Free State junior Jaelyn Two Hearts reaches out to try and grab a loose ball against Shawnee Mission South Tuesday.

Overland Park ? At the beginning of the second quarter, Free State girls basketball coach Ted Juneau turned to players on the bench and yelled out, “She will not let you lose.”

Juneau was referring to junior guard Cameryn Thomas, and no, she wasn’t going to let up against Shawnee Mission South on Tuesday.

Thomas scored 16 of her game-high 19 points in the first half, setting the tone for Free State’s 69-46 victory at SM South.

When Thomas earned the praise from her coach, she was diving on the ground for an offensive rebound after a missed free throw by one of her teammates. Afterward, the Firebirds went on a 19-1 run, leading by double digits for the remainder of the night.

“They see her effort out there and they see how hard she’s playing,” Juneau said of Thomas. “I think they take it to heart. I think it’s sometimes good to point that out to them because they see that effort and they all feed off it.”

The Firebirds (11-6, 5-3 in Sunflower League) suffocated SM South ball handlers with their full-court press. With a guard-heavy lineup — Thomas plays forward at 5-foot-7 — they used their speed and quickness to their advantage with a 25-point second quarter.

All of Free State’s starters finished with at least seven points and snagged at least two steals. Senior Jaycie Bishop and Thomas led with five steals apiece, while junior Jaelyn Two Hearts scored 15 points, freshman Caely Kesten had 13 points and sophomore Sam Lawrence had 11.

“We had spoken about it before the game and said that pressure would work against this team,” said Thomas, who added 12 rebounds for her second straight double-double. “It just kind of clicked in our heads that we needed to start pressuring them and it started working.”

With the Raiders (4-13, 1-7) playing tight defense in the first quarter, Thomas said her main goal was to drive and draw fouls. She scored eight points in the opening eight minutes, including the team’s first six points.

Playing without all-state senior Madison Piper, who is expected to be out for the rest of the year, the Firebirds haven’t had many problems scoring the ball during their three-game winning streak.

“They understand that they have to re-look at their roles a little differently,” Juneau said. “It’s not like they were deferring to Madison, but I think at times, they knew as good of a shooter as she was, they wanted to get her the ball and take the open shot. Now they aren’t even worried about it.”

The Firebirds led by more than 20 points in the second half, which included a 13-3 run to start the third quarter. That allowed them to empty the bench for reserves Liliana Keathley (two points), Caroline Patton and Rose Piakowski.

“This is another step for the kids because they played to the level they need to play at,” Juneau said.

Free State will play host to Olathe East at 5:30 p.m. Friday on Senior Night.

FREE STATE (69)

Sam Lawrence 4-8 2-4 11, Cameryn Thomas 4-11 11-13 19, Jaycie Bishop 3-6 0-0 7, Caely Kesten 5-10 3-5 13, Jaelyn Two Hearts 6-12 2-2 15, Haley Hippe 1-1 0-3 2, Caroline Patton 0-1 0-0 0, Liliana Keathley 0-1 2-2 2, Rose Piakowski 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 23-50 20-29 69.

SM SOUTH (46)

Meredith Bunker 3-6 2-3 8, Karoline Shelton 1-6 1-2 3, Gabi Green 2-5 1-2 5, Madi McAvoy 6-19 4-6 19, Crimson Barker 1-7 1-2 3, Lauren Anderson 0-1 0-2 0, Rakeya Martin 1-3 3-7 5, Kristina Bermond 0-1 0-0 0, Abby Gerber 1-1 0-0 3. Totals 15-49 12-24 46.

Free State 13 25 17 14 — 69

SM South 12 13 10 11 — 46

Three-point goals: Free State 3-14 (Lawrence, Bishop, Two Hearts); SM South 4-16 (McAvoy 3, Gerber). Fouled out: Shelton. Turnovers: Free State 15, SM South 24.