Free State senior Madison Piper (14) drills a 3-pointer in the first quarter of Thursday's game against Wichita Northwest at FSHS.

There were times Thursday when Free State’s girls basketball team had a stagnant offense. Other moments when simple passes became careless turnovers.

Fortunately for the Firebirds, senior Madison Piper was at her best.

The 5-foot-11 Piper scored a season-high 28 points in a 47-37 victory over Wichita Northwest in the first round of the Firebird Winter Classic at FSHS.

Piper, signed to play at Santa Clara, said her shot felt good in warmups and it simply transferred onto the court. She made her first four shots, which included three triples and a mid-range jumper.

“It’s pretty great,” FSHS junior Cameryn Thomas said. “She’s pretty much on every single night so she’s nice to have on the court.”

The Firebirds (7-3) led by eight points in the second quarter when junior guard Erin Cushing drilled a 3-pointer on a pass from Piper.

Then Northwest junior guard Madison Surmeier did her best impersonation of Piper. Surmeier scored 11 straight points for the Grizzles against Free State’s zone defense, including three 3-pointers, trimming her team’s deficit to 26-22.

In the second half, Free State cleaned up its defense. The Grizzlies were held to just five points in the third quarter while the Firebirds went on a 9-2 run in the last six minutes. Piper scored five and freshman point guard Caely Kesten added four.

But even during a 9-2 run, Free State’s offense wasn’t as smooth as it appeared on the scoreboard. The Firebirds turned the ball over six times in seven minutes.

“We just have a hard time getting into any kind of rhythm,” FSHS coach Ted Juneau said after his team finished with 24 turnovers. “We turn it over. Make silly passes. Then try too hard. It happens, you go through streaks like that. But as I told them, a tournament is just win and keep going. We did that.”

In the fourth quarter, the Grizzlies did their best to double-team Piper each time she caught the ball against their 2-3 zone. But with four minutes left, Piper, Free State’s all-time leading scorer, broke away from her closest defender and drilled a 3-pointer for a 10-point lead.

Piper finished with a double-double, securing a game-high 11 rebounds while shooting 8-of-15 from the floor and a perfect 7-of-7 from the free throw line.

“I think there were times where (Piper) probably should’ve shot it a few more times quite honestly,” Juneau said. “I told the kids, there comes a time in the game when you’ve got to say, ‘Who should be shooting the ball?’ That’s not to say she’s the only one that should or the only weapon we have.”

The Firebirds will face four-time defending state champion Wichita South (11-0) at 8:15 p.m. today. The top-ranked Titans are on a 42-game winning streak.

“I’m so excited,” Piper said. “I’ve always wanted to play them. Obviously, I’ve never got the chance. I really think we should come out strong, play our game and I really think we have a great shot.”

WICHITA NORTHWEST (37)

Jayla Dennis 1-2 0-0 3, Ziara Davis 1-5 0-2 2, Dejanae Arnold 3-6 1-2 8, Madison Surmeier 5-13 0-1 14, Alexsis Snodgrass 2-10 2-3 7, Jayda Garrett 0-1 1-2 1, Makenna Green 0-6 2-2 2, Trinity Arnold 0-3 0-0 0, Cassandra Onwugbufor 0-0 0-0 0, Destiny Burton 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 12-46 6-12 37.

FREE STATE (47)

Sam Lawrence 2-4 1-2 6, Cameryn Thomas 1-1 0-2 2, Caely Kesten 3-6 0-0 6, Madison Piper 8-15 7-7 28, Jaelyn Two-Hearts 0-6 0-0 0, Jaycie Bishop 0-2 0-0 0, Erin Cushing 1-2 0-0 3, Haley Hippe 1-1 0-0 2. Totals 16-37 8-11 47.

Northwest 7 15 5 10 — 37

Free State 11 15 9 12 — 47

Three-point goals: Wichita NW 7-22 (Surmeier 4, Dennis, Arnold, Snodgrass); Free State 7-15 (Piper 5, Lawrence, Cushing). Turnovers: Wichita NW 19, Free State 24.