BonnerSprings.com

Like many season-openers, there were a lot of mistakes for the Bonner Springs girls basketball team.

However, the Braves played aggressive enough on defense to overmatch the Piper Pirates 36-26 Friday night at the Bonner Springs District P.E. Center.

“I thought we did a great job of playing good defense,” BSHS coach Clay Oakes said. “They put pressure on us in the second half.”

Bonner Springs controlled the tempo for most of the first half, creating several turnovers that led to baskets.

The Braves took a 24-14 lead into the break.

Nevertheless, once the second half whistle sounded, both squads seemed unable to put together much rhythm on the offensive end.

“We had a lot of open shots on offense, but just couldn’t find the hole tonight for some reason,” Oakes said. “You have nights like that.”

Bonner Springs did have a few standout defensive plays that allowed it to pull away in the end.

With 4:12 remaining, senior Emily Wilson picked off a pass and took it the other way for a bucket that gave the Braves a 34-21 victory.

Wilson was the team’s leading scorer with 12 points. Senior Yessenia Hernandez and junior Anna Deegan added seven points apiece.

“She did a good job defensively,” Oakes said of Wilson. “All the post players did a good job defensively.”

On the other end of the floor, the Braves had to deal with Piper’s main scoring threat, senior Whitney Morrow. She finished with 17 of the Pirates’ 26 points.

Focusing in on one player helped the Braves when it mattered most.

“They could never really get into any type of groove where they could get a run on us,” Oakes said.

The 1-0 start marks a good beginning for the Braves, but for now they are taking this season one step at a time.

“We’ll just keep working on our offense and working the ball around for good shots,” Oakes said.

The Braves next play at 6 p.m. Tuesday at Blue Valley Southwest.

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