Free State sophomore point guard Caely Kesten (13) shoots a jumper over an Olathe East defender Tuesday at Olathe East.

OLATHE — The first thing that stands out about Olathe East’s girls basketball team, the No. 1-ranked team in the state, is all of the speed. Commit a turnover and it’s an easy layup on the other side.

When the Hawks move into their half-court offense, the ball is always moving and open shooters punish defenses for breakdowns. Free State allowed 18 straight points in the first half and couldn’t keep up in a 64-36 loss at O-East.

The Firebirds went scoreless for more than six minutes between the first two quarters and the unbeaten Hawks couldn’t miss a shot. O-East senior guard Sydney Wilson, last season’s co-Sunflower League Player of the Year, had 16 points in the first half.

“We couldn’t contain them defensively,” Free State coach Ted Juneau said. “I didn’t think there was any chance we could zone them with the way they shot, so you just have learn how to play tough defense.”

By the end of the third quarter, the Hawks (13-0, 6-0 in the Sunflower League) were shooting 68 percent and led by as many as 31 points. Wilson, signed to play at Missouri State, finished with a game-high 22 points and junior guard Makenna Winemiller added 18 points.

The Firebirds actually started as well as they hoped, leading 8-4 in the first four minutes. Sophomore point guard Caely Kesten made her first two shots and drew a charge. Junior guard Sam Lawrence scored on a pass from freshman Shannon Clarke, and sophomore forward Haley Hippe swished a jump shot.

“If you looked at the first three or four minutes of the game,” Juneau said, “you said, ‘My God, that’s a pretty good team they are playing. Two teams are out there really competing.’ Then all of a sudden, we can’t sustain it at all.”

Free State (1-12, 1-5) ran into some foul trouble at the end of the first quarter and Juneau believes it contributed to the team’s defensive problems. Instead of challenging layups in the paint, players tried to avoid fouling — “It just kind of snowballed from there,” he said.

“A little more frustrated tonight with them in their effort,” the coach said. “It’s hard. They are 15, 16, 17 years old and they are trying hard to keep their confidence and do things, but it gets hard.”

With a 20-point deficit at halftime, the Firebirds’ offense improved in the second half as they tried to trade shots with the Hawks. Lawrence drilled a pair of 3-pointers and dished four assists. Guards Mayela Edwards and Erin Cushing added two more assists apiece, which helped set up Hippe (eight points) and Kesten (nine points).

In the fourth quarter, which featured a running clock, junior guard Erin McClorey scored five points.

Free State (36)

Sam Lawrence 3-9 0-0 8, Caely Kesten 4-12 0-0 9, Shannon Clarke 2-5 0-0 4, Haley Hippe 4-5 0-0 8, Erin Cushing 0-3 0-0 0, Mayela Edwards 1-5 0-1 2, Evie Harrell 0-1 0-0 0, Joy Nunoo 0-0 0-0 0, Lauryn Jones 0-0 0-0 0, Erin McClorey 1-1 2-2 5. Totals 15-41 2-3 36.

Olathe East (64)

Katie Gleason 2-6 0-0 5, Sydney Wilson 8-11 6-7 22, Hope Owens 1-1 0-0 3, Makenna Winemiller 6-12 5-6 18, Molly Kaemmer 1-1 0-0 2, Savanna Perez 2-3 0-0 5, Jillian Weishaar 1-1 0-0 2, Gracie Davis 3-3 0-0 7, LaSharea Richardson 0-0 0-0 0, Courtney Kearney 0-0 0-0 0, Ally Biddison 0-0 0-0 0, Kaylee Taylor 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 24-38 11-13 64.

Free State 8 7 14 7 — 36

O-East 18 17 21 8 — 64

Three-point goals: Free State 4-16 (Lawrence 2, Kesten, McClorey); O-East 5-10 (Gleason, Owens, Winemiller, Perez, Davis). Fouled out: None. Turnovers: Free State 10, O-East 6.