Zero for 35.

Since the day in the fall of 1997 when Lawrence High watched half its student population move across town to form Free State High, 35 city basketball teams – boys and girls – have opened their seasons with the hope that a state tournament victory might find its way to their resumes.

Each has come up empty.

Such are the dubious odds faced by this year’s Free State girls, who tonight will become the latest squad entrusted to end that streak.

Installed as the No. 6 seed in the Class 6A field, the Firebirds and third-seeded Wichita South tip off at 8:15 p.m. in the last of four first-round games at White Auditorium in Emporia.

Armed with an eight-game winning streak and an emotional victory over highly touted Olathe East in last Friday’s sub-state final, the Firebirds are confident about what awaits as the biggest game of their lives beckons.

“Seriously, I think we’re there,” said Free State senior Banaka Okwuone. “We’ve reached the top notch. We’re at the level we need to be, and we’re only getting better.”

On paper, not much separates the Firebirds (15-7) and the Titans (17-5) – nor the bulk of this year’s state field, for that matter.

While Wichita Heights (21-1) and Olathe South (21-1) appear to be at the head of the class, only three games separate the next six teams. And the last of those, eighth-seeded Maize (14-8), is the only one to knock off Olathe South this season.

“I really think there’s eight outstanding teams,” said Free State coach Bryan Duncan. “I’m not sure there’s anybody there that you’d say, ‘That’s who we want to play.'”

Still, Free State couldn’t have fared much better in the seeding process. As one of three teams with identical 15-7 marks, the Firebirds faced the possibility of anything from a 5 to 7 seed.

Either of those would have meant first-round matchups against Sunflower League opponents. Instead, as the 6, they avoided both Olathe South and Shawnee Mission South – who each won the regular-

season meetings.

Instead, it’s a clean slate against a Wichita South squad that advanced to state after winning twice as the top seed in the Garden City sub-state bracket.

“Every coach I’ve talked to about them says they’re aggressive and they play very hard for 32 minutes,” Duncan said. “Aggressive man-to-man defense and really attack the basket on offense. Pretty similar to us would be our best guess.”

Then again, at this late stage of the season and with precious little time to prepare, Duncan and his players know the ability to earn the school’s first state basketball win – and thereby ensure themselves two more games on the weekend – will primarily rest on their ability to keep their own house in order.

There’s no shortage in confidence about making that happen.

“We have so much behind us, but this is more of a situation where we can show people what we can do,” said Free State junior Lauren Kimball. “We know what we’re capable of.”