Overland Park ? Headphones on, black stocking cap pulled over his head, Free State High senior Keith Wooden somberly strode through the gym, nodded to bystanders and accepted a few handshakes before getting hugs from his parents, Christy and Patrick Lane.

He didn’t want to talk, and he hardly could be blamed.

The 6-foot-9 forward played marvelously, but fouled out with 3:16 remaining in the Firebirds’ 55-54 loss to Leavenworth in their Class 6A sub-state championship Saturday at Overland Park Aquinas.

Wooden, who had game highs of 22 points and 16 rebounds, shrugged off an interview request after the game, but did sum up Free State’s attitude toward the loss during a Sunflower Broadband Channel 6 interview.

“You’re never satisfied unless you win a state championship,” Wooden said. “We felt like if we could get get over the hump against these guys, we’d have a good chance at state.”

Leavenworth (16-6), which had beaten the Firebirds earlier this season, will advance to the state tournament for the first time since it won the state title in 2000.

Saturday’s game felt like the state tournament hit a week early. Neither team led by more than four points, and there were 29 ties or lead changes.

“Coach (Larry) Hogan said, ‘Jack, this was the state finals,'” FSHS coach Jack Schreiner said. “It doesn’t make me feel any better, but that’s how it felt.”

When Wooden left the game, Free State (15-7) led 51-50, but found itself trailing 53-50 just 37 seconds later. The Firebirds hung close behind buckets from juniors Cole Douglas and Dain Dillingham and trailed 55-54, with 1:40 left. Each team had turnover in the final minute, but with seven seconds left, Schreiner called a timeout to set up the final play.

Dillingham caught the in-bounds in the right corner and dribbled into the lane, with two defenders trailing.

“We called the ball and as it went in I thought we’re gonna get what we want,” Schreiner said.

Free State's Bijai Jones scores a layup despite being fouled by Leavenworth's Marcus Mack. Jones finished his high school career by scoring 12 points and snagging seven rebounds in the Firebirds' 55-54 loss in their sub-state championship game Saturday night at Overland Park Aquinas.

As Dillingham went up, senior Bijai Jones positioned himself on the right side of the basket, looking for any opening, but was forced to jostle for a potential rebound instead.

“I was under the basket on the block,” Jones said. “And I looked up for the pass when he went up, but I guess he thought he had the shot.”

Dillingham hung in the air as both defenders went past and put up an eight-foot jumper that hit the back of the rim and bounced away. The Pioneers grabbed the rebound, and the win.

“As coaches, you tell the kids all the time, ‘If we play as hard as we can and we lose, I can live that,'” Schreiner said. “We did not get beat because we did not play hard.”

Wooden and Jones were obvious examples.

Jones, who finished with 12 points and seven rebounds, played man-to-man defense on Leavenworth senior Joe Manthe the entire game, limiting one of the state’s leading scorers to few open shots. The 6-foot-5 Manthe was able to break into the open court on fast breaks for three jaw-dropping dunks, but those were only easy shots he had. He finished with 20 points, hitting nine of 20 shots.

Manthe’s point total didn’t reflect Jones’ performance.

Free State High senior Keith Wooden, right, has his shot tipped by Leavenworth's Joe Manthe. The Pioneers beat the Firebirds, 55-54, Saturday at Overland Park Aquinas.

“He was phenominal,” Schreiner said. “I used him because of the size of his heart and because he never gets tired. I never took him out. If Manthe would have come out, I would have taken Bijai out.”

Then there was Wooden.

He became the city’s all-time leading scorer early in the fourth quarter when he scored his 20th point on a follow-up underneath. He finished his career with 1,006 points, three more than 1992 Lawrence High graduate Marcus Trotter.

Wooden dominated the paint Saturday, hitting 10 of 13 shots and grabbing every rebound within five feet of him. Dealing with double- and tripple-teams most of the night, he still managed to get every Pioneer who guarded him in foul trouble — strange too, because his two offensive fouls played a huge part in his exit.

When he was whistled for his fifth on an attemped steal, he exited to a standing ovation from the FSHS crowd and scattered applause from the Leavenworth section.

For the Arizona State-bound Wooden, it wasn’t the ending he wanted, but it wasn’t from lack of effort.

“That was the 66th game I’ve coached Keith,” Schreiner said. “And I don’t think I’ve ever seen him more ready to play than he was tonight.

“I think he played pretty darn well.”