovering from the flu.

For Dillingham, it means breathing a little easier because his team prevailed.

“I wouldn’t have gone home if we didn’t win,” Dillingham said. “My mom told me I’d be walking home if we didn’t win.”