Louisburg girls fall short against Eudora in first game of 2024

Louisburg junior Ashlyn Kuhlman goes up for a shot Thursday against Eudora.

EUDORA — The new year may have not brought the Louisburg girls basketball team its first win, but the Lady Cats still showed signs of growth Thursday in Eudora.

The Cardinals, who were undefeated going into the game, held a large lead in the second half. Louisburg went on a big run to cut it to nine, but it would be as close as it would get in a 56-37 loss.

“I was so proud of the girls to keep working in the second half,” Louisburg coach Adrianne Lane said. “They kept battling and got within single digits. If we can value the basketball and hit a few more shots, I feel like our offensive game will improve tremendously.”

Eudora, which held a 27-18 lead at halftime, expanded its lead to 20 late in the third quarter, but the Lady Cats were able to respond.

Junior guard Jillian Asher started the run with a 3-pointer, sophomore McKenna Lohse hit a pair of baskets and junior Addy Stohs had another to cut the Eudora lead to nine.

It didn’t stay that way for long as the Cardinals went on a mini 8-0 run to push the lead back out and Eudora handed the Wildcats a loss.

“I thought the girls played very hard and never gave up,” Lane said. “We did a good job getting the ball inside and then passing it out when the posts were not open.

“Eudora is a great team. They have four returning starters back and one fantastic freshman that I felt like made their team work.”

That freshman is point guard Brynn Deterding. Along with senior guard Jayla Erpelding, Deterding caused problems for the Louisburg defense.

The two Cardinals guards combined for 30 points, including 18 points from Deterding. The two also combined for nine steals on defense.

Louisburg did a good job on the boards to keep itself in the game. The Lady Cats outrebounded Eudora by 13 and pulled down 11 offensive rebounds.

Asher led the Lady Cats in scoring with 10 points and junior Ashlyn Kuhlman finished with eight points and six rebounds. 

Junior forward Sabra Brueggen also had a good outing with seven points, along with a team-high seven rebounds and three assists.

The Lady Cats will try for their first win Wednesday as they are scheduled to travel to Spring Hill for a Frontier League matchup. Tipoff is set for 6 p.m.

LOU 9 9 11 8 — 37

EUD 19 12 13 12 — 56

LOUISBURG (0-6): Jillian Asher 4-10 0-0 10; Ashlyn Kuhlman 3-11 0-0 8; Sabra Brueggen 3-8 1-2 7; McKenna Lohse 2-4 0-0 4; Addy Stohs 2-2 0-0 4; Sami Lane 0-4 2-2 2; Ally Brown 1-4 0-0 2. Totals: 15-48 3-4 37. 3-point field goals: 4, (Asher 2, Kuhlman 2)