Its tournament jinx now a thing of the past, the Free State High girls basketball team figures it’s about time to take care of business on its home floor.

The sixth annual Firebird Winter Classic tips off tonight with four first-round matchups, with the hosts still looking for their first-ever finish atop the eight-team field.

The Firebirds conquered another longtime demon when they hoisted the trophy at last month’s Bonner Springs Invitational for the program’s first tournament triumph in its nine years of existence.

Now comes a chance to see if clearing that first hurdle leads to even more success later in the race.

“This should just be another positive step for us in terms of finding ways to win in a tournament situation,” said Free State coach Bryan Duncan.

“Our goal is simply to win the tournament. We feel like we have an opportunity to get it done, and we need to get it done.”

To make it happen, the Firebirds (5-5) must put together three consecutive solid efforts – in essence, solving the consistency problem that’s plagued them throughout this season.

Duncan’s young squad features just three seniors, and the inexperience has manifested itself in a troubling pattern of impressive victories followed by head-scratching losses.

Case in point? Fresh off a 28-point victory on the road against Shawnee Mission East almost two weeks ago, the Firebirds came back from a nine-day break and lost by 12 to the same Junction City squad they beat in the Bonner Springs title game.

“We’ve definitely had some highs, and then we go right back down after we lose a game,” said forward Banaka Okwuone, one of Free State’s three seniors. “It’s important for us to play consistent and get a couple of wins in a row to continue on.”

To do that, the Firebirds must take care of today’s 7 p.m. contest against Gardner-Edgerton before looking to make hay against some familiar foes. This year’s field includes four teams – Lawrence, Junction City, Olathe North and Topeka Seaman – that have squared off with Free State this season.

The matchup to watch in the opposite end of the bracket is tonight’s 5:30 p.m. game between LHS and Junction City. The Lions (5-5) also come into the tourney on the heels of a lopsided loss, but won their four previous contests, including an eight-point victory over the Firebirds on Dec. 22.

Should the winner of that game make it to Saturday’s 2 p.m. title game – and should Free State do the same – motivation won’t be in short supply for the Firebirds.

“But we’re smart enough not to look past Gardner,” Duncan said. “If we’re not careful, we could play Lawrence High or Junction City for seventh place.”