BonnerSprings.com

Lynsey Ostman saved her best for last Tuesday night against Tonganoxie.

With her team trailing 47-46, and only 11 seconds remaining, the senior got the ball in her hands and drove down to the baseline to perhaps get the ball inside to one of Bravettes’ post players. The Chieftains did not cut her off, so Ostman continued all the way to the basket, dribbled under the rim and stepped back for an uncontested shot.

“It kind of worked out in my favor. I didn’t expect to take (the shot), but there wasn’t much time so I had to,” Ostman said.

She fired, and the ball dipped through the net with just 4 seconds remaining. The stunned Tonganoxie players were not able to get a shot off and the crowd at the Bonner Springs YMCA exploded in jubilation as the Bravettes walked away one-point winners, 48-47.

“I just backed up and put it in,” Ostman said. “They didn’t try to block it, and I went up with it.”

“We were hoping they would come out in a man-to-man (defense) because they had been in that for a couple of possessions (in-a-row),” BSHS coach Clay Oakes said. “We were going to try to pound it down low to one of our (forwards) and maybe draw a foul, but they came out in zone. Lynsey was ready and, as a senior should, she took it to the basket and finished.”

Oakes used an 11-player rotation and a fast-paced zone press early on to force the tempo, but admittedly the press did not work well, and Oakes scrapped it after the first half.

“We came out and tried something a little bit different — something that has been out of our character,” Oakes said. “(The zone press) didn’t work out for us. We gave up a lot of easy shots and dug ourselves a hole. But we fought back and thought our defensive pressure could start to wear on them.”

Tonganoxie employed a press of its own and forced 11 first-half turnovers, but the Chieftains were unable to maintain that defensive intensity for the full 32 minutes. What the Bravettes lacked in handling the ball, they made up for with hustle and grit.

All night they forced jump balls, got on the floor for loose balls and rallied behind a determined effort from sisters and post players Erica and Emily Wilson and little guard Yessenia Hernandez, dominated the offensive glass and gave their team several extra opportunities.

“Our guards did a super job of getting in passing lanes, and we got some hustle steals, and that’s what got us back in the game,” Oakes said. “Emily Wilson’s play was outstanding. You have to give her credit for sparking our comeback tonight. She does such a good job of anticipating the passes on the top and jumping in the passing lanes.”

Tonganoxie used a 7-2 run to open the second quarter to put some distance between the two teams. THS senior point guard Andie Jeannin hit a long 3-pointer just as the buzzer sounded to send her team into the locker room up five, 25-20.

Jeannin made the Chieftains’ offense go all night long. She only scored eight points, but she got her teammates the ball in spots where they could score. Jeannin was a key component in Jenny Whitledge’s night. The freshman forward scored a game-high 18 points before fouling out midway through the fourth quarter.

The Bravettes were without one of their better shooters, junior guard Erica Smith, who missed the game due to illness. Though she did not play in the game, Smith was the team’s vocal leader on the bench and kept the Bravettes’ spirits up all night. Smith’s absence forced BSHS to focus more inside, and it would pay off in the final period.

After Tonganoxie opened up a 10-point lead, BSHS answered with six straight points to start the fourth quarter, fueled by an all-star defensive play by Ostman. She deflected a pass near mid-court and as the ball was careening out of bounds she flung the ball into the backcourt allowing Hernandez to track it down and score.

The comeback was on.

A 3-pointer by Tonganoxie’s Lauren Hall made the score 43-38 with 4:40 remaining in the game, but after a failed possession by BSHS, Whitledge was whistled for an offensive foul — her fifth.

The Bravettes and Chieftains traded baskets until THS freshman Cassady Holloway — fresh off the bench — calmly drilled a 3-pointer to cut the deficit to one with 56 seconds remaining.

After Tonganoxie knocked in two free throws, sophomore Erica Wilson hit a driving runner to make it a one-point game again.

Bonner’s defense set up, and Hernandez got a steal after what best could be described as a rugby scrum. With the ball and 11 seconds remaining, Oakes called timeout to set up the final play.

“(This game) shows that if we do the right thing and we hustle, we can do anything,” Ostman said.

Emily Wilson led BSHS with 11 points.

The Bravettes (4-10) snapped an eight-game losing streak and collected their first victory since Dec. 18. They next play at 6 p.m. Friday at home against Turner. BSHS won the teams’ previous meeting.

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