Friday night, the Free State High gymnasium was home to that rare occasion where a decision by one coach actually worked out for both teams.

In a game that featured high-powered Olathe South holding the ball near midcourt for more than a quarter of the action, the Free State girls basketball team dropped a 28-23 chess match to the Falcons.

“That’s something Olathe South does against everyone when they get a lead in the second half,” Free State coach Bryan Duncan said. “And usually what ends up happening is other teams come out of their zone defense and play man-to-man.”

When that happens, the Falcons typically use their speed and skill to conduct a layup clinic on the way to victory.

Friday night, neither happened.

Determined to sit back because the zone gave the Firebirds the best chance to win, Duncan sat still, calmly explaining to his bench that the Falcons (9-2, 4-1) were playing right into the Firebirds’ hands.

So there they sat. For more than five minutes of the third quarter, the Falcons passively dribbled the ball around the perimeter while the Firebirds waited for their chance to attack.

An eight-point Olathe South lead to open the quarter quickly turned into a two-point game, as Free State juniors Ashli Hill and Wren Wiebe each hit two buckets to cut the margin to 21-19 late in the third.

Wiebe, who has a history of playing well against the Falcons, said the big-game nature of the contest inspired her to rise to the occasion. She finished with six points on 3-of-4 shooting.

“They’re a really good team and I like challenges like that,” Wiebe said. “It was a little weird watching them hold the ball, but it turned out pretty well for both of us.”

For the Falcons, who played just six players in the game, it allowed for rest on offense and kept the clock running while they had the lead.

For the Firebirds, who played just seven players, it kept them in the game longer and helped Hill, Chantay Caron and Ashleigh Allam stay out of foul trouble.

To call this one a slow and boring basketball exhibition does not do justice to either team’s effort. Both teams played a clean game on both ends of the floor, one that featured just 14 total turnovers, sound execution in offensive sets and strategic counters on the other end.

“There was some pretty good defense played by both teams,” Duncan said. “I thought our kids did an excellent job of matching them step for step. We played a pretty good game against a pretty good team and I thought we had them on the ropes. But you can say what you want about the strategies, but the bottom line is they still won the game.”

Hill led the Firebirds with 10 points and eight rebounds. Olathe South sophomore Natalie Knight led all scorers with 15 points.

The biggest blow for the Firebirds came in the second quarter when the Falcons ripped off a 13-0 run to turn a 6-3 deficit into a 16-6 lead. Knight scored seven points during the run and recorded 10 of South’s first 16 points.

While the loss ended the Firebirds’ two game winning streak, playing with one of the best teams in the state gave the team an extra dose of confidence.

“Right now it feels just like any other loss,” Wiebe said. “But going into practice and into next week’s tournament, I think this will give us some momentum.”

Next up, the Firebirds will play host to the Firebird Winter Classic next Thursday through Saturday. Free State (5-5, 2-2) will take on Topeka West in the opening round.