Wildcats catch fire to beat Eudora on Senior Night

Sophomore Julian Margrave gets to the basket for two of his 20 points Tuesday against Eudora. The Wildcats knocked down 13 3-pointers in their win over the Cardinals.

The Louisburg boys basketball team picked a good time to have its best shooting night of the season Tuesday against Eudora.

The Wildcats, who lost to Eudora earlier in the year, returned the favor in a 64-50 victory over the Cardinals. As impressive as the win was, it was how the Wildcats did it that made all that more memorable.

Louisburg knocked down 13 3-pointers on the night – a season high – and in comparison made just eight two-pointers. The Wildcats shot nearly 50 percent from the floor and was able to hold off a late Eudora comeback in the second half to get their second straight victory.

“We played with a lot more confidence early on and we were playing free,” Louisburg coach Ty Pfannenstiel said. “The ball was going through the hoop and we were feeling pretty good about things. That is the type of offensive team that I think we can be. We have kind of struggled offensively lately in getting into a rhythm, so for us to put up 40 in the first half was big.

“In the second half, we wanted to be patient with the lead, but we still wanted to have that mentality where we are looking to score. Even though we didn’t score as well, we were still patient with the ball. My biggest concern was our defense in the second half. We have to be better defensively. Eudora was able to come back and make it tight, but for our kids to respond and extend the lead was good.”

Sophomore Julian Margrave was big in the first half for Louisburg as he scored 16 of his 20 points in the first two quarters to help give the Wildcats a 40-21 lead at halftime. Junior Ben Guetterman also shined as he had 11 of his 16 points in the first half as well.

The Wildcats (8-9) did much of their damage from behind-the-arc early as 10 of their 13 3-pointers came in the first and second quarters.

“Sometimes you get hot and I think we are a group that can do that,” Pfannenstiel said. “Hopefully we are getting hot at the right time and we can continue that. The best thing is that they were all good shots and were in rhythm. Julian got hot there in the first half and was definitely wanting the ball. He was really good in the first half as was Ben and (Michael) Waldron. Weston shot the ball really well too.”

Weston Guetterman was key for the Wildcats in the second half as Eudora made a run at the Wildcats. The Cardinals put the pressure on Louisburg as they eventually cut the lead to five midway through the fourth quarter.

Weston had the answers for Louisburg as he scored 15 of his game-high 21 points in the second half as Eudora made an effort to take away Margrave and limit his looks. He also had seven points in the final two minutes to help keep the Cardinals at arm’s length.

“They were trying to pressure Julian and made it hard for him to get touches,” Pfannenstiel said. “If they are going to take him away, that just means other guys are going to have to step up and Weston did that for us in the second half. He really took over when we needed someone too and hit some shots to stop some of those Eudora runs.”

Defense was also a priority for the Wildcats in the first half as they held Eudora to 21 points and scored 20 points off of 13 Eudora turnovers. Ben Guetterman led the Wildcats with four steals and Michael Waldron added three.

Ben Guetterman finished with a team-high eight rebounds and Garrett Rolofson added two blocks.

It was also Senior Night for Louisburg and the Wildcats honored seniors Waldron, Rolofson and Noah Bell prior to the contest. The crowd was fired up early as all three seniors started and Bell, who is better known as Roll Tide, scored his first-ever varsity basket to begin the game.

The Wildcats used that momentum to build a big lead over the Cardinals and they never looked back.

“Roll Tide was fired up,” Pfannenstiel said. “I have never seen a kid take the court with that big of a smile on his face. It was just ear to ear. He was excited for his opportunity and he was able to get himself a bucket. It was good for him and it was fun to see.

“Michael has played really well defensively, especially the last two games for sure. We put him on their best players and I think he really loves that role. He has done a good job of keeping of their best scorers frustrated. Rolo has just been solid for us all year and has been our most consistent defender and rebounder. He guards the other team’s best big and he is really playing good basketball for us right now.”

The Wildcats will try and make it three straight wins tonight as they travel to Bonner Springs for Frontier League matchup. Tipoff is set for 7:30 p.m.

LOU               18           22           7             17 – 64

EUD               10           11           15           14 – 50

LOUISBURG (8-9): Weston Guetterman 6-11 5-8 64; Julian Margrave 7-10 2-2 20; Ben Guetterman 5-11 2-2 16; Michael Waldron 1-4 0-0 3; Garrett Rolofson 1-3 0-1 2; Noah Bell 1-4 0-0 2. Totals: 21-44 9-13 64. 3-point field goals: 13, (W. Guetterman 4, B. Guetterman 4, Margrave 4, Waldron 1)

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