Basehor — The Basehor-Linwood girls basketball team won its first game of the season on Friday, thanks to a wild comeback in the final minutes at Tonganoxie.

The Lady Bobcats (1-3 overall, 1-2 Kaw Valley League) outscored Tonganoxie 21-6 in the final 3:11 of the game and won 55-47. They made three 3-pointers, scored one old-fashioned 3-point play and made 8-of-12 free throws during their final rush.

Senior Ryann Smith’s back-to-back 3-pointers gave the Lady Bobcats their first lead of the second half and only their second lead of the game at 46-44 with 1:15 remaining.

Senior Jenna Mussett followed with the 3-point play 27 seconds later and added three free throws as Basehor-Linwood pulled away in the closing seconds.

“We’ve had several games where we haven’t been happy with our shot selection, but tonight our shot selection wasn’t that bad,” Lady Bobcats coach Jason Tatkenhorst said. “They just weren’t falling. We felt like the whole time if we could just make one, then we’d get going.”

Until the final mad dash, Tonganoxie held the lead for almost all of the game, pushing the lead to 40-32 with 5:08 remaining. But the Lady Bobcats could have been in even more trouble, as Tonganoxie only made 10 of 30 free throws in the second half and 16 of 44 for the game.

Lady Bobcats senior Zoey DeLeon also helped keep her team close enough in the first three quarters with aggressive play that got her to the free-throw line. She scored 10 of her 14 points at the line as the fouls piled up for both teams. Tonganoxie and Basehor-Linwood combined for 40 fouls in the second half and shot 82 free throws for the game. The Lady Bobcats also struggled at the line before their big finish, going 17 of 38 for the game.

Smith finished with a game-high 16 points, and Mussett added 10.

“The girls never quit,” Tatkenhorst said. “Somebody would make a mistake — and we made a lot of mistakes tonight — nobody got down. Luckily, there was enough time in the game to find our way and come out with a win.”

Junior Taylor Lee scored 10 of her team-high 12 points in the first half as Tonganoxie took a 24-21 lead. Senior Cheyenne Ford led Tonganoxie with 11 points before leaving the game midway through the fourth quarter with an injury.

Sophomore starter Lauren Willson also was hurt and unable to play in the fourth quarter, and fellow starters Mackenzie Price and Kaitlin Hall also fouled out in the fourth, enhancing Basehor-Linwood’s already significant depth advantage. The Lady Bobcats’ bench outscored Tonganoxie’s substitutes 23-6.

The Lady Bobcats don’t play again until Jan. 5 at Mill Valley.

BLHS defense stifles Tonganoxie boys

Basehor-Linwood held an opponent to less than 30 points for the second straight game on Friday, defeating Tonganoxie 58-25 on the road.

Tonganoxie only scored seven field goals against the Bobcats (4-0 overall, 3-0 Kaw Valley League) as Basehor-Linwood grabbed control in the second and third quarters. The Bobcats also forced 30 Tonganoxie turnovers in the first three quarters.

“These kids love defense,” Basehor-Linwood coach Mike McBride said. “And I know some people say it and it’s a cliché, but these kids really do. It’s a lot of fun to watch.”

Senior Jack Dale led Basehor-Linwood with 18 points. Senior Nick Fisher added nine. Tonganoxie senior Dylan Staatz scored eight points.