Free State High sophomore Cameryn Thomas, center, goes between Great Bend defenders Carley Brack, left, and Carly Dreiling, right, as she makes her way to the basket during the 16th annual Firebird Winter Classic Thursday evening at FSHS.

Free State High junior Madison Piper faced double teams in the post and was face-guarded on the perimeter against Great Bend on Thursday in the first round of the Firebird Winter Classic.

The Panthers denied the ball to Piper and dared anybody else on Free State’s girls basketball team to beat them.

Enter junior guard Jaycie Bishop and the rest of the Firebirds, who shot 64 percent (7-of-11) from the floor in the second quarter. Their hot shooting helped the Firebirds to an 11-point halftime lead and an eventual 56-43 victory at FSHS.

Bishop, a 5-foot-4 left-hander, scored 11 of her season-high 13 points in the second quarter, including three triples and a layup in transition.

“I think we took a lot of time as a team to prepare for this,” Bishop said. “We knew going in that these were a lot of teams that we were going to face in sub-state. We had to mentally prepare for that and play like it is sub-state.”

Bishop’s sharpshooting was contagious for the rest of the team in the second quarter. Senior guard Caiti Schlesener hit two three-pointers and sophomore point guard Cameryn Thomas scored three points with a free throw and a drive through the paint for a layup.

The Firebirds (8-2, ranked No. 6 in Class 6A) led by double-digits for most of the second half after scoring on three straight possessions in the third quarter. Sophomore Jaelyn Two Hearts scored on a putback, senior guard Hannah Walter made a layup and Bishop hit a mid-range jumper.

“We were definitely on fire from the perimeter,” Bishop said.

Piper was held to a season-low seven points on 3-of-11 shooting, but it didn’t affect the 5-foot-10 standout on the defensive end of the floor. She grabbed four rebounds, blocked three shots and snagged three steals.

On the first possession of the fourth quarter, Piper drew defenders with a few dribbles and dished a pass to senior forward Peyton Brown, who was wide-open next to the basket for an easy layup.

“You just can’t score through those double-teams and the way they guarded (Piper),” FSHS coach Bryan Duncan said. “It freed other people up and I think the key is people got to the right spots to get those baskets. That’s what allowed us to be successful and have a nice run.”

When the Panthers (7-3) tried to trap ball-handlers in the fourth quarter, Thomas took advantage with drives to the rim for points in the paint and trips to the free throw line. Thomas, a three-sport athlete and poised point guard under pressure, had a team-high 14 points.

“When there’s a lot of pressure and trapping, I like to drive a lot or find the kick out,” said Thomas, who also had five rebounds and two steals. “We take it as an opportunity, not as a trap.”

The Firebirds will face Derby (11-0, No. 3 in 6A) in the semifinals at 8:15 tonight.

Free State (56)

Cameryn Thomas 4-6 6-8 14, Caiti Schlesener 2-9 0-2 6, Madison Piper 3-11 0-0 7, Hannah Walter 3-4 0-1 6, Peyton Brown 1-4 1-2 3, Jaycie Bishop 5-7 0-0 13, Jaelyn Two Hearts 2-4 0-2 5, Erin Cushing 1-1 0-0 2. Totals 21-46 7-15 56.

Great Bend (43)

Lauren Welsch 4-14 1-4 9, Morgan Kottas 1-4 0-0 2, Camryn Dunekack 1-5 0-0 3, Carley Brack 6-9 8-9 21, Carly Dreiling 2-5 2-6 6, Keely Ireland 0-1 0-0 0, Brooklyn Burkhart 0-1 0-0 0, Kate Warren 1-2 0-0 2. Totals 15-41 11-18 43.

Free State 12 20 9 15 — 56

Great Bend 12 11 7 13 — 43

Three-point goals: Free State 7-20 (Bishop 3, Schlesener 2, Piper, Two Hearts); Great Bend 2-9 (Dunekack, Brack). Fouled out: Brack. Turnovers: Free State 9, Great Bend 13.