Down a starting point guard, and plagued by foul trouble to its 6-foot-5 center, the Free State High girls basketball team struggled to find its footing, rallied to take the lead and ultimately fell to top-seeded Goddard, 52-44, Friday night in the semifinals of the Firebird Winter Classic.

In a season of slow-but-steady improvement, the end result hardly left the Firebirds smiling.

“Basically, I expect more out of us,” junior Taylor Manning said. “I’m glad we eventually played the way we’re capable of playing, and I’m glad we executed the way we can, but we still lost the game.”

With the Firebirds struggling to come to terms with a knee injury suffered by junior Maggie Hull during Thursday’s victory, the game began with a thud. Goddard junior Lindsey Keller scored easily on the opening possession of the game, and the Lions’ defense forced the Firebirds into a 10-second call on their first possession.

“That first five minutes, we didn’t show up at all,” senior Sarah Craft said. “It took us awhile to get going.”

Once they did, the Firebirds rallied from 14 down and cut the gap to seven by halftime. Five different Firebirds scored during the second-quarter surge, and the defense held Goddard to just three points in the final 6:36 of the first half.

“We needed our defense to step up,” Manning said. “Our defense is what keeps us in games.”

After a spirited halftime talk, which emphasized effort, intensity and will, the FSHS offense caught up to its defense, and with 2:42 to play in the third, Free State took its first lead on a jump shot from Rosie Hull.

Rosie Hull, the twin sister of Maggie, tallied a career-high in minutes played and said she felt the need to step up with her sister down.

“I knew I had to do it, and it felt really good, especially late in the game,” Rosie Hull said. “It just gives you such an adrenaline rush, and it really was a lot of fun.”

The Firebirds and Lions were tied at 35 after three quarters and remained a field goal apart for most of the fourth. Down the stretch, the more experienced Lions out-executed the Firebirds, but Free State seemed to outwork Goddard during most of the second half.

“We had to spend so much physical and mental effort to make the run to get back into the game that it really took a lot out of us,” Free State coach Bryan Duncan said.

Craft and sophomore Chantay Caron led the Firebirds with 11 points apiece. Manning added 10 for Free State (5-6), which will play Washburn Rural at 12:30 p.m. today for third place, something the Firebirds aren’t thrilled about.

“We’re not a feel-good story,” Duncan said. “We had a locker room full of girls who were disappointed tonight, and we’re upset that we’re playing for third.”