Olivia Stean wrestled Olathe Northwest’s Val Galligan in a 170-pound match at the Ladycat Classic tournament at Basehor-Linwood High School. Stean won the match by fall in 1 minute, 4 seconds on her way to winning the tournament. (Photo copyright 2021 by Brian Turrel)
by Brian Turrel
Twenty-nine high school girls’ wrestling teams, including Bonner Springs, Turner, and Harmon, competed in the 4th Annual Ladycat Classic tournament, held on Saturday at Basehor-Linwood High School.
Olivia Stean of Bonner Springs won the 170-pound class, going 5-0 including four falls and a forfeit. She defeated Mandy Wilson of Basehor-Linwood in the championship match. Stean is still undefeated this season at 15-0.
Arianna Ortiz of Turner won the 101-pound class, going 4-0. Ortiz won her three preliminary matches by fall. She defeated Washburn Rural’s Kristen Rezac in the final by technical fall, ahead 16-0 when the match was stopped in the third round.
Stean and Ortiz are both ranked number one in Kansas in their weight classes by the Kansas Wrestling Coaches Association. Stean was ranked 8th in the country in the 180-pound class in USA Wrestling’s pre-season rankings.
Jenna Knight of Bonner Springs went 4-1 and took 5th place of 16 wrestlers in the 120-pound class. Knight is now 12-3 for the season.
Freshman Kamahni Jackson of Harmon placed 9th in the 132-pound class. She went 3-2 in the tournament with three wins by fall, and she has compiled a 7-4 record so far this year.
Arianna Ortiz wrestled Fort Scott’s Ryelee Cagle in a 101-pound match. Ortiz won the match by fall in the third round. (Photo copyright 2021 by Brian Turrel)
Kamahni Jackson wrestled Gardner-Edgerton’s Alyssa Rutherford in a 132-pound match. Jackson won the match by fall in the first round. (Photo copyright 2021 by Brian Turrel)
Jenna Knight wrestled Emporia’s Katina Keosybounheuang in a 120-pound match. Knight won the match by fall in the first round. (Photo copyright 2021 by Brian Turrel)
Emmalee Foya wrestled Baldwin’s Rein Goebel in the 132-pound C bracket. Goya won by fall in the second round. (Photo copyright 2021 by Brian Turrel)
Tyler Wild wrestled Basehor-Linwood’s Meriska Henderson in a 235-pound match. Wild won the match by fall in the first round. (Photo copyright 2021 by Brian Turrel)
Kaylee Killion wrestled Dodge City’s Ayden Ruiz in the 120-pound C bracket. Ruiz won the match on a 3-2 decision. (Photo copyright 2021 by Brian Turrel)
Turner’s Daisy Chavez wrestled Spring Hill’s Campbell Mermis in a 155-pound match. Mermis won the match by fall in the second round. (Photo copyright 2021 by Brian Turrel)
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.
Senior Jayce Smith sized up a shot in the low post. (Photo copyright 2021 by Brian Turrel)
Junior Tavian Cruse launched a 3-pointer over 6-foot, 8-inch De Soto junior Greyson Chappel. (Photo copyright 2021 by Brian Turrel)
Senior Trent Stimac blocked a shot from De Soto junior Blake Hicks. (Photo copyright 2021 by Brian Turrel)
The Bonner Springs cheerleaders performed stunts during a break in the action. (Photo copyright 2021 by Brian Turrel)
Junior Cameron Doss was defended by De Soto junior Blake Hicks. (Photo copyright 2021 by Brian Turrel)
Sophomore Kalen Streit hauled down a rebound. (Photo copyright 2021 by Brian Turrel)
Quick thinking by senior Jayden Young earned a tie-up on a defensive rebound. (Photo copyright 2021 by Brian Turrel)
Junior Cameron Doss had his shot blocked by De Soto senior Cole James. (Photo copyright 2021 by Brian Turrel)
The Bonner Springs cheerleaders got in the spirit with a Christmas sweater theme. (Photo copyright 2021 by Brian Turrel)
Senior Jayce Smith muscled up a shot in the lane. (Photo copyright 2021 by Brian Turrel)
Trent Stimac leaped to secure an offensive rebound over De Soto sophomore David Cobin. (Photo copyright 2021 by Brian Turrel)
Mariyah Noel’s shot was undeterred by De Soto sophomore Addison Tower blocking her path. (Photo copyright 2021 by Brian Turrel)
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.
Surrounded by three defenders, junior Wren VanCleave looked for an outlet under the basket. (Photo copyright 2021 by Brian Turrel)
Senior Mercedes Madlock took a shot in the lane and earned a trip to the free throw line. (Photo copyright 2021 by Brian Turrel)
Junior Mariyah Noel split two De Soto defenders as she drove to the basket. (Photo copyright 2021 by Brian Turrel)
Sophomore Luci Smith lined up a 3-point shot. (Photo copyright 2021 by Brian Turrel)
Junior Wren VanCleave drew two defenders and then passed the ball to the left wing. (Photo copyright 2021 by Brian Turrel)
Junior Mariyah Noel slipped past the De Soto defense and into the lane. (Photo copyright 2021 by Brian Turrel)
Sophomore Pirsten Leslie was defended by De Soto junior Carson Mack under the basket. (Photo copyright 2021 by Brian Turrel)
