Rough third quarter sinks Lady Cats against Eudora

By Andy Brown
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Updated: January 7, 2019

Andy Brown / Louisburg Sports Zone

Louisburg junior Haley Cain gets on the floor for a loose ball Friday at Eudora High School. The Lady Cats fell 51-28 in their first game back from the holiday break.

EUDORA – There are times during a season where most teams will have games where the offense just wasn’t there.

Friday was one of those nights for the Louisburg girls basketball team.

Eudora built on its 10-point halftime lead with a big third quarter and handed the Lady Cats a 51-28 defeat at Eudora High School. The Cardinals went on a 20-3 run in the third quarter to pull away and the Lady Cats didn’t have an answer.

“We just have to find a way to score the basketball,” Louisburg coach Shawn Lowry said. “Whether it is with different looks, different sets, different personnel – we just have to find a way to get better at scoring the ball. Maybe it is something simple like getting to the rim, making our free throws or hitting some shots from the outside. It needs to get better.”

The Cardinals employed a zone defense for much of the game and wanted to make Louisburg beat them from the outside. That defense took away the Lady Cats’ strength, which is driving to the basket and getting the ball down low.

“If I was on the other side coaching, I would probably zone us quite a bit too,” Lowry said. “They forced us to shoot from the outside and we couldn’t take advantage of that. Our driving ability and inside game can be pretty strong, but we have to find a way to score the basketball in addition to those two things.”

The Lady Cats trailed by just six points at the end of the first quarter and had a 27-17 halftime deficit before the Cardinals caught fire.

Along with the rough night shooting, the Lady Cats had a tough time containing Eudora sisters Riley and Reagan Hiebert. The Cardinal twins combined for 29 of the team’s 51 points as they knocked down several shots from the outside against the Louisburg zone.

“They are tough to guard and they are athletic,” Lowry said of the Eudora guards. “That is what speed does. They are great track athletes and it shows on the basketball floor as well. Add to that, they can really shoot the ball.

“Eudora is a really good team. We knew they were going to be a solid team and they got a really nice freshman class coming up too. They were what we expected. They are a talented group of kids and they are well-coached and he has done a nice job for a long time.”

Louisburg sophomore Madilyn Melton nearly had a double-double to lead the Lady Cats. Melton finished with 10 points and eight rebounds and was the lone Lady Cat to score in double figures.

Sophomore Alyse Moore was next with six points, while sophomore guard Brooklyn Diederich added five. Seniors Carson Buffington and Kennia Hankinson were second on the team with five rebounds.

The Lady Cats will try and get back on track Tuesday when it travels to Bonner Springs. Tipoff is set for 6 p.m., as Louisburg is in the middle of a three-game road trip.

“We had a really good work over the break,” Lowry said. “Our attendance was fantastic and our work ethic was great. Our energy was really good, but now we have to come back and play three games on the road. We just have to pick ourselves from this and rebound at Bonner Springs.”

LOU 10 7 3 8 – 28

EUD 16 11 20 4 – 51

LOUISBURG (4-3): Madilyn Melton 4-8 2-4 10; Alyse Moore 2-3 2-7 6; Brooklyn Diederich 2-10 0-0 5; Carson Buffington 1-5 0-0 2; Haley Cain 1-5 0-2 2; Ashley Moore 1-1 0-0 2; Erin Lemke 0-2 1-2 1. Totals: 11-38 5-15 28. 3-point field goals: 1, (Diederich)