Topeka ? They had seen him hit it hundreds of times.

Trailing by seven with a minute remaining, the entire Free State High boys basketball bench rose in anticipation when senior Scott Heitshusen released the wide-open three-pointer.

The shot sailed long, failing even to draw iron. It was that kind of night for the Firebirds.

With injuries mounting, Free State never could find its go-to shooter Friday, struggling to score in a 53-41 loss at Topeka High.

“We really got some good looks. … Basketball’s a tough game,” Free State coach Chuck Law said. “It’s all about putting the ball in the basket, and we struggled doing that tonight. We played solid defense, just like we have every time we’ve been on the court this year. We’ve just got to put the ball in the hole.”

With mid-range specialist Kyle Schreiner out because of an ankle injury and forward Ben Wilson missing because of a fractured bone in his right hand, the Firebirds were left short-handed on offense, especially against a 1-3-1 Trojan zone that dared them to shoot it from the outside.

“We were in it and kind of let it slip through our hands,” Free State junior Christian Ballard said. “I think we missed Kyle today. He usually gives us a lot of points.”

Free State's Christian Ballard puts up a shot against Topeka's Durrell Thomas in the first half. The Firebirds lost Friday's game, 53-41.

Not only did injuries keep out two Firebird players, they also greatly limited the effectiveness of Heitshusen.

In his first game back from a knee injury, the senior desperately tried to be the outside threat Free State needed, but made just one of his nine long-range attempts.

“I put him in a tough spot to go out,” Law said. “He puts a lot of pressure on himself to make threes and be a big offensive component of our basketball team. When he hasn’t played for a month and a half – it’s just a tough spot for him to be in.”

The Firebirds converted on just one of their 14 three-point attempts overall.

In a game that featured five ties and six lead changes in the opening 16 minutes, Free State trailed just 22-20 at halftime.

A layup from Ryan Murphy – who returned from illness – and a floater from Ballard tied it at 35 with under a minute left in the third quarter.

“I was really, really pleased with how we competed for the first three quarters,” Law said.

But the Firebirds struggled to score down the stretch, making just two of their 16 shots in the final period.

Ballard was a bright spot for Free State. The forward finished with a double-double, scoring 14 points and adding 10 rebounds.

“I thought Christian was great,” Law said. “He’s been fantastic the last few games. We’re getting a lot out of him.”

David Green contributed nine points in the loss.

Law said Schreiner should be back for the Firebirds’ next game against Shawnee Mission South.

Meanwhile, Ballard said overcoming injuries would only help the Firebirds improve.

“It’s adversity, and I think we’re really getting stronger,” Ballard said. “We’re going to be a better team by the end of this season.”