When the Free State High boys basketball team plays host to Shawnee Mission East at 7:30 tonight, it won’t be just taking on a 7-0 team that sits atop the Sunflower League.

The Lancers are ranked No. 2 in the latest Kansas Basketball Coaches Assn. Class 6A poll.

“They have a lot of guys who can score,” Free State coach Chuck Law said. “(Bryan) Nelson, (Michael) McRoberts and (Bobby) Miller are all very potent scorers. They’re going to come after us 94 feet, man-to-man, all over the place.”

Free State (4-4) is coming off a 52-49 loss Tuesday night at Olathe East.

“The thing about sports is that unless you’re in the postseason, you have a shot at redemption,” Law said. “We have a chance to make up for a game that got away from us by perhaps beating a team that no one thinks we have a snowball’s chance of winning the basketball game.”

To pull off the upset, Law said the Firebirds would have to stop the Lancers’ transition offense. SM East likes to push the ball up the floor at a fast tempo.

“They are very good at getting out on the break,” Law said. “Their big guys can all run. Nelson, who’s 6-foot-6, can flat out run up and down the court.”

Despite the Lancers’ quick style of play, they manage to minimize turnovers in the process. SM East didn’t commit a single turnover in the first half of Tuesday’s 53-33 victory against Lawrence High.

Some Firebirds are familiar with SM East. Senior guard Kyle Schreiner, for instance, said he played ball with Nelson a few summers ago.

“He’s a solid player with basketball intelligence and post moves,” Schreiner said. “We might have trouble with him, but Christian (Ballard) and Weston (Wiebe) can stay with him.”

Firebird fans likely remember Miller from Free State’s first-ever playoff victory during football season. In the 20-9 FSHS victory on Nov. 4, Miller caught nine passes for 155 yards for the Lancers.

“It’s hard to focus on just one of those guys,” Law said about SM East’s talented trio. “Lawrence High chose to focus on Nelson, and Miller steps up and scores 20 points. That’s the hallmark of any good basketball team.”

Schreiner said he wanted this game to establish Free State as a threat in the Sunflower League.

“I’m not trying to guarantee anything, but everybody’s coming out ready to play and coming out with a focus that we’re going to get an upset,” Schreiner said. “It’s going to be tough for them to come in here and play against a packed house.”