by Brian Turrel
The Bonner Springs Lady Braves got a strong early start but couldn’t overcome the outstanding long-range shooting of the De Soto Lady Wildcats in a 73-49 loss on Thursday evening in De Soto.
De Soto’s Mack Carson hit 6 of 13 three-point attempts, and Addison Tower hit 4 of 9. Both were effective at using off-the-ball movement to get open in the corners for their shots.
De Soto’s defense also featured heavily in the outcome, forcing 22 Braves’ turnovers, including 12 steals. The Lady Wildcats scored 34 points off turnovers.
Mariyah Noel led all scorers with 25 points for the Lady Braves, and she led both teams on the boards with 11 rebounds. She found success driving along the baseline from both sides and hit two 3-pointers.
Noel ran into foul trouble in the second half and spent several minutes on the bench in the third quarter. She hit a higher gear late in the game, scoring 15 of her 25 points in the fourth quarter.
Wren VanCleave was effective in the paint and hit both her 3-point attempts, scoring 11 points for the game and grabbing 6 rebounds.
The Lady Braves will head into their Christmas break with a 3-2 record. They return to action on Jan. 4 with a home game against the Shawnee Heights Lady Thunderbirds.
