The Basehor-Linwood boys cross country team answered coach Jeff Venema’s challenge to improve its performances during the Lansing Cross Country Invitational on Thursday.

Venema had been disappointed with the team’s performance a week earlier at the Rim Rock Invitational and liked what he saw at Lansing, saying the team ran harder and stepped up its performance.

The Bobcats placed fourth as a team in the 5K race.

Doug Demoro placed 13th in the race. Brady Blackwood placed 15th in the race. Micheal Torrez placed 21st and Bryce Garver placed 24th in the race.

The Basehor-Linwood varsity girls were hampered by injuries during their 4K race. Hannah Tush missed the race and is out indefinitely with an injury. The loss impacted Basehor-Linwood’s overall score as she had been one of the team’s top runners throughout the season.

In Tush’s absence, Kayla Peterson placed fifth in the race. Brooke Redmond placed 15th in the race and Megan Rehm finished 24th.

In the boys junior varsity race, Rob Peterson finished in third and led the team to a second-place finish.

Basehor-Linwood runs in the Pleasant Ridge Invitational at 4 p.m. today.