Wildcats advance to title game with wins over Seabury, Wellsville

Louisburg senior Andy Hupp drives to the basket Wednesday against Bishop Seabury in the second round of the Baldwin Invitational.

BALDWIN CITY – Coming off one of its roughest shooting performances of the season the night before against Wellsville, the Louisburg boys basketball team quickly turned it around.

On Wednesday in the second round of the Baldwin Invitational, the Wildcats put together one of their best shooting performances of the season as they rolled Bishop Seabury, 76-41, to advance to the championship game.

The Wildcats shot 62 percent for the game and connected on nine 3-pointers that allowed them to breeze past the Seahawks.

Louisburg (8-2) will meet Augusta in the title game at 3:30 p.m. at Baldwin Jr. High School.

“I don’t know if you could say it was our best, but it was definitely a good offensive performance for us,” Louisburg coach Ty Pfannenstiel said. “I thought we played well. We looked comfortable on the court and were able to work on some defensive looks that we haven’t used yet in games.”

The Wildcats had no problems scoring from the opening tip as they recorded 25 points in the first quarter and took a 46-23 halftime lead. Louisburg eventually built a big enough lead to force a running clock in the fourth quarter.

Junior Julian Margrave was a problem for the Seahawks most of the night as he finished with a team-high 24 points. Another junior, Michael Seuferling, who is more known for his work on the defensive end, was second on the team with 17 points.

“Michael has the capability to really score,” Pfannenstiel said. “There will be times in practice where he just goes on runs. The energy that he plays with is so fun to watch. He literally never stops playing hard. He’s such a good defender and that carries over to his aggressiveness on offense. When he’s on, he can really have some big nights.”

Senior Ben Guetterman also finished in double figures with 11 and also had a team-high seven rebounds. 

Point guard Weston Guetterman ran the team well as he had nine points to go along with nine assists and five rebounds. Senior Andy Hupp finished with eight points and senior Dawson Barnes had six rebounds and four assists.

Louisburg now has won five straight since the Christmas break and are playing for a tournament championship for the first time in several years. The Wildcats hope to bring home the title.

“Our kids are excited,” Pfannenstiel said. “It’s hard to believe we are halfway through our regular season. What a way to start the second half of the season with a chance to win a tournament championship. We are definitely looking forward to the opportunity.”

For those wanting to watch today’s game against Augusta, click here.

LOU 25 21 23 7 – 76

SEA 13 10 13 5 – 41 

LOUISBURG (8-2): Julian Margrave 9-14 3-3 24; Michael Seuferling 7-10 2-2 17; Ben Guetterman 5-7 0-0 11; Weston Guetterman 3-5 0-0 9; Andy Hupp 4-6 0-0 8; Dawson Barnes 2-3 0-0 4; Maverick Rockers 1-3 0-0 3. Totals: 31-50 5-5 76. 3-point field goals: 9, (W. Guetterman 3, Margrave 3, Seuferling, Rockers, B. Guetterman)

Louisburg survives against Wellsville

Everything started well for Louisburg in the opener of the Baldwin Invitational on Tuesday against Wellsville.

The Wildcats took a 10-point lead going into the second quarter and held the Eagles to just three points in the opening frame.

Wellsville battled back to tie the game in the fourth quarter, but the Wildcats used an 11-0 run to pull away for a 58-47 victory.

“We struggled offensively,” Pfannenstiel said. “Give credit to Wellsville, they played tough defense, but we battled through a tough night from the field and still did enough to win. But our kids really executed our defensive game plan perfectly. 

“Wellsville really likes to shoot from the perimeter, so we worked hard to not give them any space and make them uncomfortable on offense all night. Our defense has been great. We know that if we play well defensively, we are always going to have a chance.”

Both teams struggled from the field as the Wildcats shot 36 percent, but Wellsville shot 32 percent on their own. The two teams combined to go just 2-for-32 from the 3-point line.

Defense carried the Wildcats as they forced 21 turnovers and turned those into 18 points. Louisburg was also 21 for 26 from the free-throw line, which was crucial down the stretch.

“The momentum was definitely trending toward Wellsville late,” Pfannenstiel said. “But I think that just shows what kind of character our team has. We kept our focus and made big plays down the stretch to seal the win.”

Senior Ben Guetterman led the way offensively for Louisburg with 17 points and a team-high nine rebounds. Junior Julian Margrave added 14 and eight rebounds.

LOU 13 10 14 21 – 58

WEL 3 14 15 15 – 47

LOUISBURG: Ben Guetterman 5-17 6-6 17; Julian Margrave 5-6 4-4 14; Michael Seuferling 2-7 5-6 9; Weston Guetterman 1-8 4-6 6; Andy Hupp 3-4 0-0 6; Dawson Barnes 1-2 1-2 3; Konnor Vohs 1-3 0-0 2; Maverick Rockers 0-2 1-2 1. Totals: 18-49 21-26 58. 3-point field goals: 1, (B. Guetterman)

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