After Bethany McCormick sank a wide-open three-pointer from the left corner to tie the game at 34, the Hornets forced Ark City into committing five turnovers over the next five minutes -- all steals.

That allowed Valley Center to get the separation it needed to earn its second win on the season. Sydney Cummings hit a jumper just inside the three-point line for a 40-34 Hornets lead after three. Brittany Taylor then hit a transition layup for an eight-point lead with 6:16 remaining.

Taylor finished with eight points and Cummings 2. Ark City turned the ball over 19 times on Friday.

Stinson single-handidly carried the Bulldogs in the first half. After Natalie Benton hit two free throws to open the game, Stinson caught fire. She scored Ark City's next 22 points, including a three-pointer for a 19-11 lead two minutes into the second quarter.

"She's just playing real hard," Bill Stinson said. "I just don't want to say that she's carrying the team at all because it's a team effort. If we can get some other things to go with her, it will be great."

But when Natalie Stinson was relegated to the bench after picking up her second foul on the ensuing possession, the Bulldogs couldn't find anybody else to pick up the slack for her. And Valley Center took advantage, with senior Bradye Peniston sparking a 13-2 run to close out the first half.

"We're just playing tentative," Bill Stinson said. "We've never told them not to take the ball and go. They're not being aggressive like they would be in a JV game. They've got to carry that over to this (varsity level)."

Peniston scored 10 of her team-high 22 points during the spurt. She recorded a putback and then hit a three-pointer from the left corner, cutting Ark City's lead to 19-16. She then grabbed an offensive rebound and sank a three-pointer from the left corner for a 23-19 Hornets lead.

"I didn't think she had that range," Bill Stinson said. "We just lost that edge. Once you kind of lose some momentum, it's kind of hard to get it back."

That stretch was eerily similar to Tuesday night, in which Ark City held a six-point halftime lead, but lost it in the second half.

"We were struggling defending," Bill Stinson said. "Just like the Newton game, we just can't finish. Pretty good for 2 1/2 to three quarters. We just got to find the edge to go finish."

Peniston nearly had a double-double, as she finished with eight rebounds. Kelsey Konen chipped in seven points and three rebounds. She also recorded two key steals early in the fourth quarter, one off a bad pass by Nikki Jordan.

Those type of turnovers became a common theme for Ark City (1-6), especially in the second half.

Hunt finally broke Ark City's scoreless drought with her three-pointer midway through the fourth quarter. That cut Valley Center's lead to 45-37 with 3:07 remaining. But that's as close as Ark City would come.

And it was only fitting that Peniston cap off a strong game with a layup off a steal.

"We had a few turnovers that kind of took of the rhythm," Bill Stinson said. "We were kind of in the flow and then lost our focus. We're still youthful and just got to make better decisions."

Valley Center 6 18 16 9 -- 49
Ark City 11 10 13 3 -- 37

Valley Center -- Peniston 22, Taylor 8, Konen 7, Stuke 6, Cummings 2, Mayber 2, Barnes 2.
Ark City -- Stinson 26, Sturd 4, Benton 4, Hunt 3.

Above: Arkansas City's Kasha Hunt (10) looks for an open teammate on Friday night.