Shawnee ? If good things come to those who wait, it’s a good thing Tonganoxie High girls basketball coach Randy Kraft had nothing but time on his hands Friday.

Otherwise, his Chieftains might not have had the patience for a two-hour-late start or a winless but feisty Mill Valley squad.

Tonganoxie’s diligence, combined with a solid fourth-quarter stretch, gave the Chieftains their fourth win of the season — 51-42 Friday at MVHS.

“I told them Merry Christmas,” Kraft said with a chuckle.

But the fact that Friday’s game could have gone either way was no laughing matter for Tonganoxie.

The Chieftains, who started this season with five new starters in addition to first-year coach Kraft’s new system, struggled through the first seven minutes.

Tongie had as many turnovers — six — as points, and the fact that the game didn’t begin until 8 p.m. wasn’t lost on THS players.

“We were kind of getting tired of watching,” senior Laura Korb said of having to view a triple-overtime boys’ junior varsity game that backed up their already later-than-usual start another 60 minutes. “We were like âÂÂ’Shoot a three, anything, just ended it.'”

When the Chieftains finally took the court, they started slowly.

“I don’t know how much bearing it had on the game, but they were a little slow out of the gate,” Kraft said.

Tongie led 29-16 at halftime, but started the third quarter sluggishly again.

The Chieftains committed eight of their 22 turnovers in the third quarter and their solid inside game had evaporated.

Mill Valley (0-4), led by Kendra Corley, who scored a game-high 14 points, cut Tongie’s lead to 36-30.

“We didn’t execute,” Kraft said. “And that’s the key for our team. We have to play tough defense and execute every possession on offense.”

While Tonganoxie might not have converted on every opportunity in the final eight minutes, the Chieftains manufactured enough shots, especially from the foul line, to pull out the victory.

The Chieftain hit 11 of 21 free throws in the fourth.

“We did good,” said Korb, who scored eight points and was one of five Chieftains to score seven or more points Friday. “We’re getting better with every minute out there.”

And Friday there were plenty of those.

“That’s all right,” Korb joked. “My boyfriend plays for the guy’s team, so I’d have to watch him anyway.”

Tonganoxie 51, Mill Valley 42

Tonganoxie (4-2) 13 16 7 15 — 51

Mill Valley (0-4) 3 13 14 12 — 42

Tonganoxie — Michelle McWilliams 8, Addie Heim 9, Laura Korb 8, Madison Weller 7, Katie Jeannin 4, Kelly Breuer 12, Jennifer Reischman 1, Sarah Holliday 2.

Mill Valley — Megan Niemann 10, Cat White 4, Kara Hoschouer 10, Hilarie Andrews 2, Kendra Corley 14, Kelly Hiltner 2.

Mill Valley boys 51, Tonganoxie 31

David Woods scored a game-high 17 points for Mill Valley.

The Jaguars held Tonganoxie to nine points in the second half.

Joe Calovich led Tonganoxie with eight points.

Mill Valley boys 51,

Tonganoxie 31

Tonganoxie 12 10 4 5 — 31

Mill Valley 20 9 14 8 — 51

Tonganoxie — Shane Howard 5, Chad Turner 7, Jon Gripka 4, Justin Walker 4, Jacob Walker 1, Billy Baska 2, Joe Calovich 8.

Mill Valley — Sean Scott 7, David Woods 17, Brandon Smith 1, Ryan Draper 8, Jake Summerlin 5, Kyle Deberg 2, Jacob Eaton 8, Tyson Corley 3.