Leavenworth ? Free State High’s girls basketball team hasn’t faced a team this season with height similar to Leavenworth. Or speed. Or talent.

The Firebirds couldn’t score on the shots they usually take and had trouble defensively in a 60-30 loss at Leavenworth.

Free State only trailed by three points with less than two minutes left in the first half before the Pioneers went on a 6-0 run into the break.

Coming out of halftime, Leavenworth kept its momentum with a 13-1 outburst over the first four minutes to turn the game into a rout.

“They were bigger, faster and stronger than we are,” FSHS coach Bryan Duncan said after his team (7-1) suffered its first loss of the season. “They’re really good, and especially good on the defensive end. They just don’t really allow you to run stuff.”

The Pioneers (7-1, ranked No. 3 in Class 5A) didn’t give up an inch in the paint with their trio of senior forwards, 6-foot-2 Tyler Johnson, 6-foot-3 Rachel Blackburn and 6-foot Tashia Jones. The three repeatedly blocked shots and forced turnovers on the defensive end, and carved out space for layups on the offensive side.

Johnson, a Kansas University signee, led Leavenworth with 15 points and eight rebounds to go along with three blocks.

“We all knew what they could do, and what they would bring,” said Duncan after his team was outrebounded 28-14. “But, you can’t simulate that in practice. We needed to play somebody like that. We won’t play anybody more talented than that all year.”

Without their usual points in the paint, the Firebirds couldn’t find much offensive rhythm. Sophomore Madison Piper was held to 11 points, down from her average of 17 points per game, with Leavenworth’s sophomore guard Alicia Brown barely giving her enough room to breathe. The Firebirds also had 25 turnovers.

“She just pressured me and didn’t let me go,” said Piper, who also had three rebounds. “She didn’t take her eyes off of me. … I, for one, need to learn how to drive the ball more. They took that away from me.”

Piper tried to create as much offense as she could for the Firebirds in the second quarter. She scored seven points over a two-minute stretch before freshman point guard Cameryn Thomas made a layup to cut their deficit to 18-16.

Then, Blackburn, a University of Nebraska signee, hit three straight shots in the paint to give the Pioneers a 26-17 halftime advantage.

To open the second half, the Firebirds didn’t make a field goal until six minutes in, while turning the ball over five times.

“I think the way the game was officiated was not to our advantage,” Duncan said. “I thought it was a lot more aggressive and physical, and I think that really impacted the way the game was played.”

Though the Firebirds lost their first game of the season, they’re already trying to find ways to make the most out of it.

“I think we got a little caught up in 7-0, and we haven’t really played a team that was a (complete) team,” Piper said. “This will be a good learning experience. We’ll come back harder than ever.”

The Firebirds will face Olathe Northwest at FSHS at 5:30 p.m. Friday.

FREE STATE (30)

Cameryn Thomas 2-5 3-3 7, Jaycie Bishop 0-0 0-0 0, Adriana Jadlow 0-6 3-6 3, Madison Piper 4-7 2-2 11, Sarah Coversup 1-7 3-4 5, Morgan Gantz 0-0 0-0 0, Hannah Walter 1-1 0-0 2, Hannah Shoemaker 1-1 0-0 2. Totals 9-27 11-15 30.

LEAVENWORTH (60)

Terrion Moore 3-4 1-2 7, Alicia Brown 1-5 0-0 2, Tashia Jones 3-4 0-0 7, Rachel Blackburn 5-5 0-1 10, Tyler Johnson 6-10 3-4 15, Zoie Hayward 4-7 0-0 11, Destinee Robinson 1-6 2-2 5, NaQari Harris 1-2 0-0 2, Jordan Counts 0-1 0-1 0, Aarika Lister 0-0 1-2 1. Totals 24-45 7-12 60.

Free State 7 11 7 6 — 30

Leavenworth 11 15 24 10 — 60

Three-point field goals: Free State 1-5 (Piper); Leavenworth 5-13 (Hayward 3, Robinson, Jones). Turnovers: Free State 25, Leavenworth 17.