Free State High senior Sam Buhler said he knew boys basketball coach Jack Schreiner was going to yell at his squad no matter the outcome in the Firebirds’ home opener Tuesday against Olathe East.

The ranting came when the Firebirds retired to the locker room after claiming a 54-51 victory over the Hawks.

“He let us know he wasn’t very pleased with how we played, but the bottom line was we got the win,” Buhler said. “Now we got what we want in a rematch with Olathe South.”

Looking ahead could be one reason why Free State, Class 6A’s ninth-ranked team, seemed so sluggish Tuesday. The Firebirds’ 31 percent field-goal percentage didn’t help.

“It was kind of like that KU-Kentucky game on Sunday. Neither team could really get going,” said Schreiner, whose team improved to 3-0 in the Sunflower League. “Sometimes you don’t know what to say after one of these kind of contests, but a win is a win.

“It’s kind of sad, too, because we had a great showing from our students, but we didn’t exactly give them the best showing.”

Early, thanks to Brady Morningstar, Free State didn’t look too bad. The 6-foot-3 senior gave the Firebirds an 8-2 advantage by himself and then — as is becoming a trend — provided the game’s biggest highlights on two lob dunks in the first half.

Despite intense full-court pressure and the rim-rocking jams that sent a packed Free State student section to its feet, Olathe East trailed by just two points going into the fourth quarter.

A breakaway layup tied the game for the Hawks, but seconds later FSHS guard Matt Green drilled a three-pointer with 3:55 to go to give Free State its final lead. The Firebirds would ice the game with free throws.

Free State High's Nick Ayre, front, looks for an open teammate against Olathe East. The Firebirds won, 54-51, Friday at Free State.

Undefeated Olathe South — which plays Shawnee Mission West tonight — is the only team to defeat Free State (6-1) this season, and Buhler said the early season loss gave the Firebirds plenty of motivation for the 7 p.m. battle Friday at O-South.

“We’ve been looking forward to this one ever since they knocked us out in their tournament, and we’re ready to get another shot at them this week,” Buhler said.

Olathe East girls 64, Free State 61

One of these times, Free State’s girls are going to get the job done. For the fourth time this season, the Firebirds (2-5) fell to a team ranked in 6A’s top 10.

Tuesday, it was the fifth-ranked Hawks, who hung on despite Free State cutting a 16-point second-half deficit to two with 13 seconds to go.

6Sports video: Home opener good for Free State boys Photo Gallery: Free State vs. Olathe East

“We’re pretty disappointed because we came in here tonight fully prepared to win this game, not just play close,” Firebird coach Bryan Duncan said. “But you also to look at the other side of things, and I think we really grew up tonight.”

Things would have looked even better had a three-pointer at the buzzer by Free State’s Tricia Dunham went in. Instead, Dunham’s 12 second-half points and a chance for a big league victory went by the wayside.

Free State's Tricia Dunham (32) shoots around Olathe East's Morgan Boyd. The Firebirds fell to the top-ranked Hawks, 64-61, Tuesday night at FSHS.

“It was pretty shocking how quickly they came back,” said Olathe East’s Danielle McCray, a KU commitment who scored 20 points in front of Jayhawk coach Bonnie Henrickson. “We really had to battle them late in the game.”

Had the Firebirds pushed the game to overtime they wouldn’t have had to see McCray, because she fouled out midway through the fourth. But Hawk sophomore Morgan Boyd was just as efficient, tallying 21 points on better than 50 percent shooting.

“I think if we can just break through in one of these games things will start to turn around,” said Free State senior Jamie Stanclift, who scored 10 points.