After Free State’s road victory at Shawnee Mission Northwest in the first round of the Class 6A sub-state tournament, you’d think Chuck Law would have a little time to revel in the victory.

Not exactly.

“After I got the uniforms into the laundry last night, I went upstairs, got the video tape and took it straight home to watch before I went to bed,” the Free State High boys basketball coach said. “I’ve watched film four times now in the last 12 or 14 hours.”

Such rigorous preparation reflects the stage the Firebirds will play on tonight. Free State (10-11) will take on Olathe South (15-6) at 7:45 p.m. at Olathe Northwest. The winner will advance to the state tournament in Emporia next week.

Free State last went to state two years ago in Brady Morningstar’s senior campaign.

With such an up-and-down season and losses in five of their last seven games, a state appearance by the sixth-seeded Firebirds would be a bit of a surprise.

“We always knew this was a team that could have that potential,” senior guard Kyle Schreiner said. “I think this is the first time we’ve actually shown that we can do some damage against some really good teams like we showed last night against (Shawnee Mission) Northwest. I think the adversity we went through over the season really helped us be ready for this stage of the season.”

Free State lost to Olathe South, 53-51, at the Firebirds’ gym Jan. 30. Free State fans might want to keep an eye on O-South’s Denver Holmes, who poured in a game-high 21 points in the first meeting. Eric Avant came off the bench to score 16.

“I would hesitate to say there’s any other key,” Law said about defending the Falcons. “I’m not the sharpest tool in the shed nor the sharpest knife in the drawer, but I know if two guys score 70 percent of the points the first time you play them, you better figure out a game plan to stop them the second time.”

Schreiner has ties with the dynamic Falcons duo. Schreiner and Holmes played on the same AAU team – K.C. Pump-N-Run – the summer of their sophomore years. Schreiner played in the same summer league as Avant last summer. Schreiner just met Avant last summer but has known Holmes since junior high.

In Wednesday night’s sub-state victory, Law altered the starting lineup, playing sophomore point guard Marcus Spates in place of junior Kris Wilson. Spates scored four points and provided defensive intensity while Wilson still saw significant minutes, even at the end of the game. Wilson had eight points and seemed to be perfectly fine with his new role.

“I felt great coming off the bench because I felt I brought more energy to the team,” Wilson said. “I thought I played better as a teammate. I passed the ball a lot better.”

Wilson had a chance at a game-winning three-pointer in the January meeting against Olathe South but barely missed.

“We kind of took it hard after that loss, and we’re just glad that we get to play them again,” Wilson said. “This time, we’ll hopefully get the win.”