Basketball Game Preview: Bonner Springs Braves vs. St. James Academy Thunder

The Bonner Springs Braves will head out to challenge the St. James Academy Thunder at 7:00 p.m. on Tuesday. Both come into the match bolstered by wins in their previous matches.

Bonner Springs will bounce into Tuesday's game after beating Baldwin, who they had gone 1-8 against in their nine prior meetings. Bonner Springs sure made it a nail-biter, but they managed to escape with a 44-41 win over Baldwin on Friday. The victory made it back-to-back wins for the Braves.

Meanwhile, St. James Academy earned a 52-44 victory over Blue Valley Northwest on Friday. The win continues a trend for the Thunder in their matchups with the Huskies: they've now won seven in a row.

Bonner Springs better focus on containing Riley Kerwin and Regan Becker as the pair were huge in St. James Academy's win. Kerwin shot 44% from the field en route to 18 points, while Becker posted 11 points along with seven boards and six assists. Another player making a difference was Caroline Rueger, who put up four points.

Bonner Springs' record is now 9-11. As for St. James Academy, their record now sits at 16-4.

Bonner Springs was dealt a bruising 55-25 defeat at the hands of St. James Academy when the teams last played back in February of 2024. A big factor in that loss was the dominant performance of St. James Academy's Reese Messer, who went 9-for-21 on her way to 27 points in addition to seven rebounds and five steals. Now that Bonner Springs knows the damage she can cause, will they be able to stop her this time? There's only one way to find out.