Free State freshman Shannon Clarke (11) attempts to save the ball from going out of bounds during a game against Wichita South Thursday night during the 18th Annual Firebird Winter Classic at FSHS.

Free State’s girls basketball players weren’t really surprised by anything they saw from Wichita South’s defense Thursday in the first round of the Firebird Winter Classic at FSHS.

The Firebirds were confident in their preparation. They watched film this week and remembered their game against last year’s tournament champion. But they just couldn’t solve their problem of making shots in a 50-24 loss.

“It’s just disappointing that we can’t seem to make the two-foot (shots), little layups,” Free State coach Ted Juneau said. “Whether we can’t concentrate or we’re worrying about it getting blocked, we just don’t go out there and play. That’s what frustrating for me today.”

The Titans (10-1, ranked No. 5 in Class 6A) took a six-point lead into halftime and pulled away with a 14-0 run to start the third quarter. South junior Aerhina Afoa (13 points, three steals), listed at 5-foot-6, scored the team’s first eight points in the spurt with a pair of 3-pointers.

Free State junior Mayela Edwards throws a pass by a defender in a game against Wichita South Thursday night during the 18th Annual Firebird Winter Classic at FSH.

The Firebirds (1-9) missed six straight shots and turned the ball over four times. Free State sophomore point guard Caely Kesten ended the scoreless drought by scoring on her own missed shot. On the next possession, she sunk a 3-pointer from the top of the arc.

But it wasn’t enough to slow Wichita South, which scored on seven straight possessions at the end of the third quarter. The Titans, who have lost two games in the last two seasons, turned offensive rebounds into several second-chance points.

Free State will face Leavenworth in the consolation semifinals at 3 p.m. today.

“I think it was definitely missed opportunities, missed shots,” said Kesten, who had eight points, three rebounds and only one turnover. “There wasn’t really a flow on the floor.”

The Firebirds actually led for the majority of the second quarter. On one possession, junior guard Sam Lawrence held the ball on the perimeter, gave a head nod to freshman Shannon Clarke. Once Clarke made a move toward the basket, Lawrence zipped a pass that turned into a layup.

In the final two minutes of the first half, South went on a 6-0 run while the Firebirds committed three straight turnovers. Free State played a 2-3 zone, but failed to contest shots once a South player drove through the lane.

“Defensively, we did exactly what we wanted to do and how we wanted to do it,” Juneau said. “We knew there was a chance someone was going to get hot and if they did, we were going to have to make some adjustments. But our ineptitude on offense just negated anything defensively that we were doing.”

Free State senior Erin Cushing (22) passes to a teammate in a game against Wichita South on Thursday night during the 18th Annual Firebird Winter Classic at FSHS.

Adjusting to South’s man-to-man defense, which allowed an average of 28 points heading into Thursday’s game, the Firebirds struggled to find much rhythm. Senior guard Erin Cushing, the team’s lone senior, drilled a 3-pointer for the only made shot in the first quarter.

Sophomore forward Haley Hippe added a layup early in the second quarter on a pass from junior Mayela Edwards.

“Their defense, it’s good. I don’t want to diminish anything they did on defense,” Juneau said. “I’m saying we were terrible on offense. How many inside shots did we miss? About the same number we had.”

Free State emptied its bench for most of the fourth quarter, which included two points by Joy Nunoo and a buzzer-beating 3-pointer from Katelin Hollingshed.

Free State (24)

Sam Lawrence 1-4 0-0 2, Caely Kesten 2-7 3-4 8, Shannon Clarke 1-6 0-0 2, Haley Hippe 1-5 2-4 4, Erin Cushing 1-3 0-0 3, Mayela Edwards 0-1 0-0 0, Joy Nunoo 1-1 0-0 2, Evie Harrell 0-1 0-0 0, Erin McClorey 0-0 0-0 0, Lauryn Jones 0-2 0-0 0, Liliana Keathley 0-1 0-0 0, Katelin Hollinshed 1-1 0-2 3, Brooke Wright 0-0 0-0 0, Rose Pilakowski 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 8-32 5-10 24.

Wichita South (50)

Tre’Zure Jobe 5-10 0-0 13, Aerhina Afoa 5-15 0-0 13, Loan-Anh Johnson 5-11 1-4 11, Haley Beard 2-5 0-0 4, Lauren White 1-4 1-2 3, Trinity Butler 0-1 2-2 2, Brittanie Brickhouse 0-6 0-2 0, Dayjsha Fanning 1-2 2-2 4, Amethyst Thomas 0-2 0-0 0, Sha’Nel Turner 0-0 0-0 0, Cassandra Lira 0-1 0-0 0, Kyra Griffin 0-0 0-0 0, Maria Stephens 0-0 0-2 0. Totals 19-57 6-14 50.

Free State 7 6 5 6 — 24

South 9 8 24 9 — 50

Three-point goals: Free State 3-10 (Kesten, Cushing, Hollingshed); Wichita South 6-14 (Jobe 3, Afoa 3). Fouled out: None. Turnovers: Free State 18, Wichita South 6.