Eudora ? Sloppy play couldn’t keep Eudora High’s girls basketball team from shellacking Kansas City Turner, 50-28, Monday night in the opening round of the Cardinals Invitational.

“I kind of thought we might be a bit sloppy going up against them,” Cards coach Cara Kimberlin admitted.

But Kimberlin really couldn’t blame her young squad for some of its struggles in its season opener.

After all, not only was it Eudora’s first game since suffering a heartbreaking last-second loss to Kansas City Ward in a Class 4A sub-state championship game in March, but it was also the Cardinals’ first test without four “special” players who graduated, including standout Lauren Kracl.

“No one girl can replace her,” EHS guard Michelle Deluna said of Kracl, the former EHS volleyball and basketball standout.

But Kracl’s sophomore sister, 5-foot-10 Erin Kracl, and junior Carrie Lister gave it their best shot.

The combo combined for 31 points — a point shy of the entire K.C. Turner team — and completely controlled the paint.

“Those two are both capable of stepping up and performing at the level they did tonight every night,” said Kimberlin, whose team, once you get past its five starters, has almost no varsity experience. “I was pleased to see how they both stepped up tonight. That was big for us.”

Eudora will square off against Topeka Highland Park — which defeated K.C. Ward, 41-33 — tonight at 8:30. The tourney’s other winners’ bracket game will feature Baldwin, a 44-32 winner over Maranatha, playing Paola, which defeated K.C. Piper, 64-21. Baldwin-Paola will tip off at 7 p.m.

The two losers’ bracket games will tip off at 4 and 5:30.

Baldwin High's Kelsey Verhaeghe, left, stands her ground under pressure from Maranatha's Maddie Metz in the Bulldogs' 44-32 victory. Baldwin won Monday night's Cardinals Invitational opener at EHS.

Eudora’s Lister lifted the Cardinals out of an 11-all deadlock with a strong drive midway through the second quarter. The bucket and subsequent free throw started a 7-0 run for Cardinals and allowed them to take control before breaking the game open in the second half.

Baldwin 44, Maranatha 32

For the most part, things were equally unspectacular for Baldwin as the Bulldogs pulled away with timely three-point shooting and stifling defense.

“I didn’t think we were sluggish. I mean, the girls were playing extremely hard,” said Baldwin coach Eric Toot, whose team improved to 2-0 on the season. “We’re just not a great offensive team at times, and we’re going to go through some rough stretches.”

That definitely showed in the second quarter when the Bulldogs struggled to score only four points — after busting out of the gates with 17.

But Baldwin, behind the 31 combined points from the trio of Kelsey Verhaeghe, Denise Orloff and Katelyn Miles, made sure Maranatha never could close the gap.

Orloff and Miles did their damage in the paint, while Verhaeghe nailed three of Baldwin’s four treys.

6Sports video: Eudora wins first round at own tournament

Despite the victory, Toot said his team would have a stern test in coming right back and playing a talented Paola team.

“They’re definitely a great team,” Toot said. “I think they have two of our league’s top three players. But it will be good for us to have such a challenge in this situation early in the season.”