Lady Cats fall to No. 3 Wamego in state-ranked battle

By Andy Brown
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Updated: January 25, 2023

Andy Brown / Louisburg Sports Zone

Louisburg senior Adyson Ross goes up for a shot during a tournament game last week in Tonganoxie. Ross and fellow senior Delanie Tally were each named to the Tonganoxie Invitational All-Tournament Team.

TONGANOXIE — Normally a matchup of two top 10 teams is reserved for the semifinals or championship game of a tournament.

That wasn’t the case Saturday when No. 10 Louisburg faced off with No. 3 Wamego in the fifth place game of the Tonganoxie Invitational. Still, it was an opportunity for the Lady Cats to measure themselves against one of the state’s best.

The Lady Cats found themselves in a battle with Wamego and even had the lead in the second half. Unfortunately, turnovers and missed free throws haunted the Lady Cats in their 52-42 loss at Tonganoxie High School.

“I thought the girls played a tough and smart game against Wamego,” Louisburg coach Adrianne Lane said. “We battled with them the whole game. Wamego hit a couple threes down the stretch that pulled them ahead. Then we shot just 33 percent from the free-throw line and that really hurt us in the end.”

Louisburg got out to a good start with a 16-11 lead after the first quarter, but Wamego held the Lady Cats to just four second quarter points and took a 21-20 halftime advantage.

The Lady Cats came out of halftime on fire as it scored the first seven points and eventually took a 31-26 advantage late in the third quarter. Wamego ended the period on a 13-2 run to grab a six point lead it would never relinquish.

Mistakes hurt Louisburg as it committed 16 turnovers, which led to 18 points for Wamego. The Lady Cats also hit 8 of 20 from the free-throw line, compared to 17 of 23 attempts for the Red Raiders.

Even with a losses to a talented Wamego team, and a bigger school in Blue Valley West earlier in the week, Lane believes her team improved against some challenging competition.

“This was a very tough week for the girls, but I feel like we got a lot better throughout the week,” Lane said. “We played some really good teams, but we played with them. Moving on from this tournament, I think we will be a stronger and smarter team.”

Seniors Adyson Ross and Delanie Tally both finished in double figures in scoring for the Lady Cats. Ross led the team with 14 points and four rebounds, while Tally added with 11.

The two players were rewarded for their efforts as they were both named to the all-tournament team on Saturday.

“I am very proud of Adyson and Delanie for making the all-tournament team,” Lane said. They both had three very good games in the tournament. They played hard and fought on both sides of the basketball.

“Delanie has done a great job looking to score and being confident in herself. She made some big baskets throughout the week, not only 3’s, but she did a great job of getting to the basket. Adyson had a great week. She does a great job of rebounding and finishing in the lane and she also hit some big shots. I felt like all the girls played very well in this tournament, we played great as a team and work well as a team.”

The Lady Cats will have a difficult challenge as they get back into Frontier League play Friday as they travel to Bonner Springs, which is currently the No. 7 team in Class 5A. Tipoff is set for 6 p.m.

LOU 16 4 13 9 — 42

WAM 11 10 18 13 — 52

LOUISBURG (8-4): Adyson Ross 4-8 4-6 14; Delanie Tally 4-4 2-4 11; Ava Baker 3-7 0-0 7; Ashley Branine 1-4 1-2 3; Brianne Kuhlman 1-2 1-2 3; Emma Lohse 1-5 0-0 2; Emma Prettyman 1-4 0-6 2. Totals: 15-34 8-20 42. 3-point field goals: 4, (Ross 2, Tally, Baker)