Overland Park ? A nightmare start doomed Free State High’s boys basketball team on Tuesday against Shawnee Mission North.

In a battle between two of the last three undefeated teams in Sunflower League play, the Firebirds spent the majority of the time trying to fight back from a double-digit deficit in a 67-59 loss at SM North’s Fieldhouse.

The Firebirds knew they needed to slow down SM North seniors Michael Weathers and Marcus Weathers, two of the top scorers in the league.

The Weathers brothers had different plans from the opening tip.

The Indians (11-4, 6-0 in Sunflower League) made nine of their first 10 shots, sprinting to a 16-6 lead in the first six minutes. Michael Weathers, an athletic 6-foot-3 guard, showed off his ability to slither his way around defenders to the rim with a pair of lay-ups, adding a jumper and an open-court dunk after grabbing a steal. Marcus Weathers, a 6-5 guard, made a couple of jumpers and a layup.

When Marcus Weathers picked up his second foul with two minutes left in the first quarter, forcing him to the bench for the next seven minutes, the Firebirds couldn’t take advantage. They missed a few open looks, had a couple of shots blocked and struggled at the free-throw line.

“We had a chance to make a run to end the half, but we didn’t,” Free State coach Sam Stroh said. “Free throws were a struggle. Little things that we need to do better.”

Even with his brother sidelined because of fouls, Michael Weathers continued to find his way to the free-throw line, and he knocked down a three-pointer. When Marcus Weathers returned to the court, he immediately grabbed a rebound and hit a three.

Michael Weathers led the Indians with 19 points and three steals, while Marcus Weathers had 18 points, seven rebounds and two blocks.

“Most teams don’t have two players that difficult to guard,” said FSHS senior point guard Kristian Rawls, who had 10 points. “We need to do a better job of sticking to the game plan.”

The fifth-ranked Firebirds (11-3, 5-1), no strangers to monumental comebacks this season, tried to rally in the fourth quarter. They scored on five of their first six possessions, including 10 points from senior wing Hunter Gudde, to cut the score to 55-47 with five minutes left. Senior Drew Tochtrop added a three-pointer in the spurt.

But eventually the shots stopped dropping, and Free State’s potential comeback was never closer than seven points.

“It’s too little, too late,” Stroh said. “I liked the way we fought, but it took us awhile to get going.”

Said Rawls: “We just talked about how many times we’ve came back. We thought we could do it. But we need to start out games better if we want to beat great teams.”

Gudde scored 22 of his game-high 26 points in the second half, taking charge offensively for the Firebirds. The Indians had seven blocks, but Gudde continued to drive in the paint and fight for layups or earn his way to the free-throw line.

“When the game gets like that, I know I have to step up,” Gudde said. “I just started feeling it a little bit. But I have to start off like that, too.”

FREE STATE (59)

Kristian Rawls 2-5 5-6 10, Chrision Wilburn 2-7 1-2 5, Sloan Thomsen 0-3 0-0 0, Jacob Pavlyak 2-3 0-1 4, Hunter Gudde 8-12 7-9 26, Cameron Clark 1-1 0-4 2, Jay Dineen 1-5 1-2 4, Drew Tochtrop 2-6 1-2 6, Darian Lewis 1-2 0-1 2, Simon McCaffrey 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 19-44 15-27 59.

SHAWNEE MISSION NORTH (67)

Danny Bradley 3-5 2-4 8, Will Schneider 4-6 1-2 9, Marcus Weathers 7-9 3-7 18, Avante Williams 2-3 9-9 13, Michael Weathers 7-12 4-7 19, Malik Davis 0-2 0-0 0, Cole Gibson 0-1 0-0 0. Totals 23-38 19-29 67.

Free State 6 14 14 25 — 59

SM North 16 16 18 17 — 67

Three-point goals: Free State 6-16 (Gudde 3, Rawls, Dineen, Tochtrop); SM North 2-9 (Ma. Weathers, Mi. Weathers). Fouled out: Mi. Weathers. Turnovers: Free State 6, SM North 10.