To begin the night, the Free State girls (1-2) fell to Shawnee Heights, 51-35.

Sophomore Kennedy Kirkpatrick led the Firebirds with 12 points, six rebounds, four steals, and three blocks, and junior Jackie Garcia added seven points and three assists, but the Firebirds simply had little answer for the T-Birds experienced crop of players.

Standout Cierra Ceazer tallied 18 points, Erin Maxwell added 14 points, and Cassidy Downing chipped in 12 for Heights.

“They were they better team tonight, there’s no doubt about it,” FSHS coach Bryan Duncan said. “They were bigger, faster, stronger, and better, more experienced.”

With key players Lynn Robinson (finger) and A’Liyah Rogers (ankle) hampered by injuries, the Firebirds hung around in the first half, but couldn’t withstand the relentless T-Birds.

The scoreboard ultimately wasn’t what bothered Duncan, though.

“I was (upset) at our attitude and the way we reacted to getting hit in the mouth in the first half,” Duncan said. “We weren’t down much, but that was a problem.”

“Nobody wants to have to experience growing pains,” Duncan added. “But I think the reality is, tonight, we learned a lesson more about how to behave on the court and execute on the court.”

Garcia said Duncan got his message across at halftime.

“It’s definitely a learning experience,” Garcia said. “We just have to work on keeping our focus and execute better.”

The Firebirds will get that chance today against Lansing. The girls tip off at 6 p.m., while the boys are scheduled for a 7:30 start.