Braves fall 56-49 to De Soto on 4th quarter run

Senior Trent Stimac avoided the De Soto defense on a shot in the lane. Stimac had 8 points and 8 rebounds in the 56-49 loss to the Wildcats. (Photo copyright 2021 by Brian Turrel)

by Brian Turrel

The Bonner Springs Braves made one comeback but couldn’t find a second one, losing 56-49 on the road to the De Soto Wildcats Thursday evening.

The Braves were up 24-20 at halftime thanks to a balanced attack that saw six players get on the board in the second quarter.

Out of the break, the teams briefly traded the lead, but then the Wildcats blasted out to a 35-26 lead with four minutes still remaining in the third quarter.

Bonner Springs coach Dan Streit called a timeout to regroup his team, and the Braves responded with an 11-3 burst that brought them back within 38-37 going into the fourth quarter.

De Soto found another surge in the fourth quarter that Bonner couldn’t answer. Taking advantage of the referees’ sudden strictness in policing the game, the Wildcats hit 8 of 11 free throws on their way to briefly building a 10-point cushion before the Braves hit a late three-pointer.

Jayce Smith led Bonner Springs in scoring, picking up 14 hard-fought points in and around the lane. Tavian Cruse added 11 points, hitting 2 of 5 3-point attempts. Trent Stimac led the team with 8 rebounds, including 4 offensive rebounds.

Bonner Springs doesn’t play again until the new year, as host of Shawnee Heights on Jan. 4, tipping off at 7:30 p.m.