photo by: Carter Gaskins

Free State senior Samantha Lawrence (4) makes a pass over Blue Valley West Shaun Holmes (15) in the second quarter on Nov. 29.

Free State coach Ted Juneau has seen glimpses of what his team is capable of.

That was especially evident during the third quarter, as the Free State girls basketball team was in control during the duration of the eight-minute period and responded anytime Shawnee Mission West made a play. FSHS, which led by one at the start of the fourth quarter, struggled to make the right plays in the final period.

The Vikings, on the other hand, scored 19 points in the final quarter to hand the Firebirds a 46-35 loss Tuesday night at Shawnee Mission West.

“A lot of those kids are just not playing with any confidence,” Juneau said. “They are not shooting the ball when they should be. They are shooting the ball when they probably shouldn’t be. The reality is, they have to figure it out, and I think they will.”

It was eerily similar to last year, when Free State (2-3, 0-1 Sunflower League) struggled to close games during its 0-7 start to the season.

Trailing 28-27 at the start of the fourth quarter, Shawnee Mission West scored the first seven points of the final period to cease control. Senior Sam Lawrence buried a 3-pointer to pull the Firebirds within one possession, though the Vikings answered with another 7-0 run to remove any doubt.

In addition, five of Free State’s 23 turnovers occurred in the final quarter.

“It was a collection of things,” Juneau said. “We had a lot of different combinations in there. That’s not an excuse, we just have to go out there and play with passion.”

But the third period was as good as the Firebirds have looked through the early part of the season.

They were aggressive on offense, while playing resilient on defense. Junior Caely Kesten scored three baskets, including a pull-up jumper to give FSHS its first lead of the night at the 5:33 mark.

Kesten also was credited with the assist on a basket by Lawrence at the 1:39 mark, which were the only points that Kesten did not score herself in the third quarter.

Multiple players had moments on the defensive end. Junior Haley Hippe took a charge, while Shannon Clarke swatted away attempts by the Vikings. Sophomore Evy Harrell forced a crucial jump ball to give her team an extra possession, and senior Mayela Edwards pressured the Shawnee Mission East point guard on nearly every trip.

“I thought we moved the ball much better,” Juneau said. “We took good shots, we just seemed to forget what got us there. All of a sudden, we were hurrying shots.”

In the first half, Free State faced a 12-2 deficit out of the gate before clawing its way back and eventually taking the advantage to the start of the second half.

The trick for Juneau will be to bottle up what the team did in the third quarter, and build off that over winter break.

FSHS will return to action Jan. 4, when the team plays host to Olathe North.

“They have to come out believing in what they do,” Juneau said. “They need to understand what they do well, and understand what they don’t do well. They need to understand what their role is.”

Free State (35)

Shannon Clarke 3-10 2-4 9, Haley Hippe 0-2 2-2 2, Caely Kesten 5-11 4-4 15, Sam Lawrence 3-7 0-0 7, Evy Harrell 0-2 0-0 0, Mayela Edwards 1-2 0-0 2. Totals 12-39 8-10 35.

Shawnee Mission West (46)

Jasmine Patterson 3-6 1-2 8, Mary Humphreys 1-5 1-5 3, Keirra Prim 6-12 1-3 13, Tadeyn Gray 4-9, 2-4 10, Macie Lee 2-10 2-3 7, Bailey Mull 0-2 0-0, Ke’Moni Alexander 1-3 0-2 2, Aiden Moxness 0-1 0-0 0, CC Carter 1-1 1-2 3. Totals: 18-50 8-21 46.

Free State 13 7 8 7 — 35

SM West 15 8 4 19 — 46

3-point field goals: Free State 3-11 (Clarke, Lawrence, Hesten); SM West 2-15 (Patterson, Lee). Turnovers: Free State 23, SM West 16.