BonnerSprings.com

Tonganoxie jumped all over Bonner Springs in the first quarter Tuesday night on the way to an 83-69 victory.

The Chieftains got 29 points from senior guard Keaton Schaffer and 25 from sophomore Dane Erickson and had four players in double figures to blast the Braves.

Schaffer, the leading scorer in the Kaw Valley League averaging 18 points a game, scored an astonishing 19 of Tonganoxie’s 29 first-quarter points to help his team out to a 29-15 lead. The Chieftains used a crushing 20-6 run to put distance between the two teams.

At times the two teams were going at such a break-neck speed it appeared as if the players were wearing skates.

Bonner Springs could not get the long-ball to go for them, and when that happens the Braves have struggled this season.

BSHS got back into the game by adjusting its strategy. In the second quarter, the Braves attacked the basket and either laid it in or got to the free throw line. This strategy, coupled with limiting Schaffer to three second-quarter points, helped the Braves shave nine points off the deficit to go into halftime trailing by just five at 46-41.

Bonner Springs cut the lead to three on the first possession of the third quarter when sophomore forward Brett Steuart hit a turn-around jumper, but the Braves would get no closer.

The kill-shot came from THS junior point guard Jeremy Carlisle. With time winding down in the third quarter, Carlisle got the ball in the corner and buried a long 3-pointer as the buzzer sounded to give the Chieftains 64-55 lead heading into the final period.

Erickson dominated the second half inside, scoring 15 of his 25 points in the final 16 minutes.

Steuart scored 18 points to lead the Braves. Junior guard Juan Pichardo had 13, but he was uncharacteristically cold from the perimeter.

Bonner Springs (5-10 overall, 2-7 KVL) next plays at 7:30 p.m. Friday at home against Turner.

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