Sunflower League schools beware: Free State High’s boys basketball team is starting to roll.

Take Tuesday night’s 81-66 victory against Shawnee Mission South at the FSHS gym. The Firebirds never trailed, and only were tested for a few minutes in the second quarter when the Raiders pulled within one, 23-22, with 5:47 left before halftime.

But FSHS used a 13-4 run — run being the key word — sparked by six points inside from senior Keith Wooden and a four-point play by sophomore Brady Morningstar.

When halftime hit, South was down, 43-31, thanks to the Firebirds getting up and down the floor.

“There’s not really a team that can beat us when we get to running like that,” said FSHS senior Bijai Jones, who finished with 19 points and seven rebounds. “If we don’t play defense, then they can run right with us. But when we come out focused and ready to play, there’s not a team that can hang with us.”

The second half was more of the same as FSHS (11-6 overall, 5-3 league) broke the Raiders’ press time and again for easy transition buckets. Wooden and Jones were communicating so well, that they kept trying an alley-oop off the press break, but that was about the only thing that didn’t go the Firebirds’ way.

After all, Free State’s season-high 81 points put the whole team in a good mood.

“It’s fun for everybody,” Wooden said. “Everybody gets to score, and everybody’s happy.”

Free State High senior Keith Wooden snags a rebound in front of Firebird Cameron Karlin, left. The Firebirds beat Shawnee Mission South, 81-66, Tuesday at Free State.

Wooden, who also had seven boards, scored a game-high 22 points, the third straight game he’s gone over 20. Juniors Dain Dillingham and Cole Douglas added 14 and 10 points.

“I thought it was the first full game we’ve played. I thought for four quarters we really put it all together,” FSHS coach Jack Schreiner said. “When Keith plays like that and Bijai plays like he did, we’re tough to beat.”

Just as importantly, the win against the Raiders (5-13, 1-9) keeps Free State in the running for one of the top seeds for its Class 6A sub-state tournament in two weeks.

If this keeps up, FSHS will lock up a No. 2 or 3 seed.

“We’re in a good place right now,” Schreiner said. “They know that for sub-state we have to win the rest of our games. That’s a little incentive for them.”