Rally falls short in Lady Cats’ home loss to Spring Hill

Louisburg senior Ava Baker goes up for a shot Tuesday during the Lady Cats’ home contest against Spring Hill.

Louisburg found itself down by as many as 15 points to Spring Hill on Tuesday at Louisburg High School.

Still, the Lady Cats didn’t let that bother them.

Instead, they put together a big run in the second half to cut the Bronco lead to just two points. However, Louisburg couldn’t get over the hump in a 47-39 setback as the Broncos handed the Lady Cats their second straight loss on the season.

“The girls did a great job fighting back after halftime,” Louisburg coach Adrianne Lane said. “They showed a lot of heart and hard work. Once we got back into the game, we had a hard time pulling ahead. But I was very proud of them not to give up.

“Overall, I thought we played not to lose versus playing to win. We had some really good moments, but we also had some moments that showed areas that we need to improve in.”

Both teams got out to a good start offensively as the two squads combined for 32 points in the first quarter, but the Lady Cats had a hard time slowing Spring Hill senior Jenna Weber.

Weber scored 12 of the Broncos’ 19 points and finished with a game-high 23. Spring Hill sophomore Sydney Buscher also added a double-double with 14 points and 12 rebounds.

“Jenna is a great player,” Lane said. “She is hard to guard and does a great job getting herself open in the offense. She had a great game and I think she will continue to thrive throughout her season.”

Defensively, the Lady Cats thrived in the third quarter as they whittled an 11-point Spring Hill lead at halftime, to just three going into the fourth.

Senior Brianne Kuhlman knocked down a pair of free throws at the end of the third and Spring Hill led 34-31. Adyson Ross made it a 2-point game with an offensive rebound and a lay-up with 6:42 left in the game.

It would be as close as the Lady Cats could get as they struggled to hit shots, and free throws, down the stretch.

Louisburg shot 26 percent for the game and converted 7 of 16 free-throw attempts. Still, the Lady Cats used their defense to stay in it as they forced 16 Bronco turnovers.

The Lady Cats also did well on the glass with 17 offensive rebounds, which led to 13 second chance points.

Ross led the Lady Cats in scoring and rebounding. She finished with 11 points and eight rebounds, including six on the offensive end.

Delanie Tally also scored in double figures for Louisburg with 10 points, while senior Emma Prettyman added seven rebounds and three assists in the loss. Tally and Emma Lohse each finished with a team-high three steals.

Louisburg will try and snap its two-game losing skid tonight as the Lady Cats travel to Baldwin. The Lady Cats defeated the Bulldogs by double figures last month and Lane knows it will be a difficult test on the road.

“It is going to be tough, Baldwin will for sure be looking for some revenge and overall our team has been very inconsistent on offense since we played Baldwin last,” Lane said. “I am hoping we can have another great offensive game and get some of our confidence back.”

LOU 13 6 12 8 — 39

SH 19 11 4 13 — 47

LOUISBURG (6-2): Adyson Ross 5-15 0-3 11; Delanie Tally 4-12 0-0 10; Brianne Kuhlman 1-2 3-8 5; Emma Prettyman 1-4 2-2 4; Emma Lohse 1-5 0-1 3; Ashley Branine 1-2 0-0 2; Ava Baker 0-10 2-2 2. Totals: 13-50 7-16 39. 3-point field goals: 4, (Tally 2, Lohse, Ross)