Overland Park ? Free State High’s boys basketball team has a simple postseason motto: survive and advance.

Both FSHS coach Jack Schreiner and junior Dain Dillingham offered those three words after the Firebirds’ 49-46 win against Overland Park Aquinas in the Class 6A sub-state semifinals Thursday at Aquinas.

“Man, we’ve been saying that since fourth grade,” Dillingham said. “Survive and advance.”

It’s the perfect summation for the Firebirds, who advance to Saturday’s final against Leavenworth, which beat Lawrence, 58-43, Thursday.

Leading 47-45, FSHS survived making only two of six free throws in the final 46 seconds and an intentional foul on Dillingham.

How? The Saints (9-12) missed four field-goal attempts, made only one of the two technical free throws and had two turnovers in those 46 seconds.

It wasn’t pretty, but check the motto. Schreiner doesn’t care.

“Survive and advance, that’s all I can say,” he said. “It all boils down to you have to play at their place, and that makes a .500 team that much better. I’m just surprised that those last couple shots didn’t go in.”

FSHS (15-6) dominated early, taking an 11-4 lead less than three minutes into the first quarter. The Firebirds tore apart Aquinas’ zone defense with quick passing to players cutting to the basket.

Still, the Saints hung around thanks to timely steals and offensive rebounds. They pulled within one point just before the end of the quarter and never trailed by more than five the rest of the game.

Free State High's Keith Wooden drives around an Overland Park Aquinas defender on his way to the basket. Wooden scored 24 points Thursday night in the Firebirds' 49-46 victory in Overland Park.

Amazing too, because FSHS senior forward Keith Wooden schooled the Saints’ defenders. He scored 14 of his game-high 24 points in the first half, going around and over any Aquinas defender.

The Saints solved that in the second half by collapsing more quickly around Wooden in the paint, taking away any space inside.

“They were just double- and triple-teaming down in the post whenever the ball got into the paint,” Wooden said. “It made it real tough for us to get it inside.”

The Saints took the lead, 43-42, with 4:31 left in the fourth quarter, but Free State’s next two minutes were its best of the game.

Wooden scored inside, then the Firebird defense forced an Aquinas turnover. Wooden dunked, putting Free State up 46-43, and Aquinas had another turnover.

Those three points would turn out to be crucial. With FSHS senior Cameron Karlin grabbing just about every rebound — he would finish with 12 — the Saints were held to one shot per possession.

“Huge. He was just huge,” Schreiner said. “Cameron’s rebounding might have been the difference in the game.”

Still, when FSHS couldn’t ice the game in the final minute by hitting its free throws, that left the door open for Aquinas, down 47-46.

After Dillingham’s intentional foul, Aquinas junior Nathan Mann missed a shot from the left baseline and Wooden was fouled on the rebound. He hit the first free throw, but missed the second, but FSHS junior Cole Douglas and Dillingham teamed up for a final steal that sealed the victory.

“I was going down because we were going to trap anyway,” Dillingham said. “Cole and that guy went up for the ball and I saw Cole poke the ball away from him and I just grabbed it.

“We’re definitely lucky, for sure.”