THS had an 11-9 lead after a quarter against Gardner-Edgerton, but play stopped in the first half after Tonganoxie’s Ashtin Barnes suffered a nose injury that kept her down on the court for a few minutes before being assisted to the training room. The injury prevented her from returning against the Blazers. Raegan Seba then was out of the game for a bit with an injury before returning to the court.

GEHS led just 25-20 at halftime, but a big third quarter helped the visitors widen their lead. They eventually left Tonganoxie with a 57-39 victory that dropped Tonganoxie to 4-7 on the season and halted the Chieftains’ two-game winning streak.

THS coach Mitch Loomis said he thought the team just got worn down and was tired in the second half, but he applauded the girls for not giving up against Gardner-Edgerton.

“The effort was great against a great 6A team,” Loomis said. “The girls didn’t back down and I think that says a lot about our team.

Morgan Brusven led the team in scoring with 13, while Hattie Baldock and Seba also were in double figures with 11 and 10, respectively.

Emma Sunderland chipped in 5 in the loss.

Tonganoxie entered the game coming off a big 65-18 victory Jan. 26 against Heritage Christian in Olathe.

Brusven again led the team in scoring against the Chargers. She had 17, while Seba had 14 and Sunderland and Baldock each scored 11.

Brooklyn Lang, Chyanne Aaron, Kylie Rickard and Sage Isaacs each scored 3 for THS.

Tonganoxie had another non conference game Tuesday in Topeka against Shawnee Heights. That game took place after The Mirror’s print deadline.

THS is back home Friday against Frontier League foe Bonner Springs, a squad THS defeated by 20 at the Tonganoxie Invitational. From there, they have road games Monday at Spring Hill and Tuesday at Jeff West near Meriden. All games start at 6 p.m.