Free State High's Chantay Caron, right, puts up a shot. The Firebirds upended Savannah (Mo.), 47-43, Wednesday at FSHS.

Missing three players that were in its lineup just a week ago, Free State High’s girls basketball team found just what it needed – a victory.

Playing without Maggie Hull, Sarah Craft and sub Chelsea Morgan, the Firebirds edged visiting Savannah (Mo.), 47-43, using a six-player rotation with frequent substitutions.

“That wasn’t a bad thing,” coach Bryan Duncan said of the short bench after his team improved to 6-7. “We were dying for a win tonight.”

Free State got it thanks to solid contribution across the board. The Firebird who really stepped up was the lone FSHS contributor who didn’t start. Junior Ashleigh Allam scored 10 points and grabbed seven boards.

“I thought Ashleigh Allam was great on both ends,” Duncan said. “She’s a kid we just couldn’t take off the floor. She was just everywhere.”

Allam said she was only doing her job.

“We’ve got to the point in the season where we all need to pick it up individually,” Allam said. “We’re coming together as a team, and I’m just looking to do my part. Everybody has to contribute as much as they can.”

The five Firebirds starters all contributed in one way or another. Sophomore forward Chantay Caron led the team with 11 points and dished three assists. Ashli Hill scored nine and secured seven rebounds. Taylor Manning had five points, four rebounds and three assists. Wren Wiebe scored six and played aggressive defense.

Then there was junior Rosie Hull, forced into starting point-guard duties after knee injuries last week to her twin sister, Maggie, and Craft.

“Rosie did an excellent job tonight. She really took that lead guard position for us and handled the ball well and really was a leader,” Duncan said of his new starting point guard. “Rosie had a really big game tonight and just did a lot of great things – made big plays when we needed somebody to make a big play.”

Up only two points in the fourth, Hull played a role in the Firebirds’ two fourth-quarter field goals. She beat the SHS press for a layup with 3:16 left to give FSHS a 43-39 lead and followed that bucket by hitting Allam with a perfect pass for a layup that gave the Firebirds a six-point cushion.

Allam said the victory was a step in the right direction.

“We got a win, which was good, but we’re definitely not satisfied with the way we played. We have a lot to work on,” she said. “We know that we have the potential to be great; right now we’re just playing well. We keep waiting for the day when we all click. It’s going to happen soon – we keep saying that – but it has to happen.”

FSHS will play host to Shawnee Mission South at 6 p.m. Friday.