BonnerSprings.com

In basketball a team has to maximize its opportunities to score easily.

A layup, a 10-foot jumper, even a wide-open 3-pointer can be considered easy.

The Bonner Springs Bravettes spent much of Tuesday’s practice working on inbound plays that they hope will open up scoring opportunities.

This type of fine-tuning is what the Bravettes are concentrating on leading up to the season-opener at 6 p.m. Friday at home against a powerful Lansing team that is favored by some coaches to win the Kaw Valley League this season.

“We are running our last walk-through before the Black and Orange scrimmage tonight,” coach Clay Oakes said. “We are ready to play somebody else and see what we are made of.”

Bonner Springs is fielding a completely revamped team this season after losing seven seniors to graduation after last year. The starting lineup is set. There is more height and speed. It sounds good on paper, but how will it translate on the court for Bonner? That’s what Oakes is eager to find out.

The game against Lansing will go a long way in telling the story of what the Bravettes can accomplish this season. Lansing is among the favorites to win the Kaw Valley League championship and returns nearly its entire team from a year ago.

Oakes and his team are looking forward to the challenge.

“A lot of coaches might not want to face a team like Lansing right off the bat,” Oakes said. “We are glad we get to play them. They don’t know what to expect out of us so we may be able to surprise them a little. We are going to find out right away if we can compete in the top half of the league this season, which is our goal.”

Lansing is coming off a strong season last year, but it suffered a bitter one-point loss in the Class 5A sub-state finals. This year LHS coach Keith Andrews has some very talented players returning led by 5-foot-11 senior guard Brittney Lang, an all KVL performer in 2007-08. She will lead the team and has certainly caught the attention of the BSHS coaching staff.

“Lang is the biggest match-up problem that (the Lions) present,” Oakes said. “She can hurt you inside, she can take you outside. You can’t put a post player on her because she is too quick. You can’t put a guard on her because she is too big. She is a really tough player to defend.”

Lang’s backcourt partner is no slouch either. Junior point guard Amy Briggs has also caught the eye of Oakes.

“She provides such solid point guard play. She is always in control and can really shut down our guards up front — preventing us from getting into our offense,” Oakes said.

Add to that a returning honorable mention performer in senior forward Alexis Ellis and Lansing is fully loaded. BSHS, who may struggle at times scoring this season, must play composed early on and try to chip away at the Lansing experience in order to get a victory, Oakes said.

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