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The Bonner Springs Bravettes had Mill Valley right where they wanted them.

It was Senior Night, and the Bravettes had the visiting Jaguars on the ropes all night. Mill Valley had lost starting point guard Becky Newhouse to a knee injury in the opening minutes, and the BSHS defense stifled the Jaguars the rest of the way. The Bravettes held a lead with just a few minutes to go.

Bad habits prevailed for the Bravettes, however. The same miscues that caused them to steer clear of the win column so often during the season resurfaced. It was almost like a faulty switch that finally tripped and BSHS turned the ball over twice in a row. Mill Valley took advantage and surged to a 52-45 victory.

“Lynsey (Ostman) fouled out and we were short-handed at the guard position in terms of experience,” BSHS coach Clay Oakes recalled. “Mill Valley executed down the stretch and we didn’t.”

The turnover bug has bitten Bonner Springs (2-4) once again this season. In each of their four losses they turn the ball over 20 times compared to being near 10 in each of their victories.

The recipe for victory seems to be simple, and Oakes knew it before the season started.

He said turnovers are the difference between his squad winning and losing.

“We make mental turnovers, unforced errors. We really hurt ourselves more than anything,” he said. “In the half-court sets we throw a (chest) pass when it should be a bounce pass and (the ball) gets tipped away. For some reason we can’t get it under control until the second half when we start to execute.”

He said his team is only looking back as far as the last game — a win against Turner.

“I think we played pretty good that game,” he said. “We are going to try and build off of that win and see where it can take us.”

Having already played arguably the toughest team in the state (Bishop Miege) and having hung with league rival Lansing for three quarters, BSHS should be prepared for anything it sees the rest of the season. Sure, the Bravettes would like to make a statement to the rest of the Kaw Valley League with a win against Mill Valley at 6 p.m. Friday at MVHS, but Oakes knows that it will be a big challenge for his team.

“They are athletic and really like to push it, but I think we can match their speed and may have a slight advantage in the post,” Oakes said. “The girls are looking forward to getting to play. Last year the game was ours, but we gave it away.”

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