BonnerSprings.com

Sometimes it takes a catastrophic loss for a team to right the ship.

For the Bonner Springs High School boys basketball team, it was a 41-point whooping that came two Fridays ago to their biggest rival, Basehor-Linwood. They had put forth their most lackluster effort of the season and held a long meeting following the game that was intended to refocus the struggling squad.

“It was a rough stretch for us,” BSHS coach Ryan Hull said. “We had played four games in eight days and (the kids) were beginning to get worn down. So were the coaches. We had some illnesses that affected our rotations. The Basehor game just put an exclamation point on all that was happening.”

In the first round of the Baldwin Invitational Tournament it appeared that Bonner would continue to struggle. It trailed by 31 points in the second quarter to Baldwin. As the second half started, however, the Braves regrouped and began to play like a team again.

They were unable to erase the deficit completely, but cut it to 10 points in the fourth quarter before losing, 87-74. Despite the loss, Hull had pep in his voice because he had seen his team start doing the things he had been asking them to do. That pep continued throughout the next two rounds of the tournament because BSHS won both games and ultimately finished in fifth place.

First, the Braves defeated Anderson County by a score of 76-72 in a hard-fought battle. Bonner led by 15 points going into the fourth quarter, but Anderson County chipped away until it trailed by only 2 with just over a minute remaining. The Braves played solid defense for the next minute because Anderson County was holding for the last shot to tie the game. When they finally did shoot the ball clanged off the iron and Bonner’s J.J. Jackson pulled down the rebound. Jackson flung the ball forward to a streaking Jared Brailsford who slammed it home to punctuate the victory.

The victory not only snapped a five-game losing streak, it gave the team confidence that it could win again. And that is just what the Braves did on Saturday in the fifth-place game. They faced off against Savannah (Mo.) — a team that was in Bonner’s home tournament but did not play the Braves. However, both teams learned about each other’s style. The two teams could not be any more different in style. Savannah likes to score in the 20’s. Bonner likes to score in the 60’s.

On this night they evened each other out with Bonner holding on for a 46-42 victory. It appeared to be a fast paced game to Savannah in which the Savages never settled down. To Bonner, the game was like watching paint dry, and they were unable to get comfortable.

“I was happy with the effort from our guys tonight,” Hull said of the Savannah game. “We forced them out of their comfort zone and played solid on the defensive end.”

Brailsford made the All-Tournament Team with his solid play throughout the week. He averaged 16 points and eight rebounds in the three games.

“I think (Jared) played phenomenal, like a real leader. I was really proud of him,” Hull said. “We really saw what we had been missing when he was out sick. We missed the consistent rebounding and scoring that he can provide.”

Hull found out late Saturday night that Brailsford had been named to the All-Tournament Team. He called and left a couple of messages on Jared’s phone to make sure he knew about the honor and called back Sunday to be sure he received the message.

“When I talked to him on Sunday, I found out he had lost his voice,” Hull said. “I was worried he was sick again, but come to find out he lost it by screaming out (directions) to his teammates on defense all weekend long.”

The Braves will try to improve upon their 4-8 record at 7:30 p.m. Friday when they travel to Lansing. This will be the third game between the two teams this season. LHS won both prior meetings.

“I love it when people talk about how it is hard for another team to beat somebody three times in a season,” Hull said. “Last time I checked, we aren’t playing three games Friday. We are just playing once. We both know what the other has and both teams have improved since the first two games. It’s one game in a rowdy gym that is going to be a lot of fun.”

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