Turnovers haunt Wildcats in loss to Burlington

Junior Konnor Vohs steals a pass during Tuesday’s road contest in Burlington. The Wildcats fell to Burlington, 72-68.

BURLINGTON – The Louisburg boys basketball team had a good idea what to expect from Burlington when they Wildcats hit the road Tuesday for their second straight away game.

However, turnovers haunted the Wildcats and it sent them to their second straight loss. Despite a late rally, Louisburg came up a couple baskets short in a 72-68 setback to Burlington.

Louisburg went up against a full-court pressure defense from Burlington, which caused the Wildcats to commit 25 turnovers. Those mistakes made it difficult to come back against a Burlington team that shot almost 47 percent for the game.

“We knew coming in that they were going to be a team that plays hard,” Louisburg coach Ty Pfannenstiel said. “They don’t have a lot of size, but they are going to be physically tough and aggressive. We are going to see teams that like to get up and challenge us. At times, I think we were able to figure it out, but it took us too long to do that.

“In those kind of games, it comes down to one possession one way or the other and there were times where we built a lead and could have put them away with a bucket. We don’t, and then they go the other way and score. Their press was tough and we have to handle that better.”

It was a close game throughout and neither team had more than a seven-point lead. Burlington held that seven-point lead early in the third quarter, but the Wildcats made a big run to pull back in front.

Louisburg went on an 11-3 run thanks to seven points from senior Garrett Rolofson and a basket from sophomore Julian Margrave. Junior Weston Guetterman then put Louisburg in front, 43-41, with a basket and was fouled.

Rolofson then followed that up with a dunk to give Louisburg a four-point advantage late in the third. In all, Rolofson scored nine of his 11 points in the frame and the Wildcats led 49-45 going into the fourth.

Burlington then came alive with a 27-point fourth quarter and took the lead back early in final frame. Junior Ben Guetterman hit a pair of 3-pointers late to try and get the Wildcats back in it, but Burlington was able to knock down its free throws to hold off Louisburg.

“We made some plays that were able to get us back in it, but those possessions are just as important as the ones in the first quarter,” Pfannenstiel said. “We have to understand that. Our point of emphasis was having better shot selection and just being patient, and when they came out with their press we just kind of forgot about that and started firing up the first open shot and that fed right into their hand. We have to do a better job coaching and we will get better at those things.”

The Wildcats shot better than 50 percent for the game, and when they got good looks, they were able to convert. Margrave led Louisburg with 19 points on the night to go along with five rebounds and two blocks.

Weston Guetterman had 15 points and a team-high six assists from the point guard spot. Fellow guard Ben Guetterman finished with 13 points. Rolofson finished his night with a double-double as he had 11 points and a team-high 12 rebounds and two blocks.

Louisburg will try and bounce back tonight when it hosts Anderson County in its home opener.

“They have a different look and they might be a different style than what they were last year,” Pfannenstiel said. “We will get back to working hard. There are a lot of things we have to improve on and our focus is on Anderson County for sure.”

LOU               18           11           20           19 – 68

BUR               16           16           13           27 – 72

LOUISBURG (0-2): Julian Margrave 7-12 5-6 19; Weston Guetterman 5-9 4-6 15; Ben Guetterman 5-9 0-0 13; Garrett Rolofson 5-11 1-1 11; Maverick Rockers 3-3 0-0 8; Konnor Vohs 1-2 0-0 2. Totals: 26-49 10-13 68. 3-point field goals: 6, (B. Guetterman 3, Rockers 2, W. Guetterman 1)

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