Emporia ? To get a feel for just how heartbreaking of a loss Free State High’s boys basketball team suffered Wednesday, one only had to see the Firebirds’ biggest fan — 5-year-old Matt Hill.

Wiping tears from his eyes, he was the first person to emerge from the locker room after the Firebirds’ 42-39 upset defeat against Shawnee Mission West in the first round of the Class 6A state tournament. The tyke took the loss just as hard as the five Free State seniors who suited up in green and white for the final time.

Free State High's Scott Heitshusen shoots a three-point shot in front of the FSHS student section. The Firebirds lost in the first round of the Class 6A state boys basketball tournament to Shawnee Mission West, 42-39, Wednesday in Emporia.

“This isn’t the way you want it to end, but it was a great season with what we accomplished,” FSHS senior Sam Buhler said. “It just didn’t end the right way.”

The game certainly started the way the Firebirds wanted it to.

Free State and a pumped-up West practically were neck-and-neck in the first quarter. It was a showdown between the two teams’ leading scorers — FSHS senior Brady Morningstar and West senior Aaron Linn.

Morningstar did a little bit of everything in the first frame, scoring nine of his team-high 15 points. But in retrospect, that wasn’t necessarily a good thing.

“I think Brady starting off so strong maybe kind of hurt us, because everyone else then just sat around and kind of watched him,” Free State coach Jack Schreiner said.

No one else on the team seemed to find any kind of rhythm offensively, especially seniors Matt Green and Danny Pike, who both were hampered by the flu.

Free State went into a coma for the second, third and the majority of the fourth quarter, and that mainly was due to Morningstar’s offensive fade into oblivion after the first quarter.

Free State high basketball players Kyle Schreiner, left, and Bobby Underwood react to the Firebirds' loss. Top-seeded Free State was stunned by Shawnee Mission West, 42-39, in their first-round game of the Class 6A state boys basketball tournament Wednesday in Emporia.

But Linn just kept going for the Vikings, tallying 17 of his game-high 23 points in the first half, including a sizzling 4-of-4 from behind the three-point line.

Free State, which trailed by as many as 15 points, finally woke up, trailing 36-25 with 3:30 left. The Firebirds couldn’t make anything from three-point range up to that point, but Matt Green hit one with 2:25 left to give them hope.

Then, after orders from Schreiner during a late timeout to finally start shooting the ball, Pike followed a Morningstar three with two of his own, and out of nowhere, it was 40-37 with :38.5 left.

6Sports video: Firebirds lose to West Photo Gallery: FSHS vs. Shawnee Mission West

Ultimately it turned out to be too little too late. West made just enough free throws down the stretch to keep itself ahead. Free State junior Nick Ayre got a last-second look from about 25 feet out, but his shot never reached the rim.

Free State was uncharacteristic in every way during this game. It showed up on the stat sheet, as the team was just 14-of-43 from the field while scoring its fewest points of the season. The Firebirds, who finished with the best record in school history at 19-4, dropped to 0-3 all-time at state.

“It was a great season. Nobody can take that away from us,” Schreiner said. “I had more fun coaching these kids than I’ve ever had coaching a group of kids in my life.”