Lady Cats outlast Ottawa to reach sub-state championship

Members of the Louisburg girls basketball team celebrate Wednesday’s sub-state semifinal win over Ottawa.

With its season on the line, the Louisburg girls basketball team had to find a way to gut out a win against a physical Ottawa team.

The same two teams had a close matchup about a month ago, and it was much of the same Wednesday in the Class 4A sub-state semifinals.

In a game that featured a fair amount of free throws, the Lady Cats were able to overcome a slow start and pull away for a 44-34 victory over the Cyclones. It puts Louisburg in the sub-state championship Saturday against Fort Scott.

“We are extremely excited to make the finals of substate,” senior Megan Foote said. “We are very grateful for the opportunity to compete every day and every chance we get to play. I can’t express how proud I am of our team for the fight and focus we give everyday. I believe our team played very well on Wednesday. 

“Of course we had our ups and downs, like every team does, but we never gave up. We were on edge at the start of the game but we finally settled down and started playing our game. Once we adjusted to their offense and press, we were good to go.”

Ottawa made things difficult on Louisburg early as the Cyclones pressed the Lady Cats for much of the game and didn’t allow them to get into a flow offensively.

It worked for awhile as Ottawa took a 10-7 lead into the second quarter, but the Lady Cats outscored the Cyclones 13-5 the rest of the first half and took a 20-15 lead at halftime.

Louisburg’s defense came up big as it forced 26 Cyclone turnovers, which led to 20 points. The Lady Cats took an eight-point lead into the fourth quarter, but the Cyclones didn’t go away.

Ottawa (8-13) tied the game at 30 midway through the quarter, but the Lady Cats came up big at the free-throw line. Louisburg scored 12 of its final 14 points from the line as Ottawa tried to get back in the game.

“Our free throw shooting is what sealed the win for us,” Louisburg coach Adrianne Lane said. “Making 15 total in the 4th quarter was a huge accomplishment and I felt the girls went to the line with confidence.”

The Lady Cats ended the game on a 14-4 run to earn a spot in the sub-state title game.

“Ottawa is a very well-rounded and good team,” Foote said. “Their record definitely doesn’t show how good they really are. They’re a very physical team filled with athletes. Their offense is tough to guard with all the picks and cutting that they do as well. They have very talented players who are fast and know where the ball is at all times. They’re a well coached team, that I believe will be dangerous in upcoming years. It was a tough battle to the end, but we pulled through and that is what matters most.”

The game was physical from the start as both team had a high number of fouls, which resulted in a combined 49 free throws between the two teams.

Senior Alyse Moore played a big role in the Wildcats’ victory as she scored a team-high nine points and also pulled down 14 rebounds. Foote finished with eight points and four rebounds.

Sophomore Brianne Kuhlman finished with seven points all coming from the free-throw line. Those free throws were important as six of them came late in the fourth quarter.

Louisburg also got good play from its bench as sophomore Adyson Ross provided some key minutes. Ross also hit a big 3-pointer at the end of the third quarter to put the Lady Cats up by eight points at the time.

Today, the Lady Cats will try and make history as they host No. 3 seed Fort Scott at 3 p.m. in the sub-state finals. A victory would give Louisburg its first state berth since 1974.

“The girls are so excited to play in the sub-state championship,” Lane said. “We are going into the game with the mindset of winning, we are going to do everything we have to do to win. “

Louisburg defeated Fort Scott 58-24 earlier this season, but the Lady Cats know it will be a tougher game this time around.

“Words cannot describe how happy I am that our team is one step away from state,” Foote said. “We have not been to state in 47 years. That has been our goal since being little kids, to break that streak. The energy and connection this team has right now is unmatched and we truly are ready. We are coming into Saturday with level heads and knowing that it will be a tough battle.”

LOU 7 13 7 17 — 44

OTT 10 5 4 15 — 34

LOUISBURG (17-4): Alyse Moore 3-4 3-10 9; Megan Foote 2-7 3-3 8; Brianne Kuhlman 0-3 7-9 7; Brooklyn Diederich 2-7 1-2 6; Adyson Ross 1-2 2-2 5; Madilyn Melton 2-9 1-2 5; Delaney Wright 0-4 2-2 2; Jordan Mynsted 1-6 0-0 2. Totals: 11-42 19-30 44. 3-point field goals: 3, (Ross, Diederich, Foote)

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