In most respects, the Free State High girls basketball team has established itself as one of the best-acclimated sports programs since the school first opened its doors a decade ago.

The Firebirds have made two trips to the Class 6A state tournament in their first nine campaigns, and this season carried a 6-3 record into Monday night’s makeup game against Shawnee Mission East.

However, one glitch Free State hasn’t yet figured out is Olathe South.

The Firebirds fell to 0-11 all-time against the Sunflower League foe with Friday’s 45-25 loss in the Free State gym. The Falcons improved to 9-2 with the victory.

“They’ve had really strong teams year in and year out,” Free State athletic director Steve Grant said. “They have a really good program.”

The Firebirds could get another shot at Olathe South next month. The two teams are in the same sub-state bracket.

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Riley on a roll: Last winter, Lawrence High’s Chance Riley was prone to bouts of inconsistency as one of the many fire-when-ready perimeter threats in the Lions’ run-and-gun attack.

This winter, a greater emphasis on inside play is paying repeated dividends for the 6-foot-5 senior forward.

Riley established himself as the squad’s go-to scorer with his play last week at the Topeka Invitational Tournament, averaging 17 points per game as LHS finished third in the eight-team field with a 2-1 mark. The three-game performance raised Riley’s scoring average to 13.6 points per game, tops among city boys this winter.

His next chance to add to that average will come Friday against Kansas City (Mo.) Hogan Prep.

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Bulldogs hope it’s contagious: Last weekend, the Baldwin High boys basketball team won its own Baldwin Invitational Tournament for the first time in 15 seasons.

The school’s wrestling team hopes some of the winning mojo remains in the same gym Saturday when the Bulldogs play host to their own Baldwin Invitational Tournament.

The sixth-annual grapple-a-thon begins at 9 a.m. and features 11 teams, including nationally ranked Oak Park (Mo.) and four teams – Andover Central (8th), Santa Fe Trail (9th), Baldwin (13th) and Abilene (15th) – ranked in the latest Kansas Class 4A poll.

Free State, De Soto, Tonganoxie and Mill Valley are also in the field, which also includes eight nationally ranked wrestlers and 38 state-ranked grapplers.