Wildcats lose heartbreaker to Frontenac

By Andy Brown
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Updated: January 21, 2020

Andy Brown / Louisburg Sports Zone

Louisburg’s Weston Guetterman drives to the basket during a game earlier this season. The Wildcats lost a close game to Frontenac on Saturday, 59-57.

With less than eight minutes left in the game, the Louisburg boys basketball team was well on its way to a third straight victory – that was until Frontenac decided to make one final run of its own.

Frontenac scored 11 straight points to take the lead, and after Louisburg’s Ben Guetterman tied it up on a 3-pointer with 10 seconds left, the Raiders’ Hayden Pile scored the game-winner with two seconds remaining and the Wildcats fell in a 59-57 heartbreaker Saturday in Louisburg.

It was a back-and-forth affair as the two teams each made runs at each other, but the Raiders were able to deliver the final blow.

“Frontenac is a good team,” Louisburg coach Ty Pfannenstiel said. “They are long at every position, so we knew it would be tough inside. Offensively we were good for 3 quarters, but we were really bad for the first 6 mins of the 4th which ended up being the difference in the game.

“I thought we executed really well the last two minutes and made some big plays to give us a chance. Ben’s 3-point shot to tie it up was the biggest shot of the year for us so far. It’s too bad we couldn’t get a stop and play it out in overtime.”

Frontenac struck first as the Raiders took a 16-11 lead after the first quarter, but the Wildcats were able to find a groove offensively in the second and third quarters.

Louisburg (3-4) scored 21 points in the second quarter and used a 13-4 run to end the first half to take a 32-29 halftime advantage. Michael Waldron and Ben Guetterman hit back-to-back 3-pointers, and a Weston Guetterman layup cut the Frontenac lead to two.

Ben Guetterman hit his second of four 3-pointers on the night, while Julian Margrave knocked down a basket to give the Wildcats the halftime advantage. Waldron and Ben Guetterman knocked down two more 3-pointers in the third quarter to give the Wildcats a six-point lead late.

Louisburg held a 48-40 lead early in the fourth quarter, but Frontenac went on an 11-0 run to go up 51-48. Louisburg cut the deficit to 57-54 after a pair of Weston Guetterman free throws with 26 seconds left.

After Frontenac missed two free throws, the Wildcats had a chance to tie the game and Ben Guetterman came through as he knocked down a 3-pointer with 10 seconds remaining.

Frontenac called timeout, and then drove the ball down the floor where the Raiders found Pile under the basket for game-winner with two seconds left.

“I thought we played well,” Pfannenstiel said. “It really was a back and forth game all night. We built a little lead there in the third and early fourth, but couldn’t hang on. We’ve got to find ways to stay out of droughts. That hurt us against Bonner and hurt us again.

“It was tough on our kids, but we have to learn from it and move on. We always stress how important every possession is, no matter if it’s in the first, second, third, or fourth quarter. They all add up to the end total and we were one short time time.”

Margrave led all scorers with a game-high 17 points and led Louisburg with eight rebounds. Ben Guetterman added 14 points in the loss, while Weston Guetterman added 10 to go along with six rebounds. Waldron added eight points and a team-high four steals.

The Wildcats shot 39 percent for the game, including seven 3-pointers. They were also 10-for-10 from the free-throw line.

Louisburg will try and get back on track today when it travels to the Baldwin Invitational Tournament and will face off with Bishop Ward in the first round. Tipoff is set for 4 p.m.

LOU 11 21 14 11 – 57

FRON 16 13 11 19 – 59

LOUISBURG (3-4): Julian Margrave 7-15 2-2 17; Ben Guetterman 5-10 0-0 14; Weston Guetterman 3-12 4-4 10; Michael Waldron 3-7 0-0 8; Garrett Rolofson 2-6 2-2 6; Konnor Vohs 0-1 2-2 2. Totals: 20-52 10-10 57. 3-point field goals: 7, (B. Guetterman 4, Waldron 2, Margrave)