OVERLAND PARK — Ted Juneau patrolled the sideline before the game. He picked up the scorers’ book, glancing over it for just a few seconds before setting it down with a chuckle.

“First game jitters,” the second-year Free State coach joked before his team’s 43-34 loss to Blue Valley West.

Early on, that may have been what plagued the Firebirds.

Less than 24 hours before the game, the Firebirds learned they’d be without starting guard CK Kesten, who Juneau said “should be one of best point guards in state” before the season.

“We do a lot of things through her,” said Juneau. “No one’s going to send us a sympathy card. We’ve just got to keep going. And we will.”

From the start, it looked as though the Firebirds were settling in nicely. Junior Mayela Edwards scored to open the game and freshman Shannon Clarke added a pull-up jumper to put the Firebirds ahead 4-0.

Over the next six minutes, though, things fell flat. The Jaguars went on an 18-1 run, with a free throw by Joy Nuno marking the only Free State offense during that span.

Free State finished the first half shooting just 3 for 17 from the field. Dealing with early foul trouble — Haley Hippe and Edwards each picked up two fouls in the first quarter — they were never quite able to get into a rhythm.

“I looked out there, we had more JV players than we had varsity players for two or three minutes,” Juneau remarked.

Early on, the press of the Jaguars seemed to bother a young Free State squad.

While neither Juneau nor the players used it as an excuse after the game, some of the younger players appeared to struggle with the pressure, committing nine first-half turnovers.

“(We) had some girls who were, like, about to pee their pants before the game they were so nervous,” joked Erin Cushing, the Firebirds’ lone senior.

But eventually things started to settle down.

Down 15 to start the third quarter, Cushing went to work, cutting into the lead with a shifty step-back 3-pointer. She tabbed two more steals and another basket in the quarter, as the Firebirds cut the deficit to single digits.

“I’ve been working on that in practice,” Cushing said with a smile. “I just don’t use it very much in game, but I think I’ll try and do that more.”

Ultimately, though, the Firebirds weren’t able to dig themselves out of the hole.

Edwards put in six points in the second half while Clarke, Cushing and Hippe finished the game with seven apiece. However, Blue Valley West’s Brooke Lansford went off for 18 points and hit several buckets down the stretch to keep the Firebirds at an arm’s length.

“We’ll be fine. It’s a process, it’s a process,” said Juneau. “We’ve got a tough tournament to play in next week. I’m sure we’ll get better every game we play next week and we’ll continue to get better.”

FREE STATE (34)

Sam Lawrence 0-6 1-2 1, Shannon Clarke 2-7 2-4 7, Haley Hippe 3-9 1-2 7, Mayela Edwards 4-7 0-0 8, Erin Cushing 2-5 2-3 7, Liliana Keathley 0-3 0-0 0, Joy Nunoo 1-1 1-2 4, Evie Harrell 0-0 0-1 0. Totals 12-38 7-14 34.

BLUE VALLEY WEST (43)

Mady Fancher 1-3 0-0 2, Shaun Holmes 5-11 2-2 14, Maia Wilson 0-1 0-0 0, Brooke Lansford 7-17 2-4 18, Lauren Flower 0-4 0-0 0, Alexa Pittman 1-3 2-3 4, Hanna Strombom 1-4 2-2 5, Kate Bandre 0-1 0-0 0, Neva Longhofer 0-1 0-0 0, Ciara Forcellini 0-1 0-0 0. Totals 15-46 8-11 43.

Free State 4 6 10 14 — 34

BV West 4 21 6 12 — 43

Three-point goals: Free State 3-10 (Cushing, Nuno, Clarke); BV West 5-22 (Holmes 2, Lansford 2, Strombom). Turnovers: Free State 12, BV West 13.