Lady Cats finish sixth at Top Gun tournament

Louisburg senior Carson Buffington knocks in a 3-pointer Friday during the Lady Cats’ consolation semifinal game against Anderson County at Wellsville High School.

WELLSVILLE – It may not have been the finish the Lousiburg girls basketball team wanted Saturday during the Top Gun Tournament at Wellsville High School, but the Lady Cats still had plenty of positives to build off of in their final two games.

Louisburg lost to Topeka Hayden in the fifth-place game Saturday, 48-34, and was a game that was much closer than the score indicated. The Lady Cats trimmed the Hayden lead to just six with 3 minutes and 46 seconds to play, but Hayden converted from the free-throw line to seal the win.

This was after a big win for Louisburg as it knocked off Anderson County, 64-46, in the consolation semifinals Friday, thanks in part again to its defense. Louisburg fell to Wellsville, 60-28, to open tournament play Thursday.

“With the exception of Thursday’s game versus Wellsville, I thought our defensive effort was good and helped set the tone for our play in the tournament,” Louisburg coach Shawn Lowry said. “It’s great for our team when our defense can create offense and intensity for us because we’re flying around and getting on the floor for loose balls. With that said we have to continue improving at scoring the basketball when we have opportunities at the rim.”

Offensively, the Lady Cats got good performances from sophomore Madilyn Melton and senior Kennia Hankinson against Hayden as the two players combined for 28 of the team’s 34 points.

Melton scored a game-high 17 points, including a 10-for-11 performance from the free-throw line. Hankinson added 11 points, including three 3-pointers that helped keep the game close.

Louisburg also had to battle Hayden’s size inside, including forward Brooklyn Hunter. Hunter scored a team-high 13 points, but was shadowed the entire game by junior Haley Cain.

“I thought our defensive game plan with Hayden was good and Haley Cain battled her tail off against their good post player,” Lowry said. “We had our opportunities late in the game but just couldn’t finish some plays.”

Against Anderson County, the Lady Cats used their defense to spark their offense as they scored 24 and 19 points in the second and third quarter, respectively.

Louisburg (6-7) took a 10-4 lead at the end of the first quarter, but widened its lead to 13 points at halftime and 17 points going into the final period.

Melton again had another big game for Louisburg as she finished with 20 points and was one of three Lady Cats to score in double figures. Cain had a big night with 12 points and Buffington added 10 points in the win.

It didn’t go quite as well to start the tournament as the Lady Cats had trouble scoring against a Wellsville team that was tough defensively. Louisburg trailed 24-6 at the end of the first quarter, and after a better second period, went scoreless in the third quarter and sealed its fate.

Following the tournament, Top Gun officials released their awards and Buffington earned a spot on the tournament’s all-academic team.

Louisburg will try and bounce back this week with a pair of wins as it travels to Paola tonight for a rivalry matchup and then will host Ottawa on Friday for homecoming.

LOU               3             11           5             15 – 34

HAY               11           8             12           17 – 48

LOUISBURG (6-7): Madilyn Melton 3 10-11 17; Kennia Hankinson 3 2-2 11; Carson Buffington 0 2-4 2; Alyse Moore 0 2-8 2; Haley Cain 1 0-0 2. Totals: 7 16-25 34. 3-point field goals: 4, (Hankinson 3, Melton)

LOU               10           24           19           11 – 64

AC                  4             17           13           12 – 46

LOUISBURG: Madilyn Melton 7 6-8 20; Haley Cain 5 2-2 12; Carson Buffington 4 0-0 10; Megan Foote 3 0-0 7; Brooklyn Diederich 2 0-0 5; Kennia Hankinson 1 2-4 4; Alyse Moore 2 0-2 4; Madison Quinn 1 0-0 2. Totals: 25 10-16 64. 3-point field goals: 4, (Buffington 2, Diederich, Foote)

LOU               6             15           0             7 – 28

WEL              24           13           17           6 – 60

LOUISBURG: Madilyn Melton 4 0-2 8; Carson Buffington 2 0-0 6; Jordan Mynsted 2 0-0 5; Brooklyn Diederich 2 1-2 5; Haley Cain 1 0-0 3; Megan Foote 0 1-4 1. Totals: 11 1-9 28. 3-point field goals: 4, (Buffington 2, Mynsted, Cain)

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