The Chieftains rode a supreme defensive effort to a 43-26 victory against Eudora in the Tonganoxie Invitational seventh-place game, snapping their six-game losing skid.

THS (3-7) forced Eudora (3-10) into 21 turnovers and pestered the Cardinals enough on defense to hold EHS to 17.9 percent shooting from the floor (7-for-39).

Said Tonganoxie coach Randy Kraft: “That’s what we’ve been wanting all year.”

The Chieftains were more disruptive on defense than they had been in any other game this season and Kraft wasn’t completely sure what led to the change.

“I think it came from playing a seventh-place game, no pressure on you and you finally do it. I don’t know,” he said.

Though Eudora sophomore Valerie Pringle scored a game-high 15 points, Cassie Roberts was the Cardinals’ second-leading scorer with five and no one else had more than two points against the stingy THS defense.

In the meantime, no one for Tonganoxie scored in double figures, but it didn’t matter because of the Chieftains’ balance — Jenny Whitledge scored nine points, Haley Smith had eight, Tavia Brown and Emma Stilgenbauer put up six apiece and Danielle Miller added five.

THS next plays Friday at Atchison.

Score by quarters

EHS 4 8 4 10 — 26

THS 10 13 10 10 — 43

Eudora scoring

Danelle Topil 1-8 0-0 2, Valerie Pringle 3-12 8-10 15, Jennifer Bowser 0-3 1-3 1, Madison Maring 0-1 1-2 1, Victoria Lehmann 0-2 0-0 0, Anyssa Mays 0-2 0-0 0, Ashlyn Jackson 1-4 0-0 2, Cassie Roberts 2-4 1-5 5, Allie Webb 0-3 0-0 0.

Tonganoxie scoring

Amanda Holroyd 1-4 1-2 4, Danielle Miller 2-3 1-2 5, Jenny Whitledge 3-8 3-4 9, Tavia Brown 2-4 2-2 6, Hannah Kemp 0-2 0-0 0, Haley Smith 2-9 4-4 8, Madee Walker 2-7 0-0 4, Emma Stilgenbauer 3-4 0-0 6, Tayler Miles 0-2 1-2 1.