Free State senior Brett Frantz, left, takes a shot to the chin as he drives past Shawnee Mission North’s Jordan Thompson during Free State’s game against Shawnee Mission North Friday, Feb. 3, 2012 at FSHS.

Free State High coach Chuck Law is beginning to see what a composed version of his team looks like.

Thanks to stingy defense and a strong shooting night, Free State controlled Shawnee Mission North in a 63-50 victory on Friday night at FSHS gym.

“When we take shots that are within ourselves, we’re pretty good,” Law said. “We talked about it at the end of the game. If we can eliminate the crazy, we’ve got a chance to be a good team.”

The Firebirds excelled defensively, limiting North’s quick guards by constantly switching up zone defenses.

The Indians, who were often able to penetrate and get easy looks against Free State’s man defense, looked timid when trying to attack the 1-3-1 and 2-3 setups.

North finished with 17 turnovers and made just 41 percent of its shots (20 of 49).

Free State, which built a 48-30 fourth-quarter lead, had that advantage trimmed to 53-44 with 4:42 left following a 14-5 North run.

Firebirds senior guard Brett Frantz helped settle his team down at a crucial time. Following a Gabe Patterson two, Frantz finished off consecutive press breaks with 10-foot jumpers over defenders.

“Coming down, if I see space, I know I can make that,” Frantz said. “I make it in practice all the time. That’s my shot; I like the mid-range.”

Frantz’s shots were part of a 10-1 Free State spurt that pushed the lead back to 18 with 1:35 left.

Free State made 26 of its 52 field goals (50 percent).

Frantz said that the team found its identity and started playing better following the McPherson Tournament two weeks ago.

“Everybody on the team was trying to do something they’re not best at,” Frantz said. “That would lead to turnovers. That would lead to bad plays. We’re all just sticking to what we do best, and it’s helping out.”

The only criticism Law had for his team offensively was its turnovers. The Firebirds finished with 15 after giving it away seven times in the fourth quarter.

“We go through stretches — whether it’s 30 seconds here or two minutes at different stretches — where the crazy comes in,” Law said. “We get out of sorts, and we can’t play that way.”

Frantz led the Firebirds, posting 19 points on 8-for-13 shooting. Cole Moreano and Cameron Dabney also added double figures with 11 points each.

Free State has won two straight for the first time since the first two games of the season (Dec. 6 and 9).

“I think we’re going to do some things here in the last month,” Law said. “I feel good about the direction we’re going.”

Added Frantz: “This is just getting us momentum. I feel like we can win five or six in a row from now.”