Tonganoxie played intense defense, charging to a 22-2 intermission lead against host school Xavier.

In the second half, Tonganoxie cruised along as each player on the team contributed to the victory. Christy Weller led the team in steals with nine, while Ashli Koch and Traci Hileman also had steals. Koch and Sarah Heinz led the team in rebounds. TJHS had 15 assists, led by Weller, Lindsey Himpel and Ashlee Lohman. Scoring for the Warriors were Elizabeth Baska with 14, Hileman 9, Koch 6 and Ann Erickson with 4. Himpel and Lohman each had three, while Hannah Herrstrom had two. Sarah Smith and Courtney DeHoff came off the bench and gave the team a lift with their defensive efforts.

On Thursday, the Warriors played undefeated Basehor-Linwood. The lead changed hands many times in the first half with Tonganoxie having the final advantage before the half at 14-13. The Warriors increased their intensity in the third quarter and saw the lead swell to 11. The Bulldogs outscored the visitors, 16-9, in the fourth, but the late rally wasn’t enough.

Hileman and Baska led the team in rebounding with eight each, along with Lohman at six. Hileman also led the team in steals with three. Himpel and Erickson came off the bench and gave high-quality minutes to the team’s effort. Herrstrom pulled down the first few Tonganoxie rebounds before getting into foul trouble. TJHS hit eight of 11 free throws and sealed the victory. Scoring for Tonganoxie were: Lohman 17, Baska 10, Weller 3, Hileman 2 and Erickson 2.

“I was very pleased with the defensive effort at Xavier,” TJHS coach John Korb said. “All 11 girls played great defense.

“I knew the game with Basehor-Linwood would be very tough as they had defeated the team that beat us. I was pleased with our defensive effort and rebounding throughout the game.”

The B-team made improvements in its play but came up short in two of its recent games. The Warriors lost to Clark, 18-9, and Basehor-Linwood, 15-10. Coach Bill Shaw said the team was making real strides in its defense and passing the ball on offense.

The A-team also was in action the previous week when the Warriors defeated Oskaloosa, 36-7, and Monticello, 39-35.

Scoring for TJHS against Oskaloosa were Baska 12, Lohman 8, Koch 6, Erickson 4, Christy Weller 3, Heinz 3. Against Monticello, these Warriors scored: Lohman 16, Baska 14, Koch 4, Weller 2, Herrstrom 2, Himpel 1.

In B-team action, TJHS defeated Oskaloosa, 14-10, and Monticello, 20-12.

The Tonganoxie Junior High seventh-grade A team lost one contest last week, but responded Thursday with an exciting game on its home court.

The Warriors lost to Perry-Lecompton, 35-17, on Nov. 18, but came back two days later with a 32-21 win. Megan Puhr led the Warriors with 10 points. Tonganoxie trailed early, but the Warriors clicked in the second quarter when they outscored Piper, 12-4. TJHS had a six-point lead at the half and held that margin until the fourth quarter when they outscored PJHS, 8-3.

The B team also went 1-1 for the week. TJHS lost to Perry-Lecompton, 39-8 and beat Piper, 15-14. The Warriors trailed 8-3 at the half, but outscored Piper, 12-6, in the second half. Leah McCaffrey led the team in scoring with six.

Coach Phil Jeannin said the teams showed continued improvement with passing and defense.

TJHS scoring — Himpel 2 (6 steals), Puhr 10, McCaffrey 2, Jeannin 6 (6 rebounds) Kerbaugh 2, Hicks 8 (7 rebounds), Krivjansky