photo by: Carter Gaskins

Free State junior CK Kesten (13) and senior Sam Lawrence (4) play a tight defense on Hutchinson's Jayla Bynum (32) at the Firebird Classic Tournament on Thursday, Jan. 24, 2019.

Before a second even ticked off the clock, the Free State girls basketball team faced a deficit on the scoreboard.

Junior guard Caely Kesten grabbed the wrong jersey, which gifted Hutchinson a trip to the free-throw line at the start of the game. The Salthawks hit one of the two freebies, and then netted a bucket on the game’s first possession to take a 3-0 advantage within 13 seconds.

The Firebirds reclaimed the lead within one minute, however, and were in complete control from that moment on during a 60-45 victory Thursday night at FSHS. With the win, Free State advanced to the semifinals of the Firebirds Winter Classic.

“We came out and started to build a lead and everyone worked hard,” FSHS coach Ted Juneau said. “The difference between this team compared to other teams that we have had is that we tend to not keep the pedal to the metal. Tonight, we just continued to play, and I thought the kids did great.”

It wasn’t long before Kesten avenged her jersey mishap. Kesten dished an assist to junior Haley Hippe at the 6:45 mark in the opening period, giving the Firebirds a 4-3 advantage. They never trailed from that moment on.

“In the locker room, when you take (the jersey) out, they look similar. I accidently just grabbed the wrong one,” Kesten said. “We came out really strong, and that’s been a positive thing for us the last couple of games.”

Free State (4-6) scored 20 points in 14 possessions during the first quarter, taking a 20-7 lead.

Kesten buried a pull-up triple one possession after Hippe’s bucket. Hippe then netted another basket on an assist from sophomore Evy Harrell. Sophomore Shannon Clarke then swiped a pass and went the other end with ease to record a layup.

Shortly after, Kesten drilled another 3-pointer to give the Firebirds a 14-5 advantage. Hutchinson (3-7) called a timeout, but then Free State’s defense forced a 10-second violation right after with its full-court pressure defense.

“I think we have done that the last few games now,” Juneau said. “We have really come out focused and they understand what they need to do.”

The trio of Kesten, Clarke and Hippe continued to carry the Firebirds in the first half.

FSHS scored 22 points on 14 possessions in the second period, taking a 42-23 advantage at the intermission. All 42 of Free State’s first-half points were scored by either Kesten, Clarke or Hippe. For the game, Clarke and Kesten each led the way with 17 points. Hippe registered 14 points.

Harrell then drilled a 3-pointer at the 7:43 mark in the third quarter to break the trend. Senior Sam Lawrence knocked down a long ball midway through the third period, while senior Hope Wheeler-Halstead hit a pair of free throws in the final minutes of the contest.

Multiple players were responsible for Free State’s strong showing on the defensive end. Joy Nunoo, Liliana Keathley and Alexa Kesten all contributed to the team’s defensive pressure, which forced 13 turnovers by Hutchinson.

“We created a lot of turnovers,” Juneau said. “We have shown we can score in half court, but now we are showing we can score off transition and off of turnovers.”

It was a strong start by Free State in its own tournament, especially given last year’s result.

The Firebirds finished last out of eight teams last year, suffering three losses in as many days. Free State, the No. 4 seed in this year’s tournament, will take on No. 1 Maize (No. 3 in 5A) in the semifinals at 6 p.m. Friday.

“We are a pretty good team, and I think we can win it,” Kesten said. “If we make the right plays, and play together as we have been, then we can definitely win it for sure.”

Hutchinson (45)

Teegan Krol 1-5 1-2 3; Morgan Armbrust 1-3 0-0 3; Lexi Williams 0-0 0-0 0; Gabbie Posch 2-9 2-3 8; Mekenzie Hefley 4-5 0-1 8; Tina Robertson 3-8 2-4 11; Jayla Bynum 1-4 0-0 2; Jaydin elmore 0-2 2-2 2; Kiley Seidl 1-4 4-4 7; Harlie Wilson 0-0 1-2 1. Totals: 13-40 12-18 45.

Free State (60)

Evy Harrell 2-4 0-0 6; Shannon Clarke 6-9 4-4 17; Sam Lawrence 1-2 1-2 4; Caely Kesten 6-8 2-2 17; Haley Hippe 7-14 0-0 14; Joy Nunoo 0-1 0-0 0; Liliana Kethley 0-0 0-2 0; Hope Wheeler-Halstead 0-2 2-2 2; Alexa Kesten 0-1 0-0 0. Totals: 22-40 9-12 60.

Hutchinson 7 16 11 11 — 45

Free State 20 22 11 7 — 60

3-point goals: Hutchinson 7-22 (Armbrust, Posch 2, Roberton 3, Siedl); Free State 7-13 (Harrell 2, Clarke, Lawrence, Kesten 3). Turnovers: Hutchinson 13, Free State 10. Fouled out: None.