Wildcats get back on track with win over Baldwin

Senior Michael Waldron goes to the basket during the Wildcats’ game at Spring Hill last Friday. Louisburg defeated Baldwin on Saturday in a make-up game, 61-44.

The Louisburg boys basketball team was on a mini two-game losing skid going into Saturday’s home make-up game against Baldwin and was hoping for a much-needed win.

The Wildcats got what they were looking for.

Louisburg outscored Baldwin by 18 points in the final three quarters thanks its pressure defense and came away with a 61-44 victory to give the Wildcats their first win in a week.

Baldwin couldn’t keep up with Louisburg on the inside either, as the Wildcats outrebounded the Bulldogs 54-35, including 25 offensive rebounds. Louisburg scored 21 points on those second chance opportunities.

“I was proud of how our guys responded,” Louisburg coach Ty Pfannenstiel said. “I thought we played hard and did a better job of executing on offense. We knew we had a size advantage so we challenged them to hit the offensive boards to give us some extra opportunities. They responded well.”

Baldwin got out to a hot start, and actually led the Wildcats 17-16 at the end of the first quarter, but Louisburg turned up the pressure and forced 14 Baldwin turnovers that turned into 18 points.

The Wildcats (6-7) outscored Baldwin 20-6 in the second quarter and carried that momentum into the second half where they eventually built a 23-point lead in the fourth quarter and never looked back.

“Baldwin came out playing well,” Pfannenstiel said. “They were moving the ball well so it was tough on our rotations. We pressed them a little more in the full court in the second quarter, which turned out to be the difference we needed.” 

Junior Ben Guetterman was all over the floor for the Wildcats as he finished with a double double and led the team in steals. Guetterman scored a game-high 15 points to go along with 12 rebounds and three steals.

“Ben has his best nights when he attacks the rim,” Pfannenstiel said. “He gets involved on the offensive boards, which helps him play with a little more energy and confidence.”

Sophomore Julian Margrave also had a double-double for the Wildcats as he added 13 points and a team-high 14 rebounds. Junior Weston Guetterman was the third Wildcat to score in double figures with 12 points and had seven rebounds to go along with four assists.

Junior Konnor Vohs came off the bench to add six rebounds, three steals and two assists, while senior Michael Waldron also finished with a team-high four assists.

Louisburg will try for back-to-back wins today when it hosts rival Paola and the Wildcats will travel to Ottawa on Friday. Tonight’s tipoff is set for approximately 7:30 p.m.

LOU               16           20           16           9 – 61

BAL                17           6             7             14 – 44

LOUISBURG (6-7): Ben Guetterman 6-16 2-2 15; Julian Margrave 6-18 1-2 13; Weston Guetterman 4-14 2-2 12; Garrett Rolofson 3-3 0-0 6; Maverick Rockers 2-5 0-0 5; Michael Seuferling 2-5 0-0 4; Konnor Vohs 2-6 0-0 4; Michael Waldron 0-5 1-2 1; Andy Hupp 0-3 1-2 1. Totals: 25-75 7-10 61. 3-point field goals: 4, (W. Guetterman 2, Rockers, B. Guetterman)

Wildcats struggle on the road in loss to Spring Hill

SPRING HILL – For the first half, the Louisburg boys basketball team was playing stride-for-stride with Spring Hill on Friday at Spring Hill High School.

The Wildcats went on a run late in the second quarter to take a halftime lead and it seemed they had all the momentum. Spring Hill took it all back in the second half as it held the Wildcats to just 12 points in the final two quarters and handed Louisburg a 51-34 loss.

“Spring Hill got after us defensively,” Louisburg coach Ty Pfannenstiel said. “They made it tough on us to get into any kind of rhythm offensively. We have to do a better job of matching their intensity and physicality. We got exposed on that. We’ve had a couple poor shooting nights back to back, so hopefully we can find some consistency offensively moving forward.”

Louisburg shot 26 percent from the field and were just 1-for-12 from 3-point range. On the other hand, the Broncos shots 41 percent and knocked down nine 3-pointers.

Down nine points in the second quarter, the Wildcats went on a 10-0 run that ended on a 3-pointer from Michael Waldron to give Louisburg a 22-21 halftime advantage.

Spring Hill was able to take control of the second half and never looked back.

Junior Weston Guetterman led the Wildcats in scoring with 13 points to go along with five rebounds and three steals. Sophomore Julian Margrave had six points and seven rebounds, while senior Garrett Rolofson had six points and five rebounds.

LOU               10           12           6             6 – 34

SH                  14           7             17           13 – 51

LOUISBURG: Weston Guetterman 5-14 3-5 13; Garrett Rolofson 2-4 2-3 6; Julian Margrave 1-6 4-4 6; Michael Waldron 1-3 1-2 4; Maverick Rockers 1-5 1-1 3; Ben Guetterman 1-9 0-0 2. Totals: 11-43 11-15 34. 3-point field goals: 1, (Waldron)

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