Free State's Chantay Caron (23) tries to fight off Wichita Northwest defenders during the first half of the game on Saturday, Jan. 30, 2010, at Free State High School.

Ice is nice for the Free State High girls basketball team.

It took a decade, but the Firebirds finally broke the drought by winning the 10th annual Firebird Winter Classic with a 35-33 victory against Wichita Northwest on Saturday.

Because of that, the Firebirds were able to keep the championship trophy, a one-foot-square block that’s frosted with fake ice and features a giant Firebird on its face.

“It is a cool trophy,” Free State coach Bryan Duncan said. “We’ve always said that it looks like a trophy from a winter classic should look.”

Duncan’s Firebirds looked the way a championship team should look, too.

Although the supporting cast helped the Firebirds build an early 20-10 lead, Free State’s three seniors — Ashli Hill (two points, eight rebounds, three blocks), Chantay Caron (nine points, six rebounds) and Wren Wiebe (six points, four rebounds) — delivered down the stretch.

That trio of Free State seniors, all of whom were named to the all-tournament team, scored all seven of the Firebirds’ third-quarter points. And Hill and Caron each connected on a couple of key fourth-quarter free throws that helped keep the Grizzlies at bay.

But for all the contributions of the seniors in this one — which were by no means limited to the offensive end — the Firebirds would have fallen short yet again if not for the play of three sophomores.

After missing every shot she took in the Firebirds’ semifinal victory Friday, Lynn Robinson drained her first three shots of the night and staked the Firebirds to a 22-16 halftime lead with eight points in the first half.

Sophomore Jackie Garcia also added a big bucket and a steal late in the half.

“They all stepped up today,” said Caron, who was named the tournament’s MVP. “And that means a lot to our team. It takes so much pressure off of the rest of us and makes us better.”

While Robinson and Garcia, both starters, had moments of offensive success earlier in the tournament, fellow sophomore Nicole Humphrey picked Saturday as her time to shine. In addition to playing her trademark in-your-face defense, Humphrey drained a pair of three-pointers to boost Free State’s offense. The first came in the first half, seconds after she checked into the game. The second came with four minutes remaining and the Firebirds leading by just two.

“I thought about not shooting it,” said Humphrey of the triple she knocked down after Amarra Lee chased down a rebound and flipped her the ball. “But they always tell me that if I’m open I should shoot it, so I did. Honestly, it’s just basketball. You shoot, and you hope it goes in. But when it comes at the end of a championship game, it’s even better.”

Caron said she was thrilled to see Humphrey step up when the team needed it.

“I’m glad she shot it and wasn’t afraid,” Caron said. “But I’m not surprised. She’s not shy.”

The Firebirds (10-4), who led by 10 before watching Wichita Northwest tie the game at 22, were outscored 17-13 in the second half. But even when the offense suffered through a four-minute second-half drought, the Firebirds’ defense did enough to maintain control. Free State trailed just twice all game — 2-0 and 10-9.

“Winning our tournament for the first time and doing it against a quality opponent was certainly a great feat for us,” Duncan said. “But more than that, I’m just really pleased with the way we played all tournament. We were tough, we were smart, we were patient, and we played outstanding defense.”

Added Humphrey: “We knew how much winning this tournament meant to coach Duncan and our seniors, and it just feels awesome that we could get it done.”