Baldwin pulls away in fourth quarter to hand Lady Cats a loss

Louisburg junior Emma Lohse drives around the Baldwin defense thanks to a screen from teammate Jordan Mynsted on Friday in Louisburg.

A month ago, Baldwin and Louisburg found themselves in a tight game going into the fourth quarter.

Fast forward to last Friday, the Bulldogs and Wildcats found themselves in almost the exact situation. Unfortunately for Louisburg, history repeated itself as Baldwin went on a big fourth quarter run.

Baldwin outscored Louisburg by 10 in the final frame and handed the Lady Cats a 45-36 setback at Louisburg High School.

“This was a tough loss for us,” Louisburg coach Adrianne Lane said. “I felt like we played hard, but again we had a hard time finishing and getting our offense going.”

Louisburg (4-3) took a one-point lead going into the fourth quarter after holding the Bulldogs to just four points in the third.

Baldwin, however, went on an 11-0 run in the quarter, including several opportunities at the free-throw line to put the game away.

“Our defense has been super strong and consistent this season,” Lane said. “I felt like we did a great job pressuring Baldwin throughout the game, and we did a great job rebounding defensively. 

“Baldwin is such a fast team, the pace of the game sped us up offensively and we had a hard time finishing at that speed.”

The Bulldogs went to the free-throw line 34 times on the night and converted 23 of those attempts. The Lady Cats, on the other hand, went to the line just 11 times.

Louisburg junior Emma Prettyman was a factor on the inside for the Lady Cats as she finished with 11 points and eight rebounds, and also had three steals.

“I thought Emma Prettyman had a great game on both sides of the ball,” Lane said. “She did a great job defending and rebounding, and she worked hard on offense to get to the basket.”

Another junior, Adyson Ross, finished with nine points, five rebounds and three steals. Senior Jordan Mynsted was second on the team in rebounding with six.

Although the Lady Cats have shot under 30 percent from the floor in both of their games in 2022, Lane hopes things will turn the corner for them beginning tonight when they host Shawnee Mission South.

“The girls are ready to play tonight,” Lane said. “We are going to try a few new things so hopefully we can find our rhythm offensively.”

LOU 10 10 7 9 — 36

BAL 10 12 4 19 — 45

LOUISBURG (4-3): Emma Prettyman 2-7 7-8 11; Adyson Ross 4-10 1-2 9; Ava Baker 2-7 0-0 5; Jordan Mynsted 2-6 0-0 4; Emma Lohse 1-1 0-0 3; Brianne Kuhlman 1-3 0-1 2; Delaney Wright 1-10 0-0 2. Totals: 13-46 8-11 45. 3-point field goals: 2, (Lohse, Baker)