PLEASANTON — On a night that felt more like homecoming than a regular-season basketball game, the Pleasanton High School gymnasium was filled with energy.  

Blue and white streamers draped the walls, balloons floated above the student section and fans packed every inch of the stands. 

And when the final buzzer sounded, the Blu-Jays gave their town another reason to celebrate. 

In a showdown between the Three Rivers League’s only unbeaten teams, Pleasanton delivered a statement with a 47-39 victory over Southeast-Cherokee last Tuesday. The win kept the Blu-Jays perfect in league play and have since moved them to 20-1 overall, strengthening their grip on what could be the program’s first league title since 1995. 

But inside the gym, it was about more than a single win. 

“Being the two undefeated teams in the league, any time that match up comes around it is going to be big,” Pleasanton head coach Tim Staton said. “We are also very aware that it wasn’t the league championship. We have a few more district games and we have to clear those out to obtain that goal that we set way back in camp.” 

After the final horn, players gathered at center court and senior Kamden Staton addressed the crowd, thanking the community for its overwhelming support. It was a moment that captured just how much this team has reignited basketball in Pleasanton. 
 

“When I came in two years ago, I wanted to build a winning team but at the same time the culture had to shift around here,” coach Staton said. “There were too many years where losing was ok and we didn’t try to put in the effort or try to drive community involvement. I felt like if we put a positive winning team on the court the community would follow. I am just as happy as the way they showed up tonight as I am about the win. 

“The kids were on it and decorating for the game. People from the town that I haven’t seen at basketball games before and it was the loudest I had ever heard this gym — and I went to school here.” 

At the heart of Pleasanton’s surge are four seniors who have grown up together — Kamden Staton, Mario Davis, Garrett Conley and Gage McGinnis. The quartet has been playing side-by-side since the fourth grade, all under the guidance of Tim Staton. 

“These four seniors I have coached since they were in the fourth grade,” Staton said. “My heart is going to break whenever the last game comes around. They are all super important to me.” 
 

Davis, who recently eclipsed the 1,000-point milestone, has been the offensive engine. He’s averaging 19.9 points, 6.5 rebounds, 2.8 assists and 3.4 steals per game, cementing his place among the program’s top scorers in recent memory. 

But it’s his growth as a leader that stands out most. 

“The basketball IQ has always been there as has the talent, but the biggest thing for Mario has been the improvement in his leadership,” Staton said. “It has come on like you wouldn’t believe. If you would have seen him last year and the way he worked with his team compared to this year it is night and day. 

“Last year I really only relied on one floor leader and that was Kamden, but now Mario has stepped up and they support each other and work well together. That is the thing I am most proud about. He has gotten smarter and taken on that leadership role and the other stuff still comes with it. He is just a special, special kid.” 

Kamden Staton adds 10.1 points, 5.2 rebounds and 2.4 steals per game, while Conley provides a steady inside presence with 8.2 points, eight rebounds and 1.2 blocks per contest. McGinnis contributes 5.1 points, 5.1 rebounds and 2.8 steals, often doing the little things that don’t always show up in the box score. 

Sophomore Antonio Bustillos has given Pleasanton another dynamic weapon. Averaging 10.8 points per game, he has emerged as the team’s second-leading scorer and a consistent offensive threat. 
 

“Antonio has really just matured so much from his freshman to sophomore year,” Staton said. “Tony was one of those kids that struggled a little bit with the mental part of the game. If everything wasn’t perfection, he would let that bother him. He worked hard in the offseason and played some AAU ball and now it is all starting to click for him. That has allowed the talent for him to really shine through. He has been a huge piece of the offensive puzzle and it gives us three or four different scorers that can all have big nights.” 

Ranked No. 5 in Class 1A Division I, Pleasanton has its sights set beyond a league championship. A year ago, the Blu-Jays fell in the 2A sub-state finals to St. Mary’s Colgan, getting a harsh lesson in postseason basketball. Now competing in 1A Division I, they believe they’re ready to take the next step. 

“Obviously the No. 1 goal for us is to win a league title, but the other goal we set for ourselves is to get to the state tournament,” Staton said. “Last year we were the sub-state runner-up and we got a little taste of the postseason. We just got outclassed that game and we were still growing. These guys believe that they have the ability to win it all and I do too.” 

For now, though, Pleasanton is focused on finishing what it started — closing out league play and ending a 31-year drought. 

On a night when the gym shook and a town rallied behind its team, the Blu-Jays looked every bit like a group determined to make history. 

 

EXCITEMENT SWIRLS AROUND BONNER SPRINGS PERFECT SEASON

BONNER SPRINGS — The echoes inside the Bonner Springs High School gym sound a little different these days — a little louder, a little longer, a little more hopeful. 

Maybe it’s because the Braves are doing something no one around the school has seen in decades. 

Bonner Springs is 20-0, off to one of the best starts in program history and knocking on the door of a Frontier League title. Ranked No. 3 in Class 5A, the Braves aren’t just winning — they’re building belief that a run at the school’s first state championship since 1984 might be more than just talk. 

“I don’t think we really thought that we could go (20-0) to start the season,” Bonner Springs coach Drew Gruver said. “We felt like we had a chance to win every game we went into and we felt like we had the guys that we should be able to compete. But it is tough to get wins. Our league is tough. We didn’t really expect to be undefeated this late in the season, but hopefully we can keep it going.” 

If there was a moment that crystallized just how dangerous the Braves can be, it came last Wednesday in a long-awaited showdown with rival Piper. 

The two schools, once league foes, had not squared off in recent years after moving into different conferences. But when each team was shorted a game during a midseason tournament, they filled the opening with a matchup that felt more like March than February as Piper is ranked No. 6 in Class 5A. 

“It was a great crowd out there and it was a great high school basketball game,” Gruver said. “The score doesn’t reflect how close it was the entire game. A couple plays here or there and it could have gone a different way. It was fun to be a part of.” 

For three quarters, it was a battle. Then Bonner Springs found another gear. 

Sophomore Jaiden Jones erupted in the second half and finished with 30 points and 10 rebounds to power the Braves to a 78-62 victory. Nate Ferrell poured in 20 points, including several momentum-swinging 3-pointers, and Kelan Gruver orchestrated the offense with 17 points and 13 assists. 

“Jaiden had a heck of a second half and scored big for us,” Coach Gruver said. “He has the ability to do that for us and we were able to exploit some mismatches that he had at times. Nate hit some big 3s for us and Kelan hit a couple as well.” 
 

The Braves’ perimeter attack didn’t cool off. 

Less than 24 hours later, Bonner Springs drilled Frontier League foe Ottawa 73-56. Kelan Gruver buried six 3-pointers on his way to 23 points, while Ferrell added 17 more as the Braves showcased the balance that has defined their season. 

Balance — and unselfishness. 

The Braves have four players that average in double figures. Gruver leads the team with 18.4 points a game, while Jones averages 16.4. Ferrell averages 11.3 a game while senior Jason Jones Jr., averages 10.2. 

Prince Donnell is a defensive force for the Braves and is also second on the team with 80 assists for the season, while Gruver has 88. Jaiden Jones is the top rebounder with 102 boards. 

“The thing I love about the team is how unselfish we are,” Gruver said. “We understand that anyone on the team can have a night. When we have a mismatch or someone is open, we share the ball so well and it makes us a tough team to play against.” 

That philosophy shows up in the numbers. The Braves are averaging more than 19 assists per game, a reflection of a group that prioritizes the extra pass over individual accolades. 

“The key to it is they play for one another,” Gruver said. “We keep preaching that it is amazing what can be accomplished when no one cares who gets the credit. This team has bought into that team mentality and shares the ball unbelievably well. There are multiple guys on our team that can go off and score 20 or 30. They understand that being a team is what is making us go.” 

Defense has been just as critical. Against Piper — a team Gruver called “definitely the toughest team that we have seen all year” — the Braves embraced the pressure of a big-game atmosphere. 

“It was a game that was good for us because Piper is a very good team,” Gruver said. “Being a big game atmosphere, where there are things on the line and pressure on us and seeing how we perform, it was a great game to schedule for us. We tried to pride ourselves on the defensive end and we have to get stops if we want to be successful. We did a pretty good job of that and made them make some tough shots.” 

The win also served as a reminder of the rivalry’s history. 

“This is only my second year here, but I know Bonner and Piper used to be in the same league and it was always a big rivalry game,” Gruver said. “It was a battle.” 

Bonner Springs last won a Frontier League title in 2019. Now, the Braves sit on the verge of another — and perhaps something even bigger. 

The sting of last year’s first-round state tournament loss to Andover still lingers. 

“We made state last year and got out in the first round,” Gruver said. “The guys obviously want to get back there and see what happens. The ultimate goal for everyone is to win a state championship. We have to take care of some business here at the end of the season and win two games at sub-state to have a chance and see where it goes from there.”