The collective exhaling of Free State High’s girls basketball boosters made the indoor gymnasium a bit drafty following the game Tuesday.

But it was a sigh of relief — a much-needed one. At long last, a tense, uneasy game went the way of Free State. The Firebirds topped Shawnee Mission West, 42-39, in overtime to snap a three-game losing streak and earn a big Sunflower League victory over a solid team.

“We made some mistakes,” FSHS coach Bryan Duncan said. “But the important thing is that we kept our composure throughout the entire game and into overtime. The girls stayed calm and stayed collected, and that was important.”

Free State (5-9 overall, 2-4 Sunflower League) benefited from 24 Viking turnovers, helping erase a game-long deficit in the fourth quarter.

The Firebirds actually took a 38-37 lead with 1:48 to play in regulation on a Jamie Stanclift bucket, but SM West tied it just 11 seconds later with a Chelsea Curry free throw. Neither team scored again in regulation, though SM West (9-6, 3-3) had several opportunities.

The extra frame saw little scoring, too. Down 39-38, sophomore Banaka Okwuone hit what proved to be the game-winning layup with 3:32 to play after grabbing an offensive board. She then grabbed two crucial defensive rebounds in the closing minute to help seal the victory.

Wallis Romzek hit a pair of free throws with 39 seconds left to put Free State up three, and the lead stuck — just barely.

With three seconds left in overtime, Shawnee Mission West inbounded the ball and eventually dished it to guard Ali Bahr. She calmly nailed what would have been the game-tying three-pointer, but the sophomore didn’t get the shot off until after the buzzer sounded.

A collective exhale. A little breeze. A big league victory.

“We needed this one bad,” said Stanclift, who scored a game-high 22 points and added seven rebounds. “We needed to see our hard work pay off.”

Romzek and Jenny Gwaltney each scored six points, and Okwuone added four points and 12 rebounds.

“We rebounded the ball real well all night against a real good basketball team,” Duncan said. “This is just a huge win that we really needed.”

Free State boys 58, SM West 53

For the next two weeks or so, you won’t hear anybody in Free State’s locker room complaining about how ugly a certain victory was.

6Sports video: Free State takes two victories from Vikings

Tuesday’s 58-53 triumph over SM West wasn’t pretty, but all things considered, any Sunflower League victory is simply beautiful these days.

“We’re treading water until we get number 32 back,” FSHS coach Jack Schreiner said.

That would be Dain Dillingham, the team leader and leading scorer. He’s averaging 17 points and 10 rebounds a game, but missed his third straight game Tuesday because of illness. He could miss up to three more.

With him gone, the Firebirds are obviously scrapping more than before. Gone is the penetrating presence Dillingham brought, one that opened up the offense when defenders collapsed on him.

Offense has been harder fought now. Regardless, Free State (9-5 overall, 5-1 Sunflower League play) earned Tuesday’s victory with defensive stops and hard-to-come-by baskets. SM West (6-9, 2-4) was big and athletic inside, with 6-foot-8 Hunter Henry and 6-7 Chris Balham swatting several shots and making the Firebirds reluctant to drive. It was OK in the first half — the Firebirds had effective outside shooting from Tyler Blankenship and Bobby Underwood — but when the shots stopped falling, they had to face the height inside.

SM West was within one possession at 53-50 with just 34 seconds left. But two Brady Morningstar free throws, and a Sam Buhler-to-Caleb Harvey layup with 13.7 seconds left gave Free State breathing room to pull away.

“In the second half, we started to penetrate more,” Schreiner said. “I thought that was the difference in the game.”

Morningstar led the Firebirds with 16 points, 14 of them in the second half. Blankenship and Cole Douglas each added 11.

Both Free State teams will travel to play at Leavenworth Friday.