Wildcats lose double overtime thriller to Girard
Louisburg senior Brady Hickey drives to the basket Friday during the final game of the Louisburg Invitational.
Louisburg had already suffered an overtime heartbreaker in the first game of its home tournament, but unfortunately for the Wildcats, the hurt continued Friday.
Against Girard in the final game of the Louisburg Invitational, the Trojans knocked in the game-winner with three seconds left and handed Louisburg a 58-56 double overtime setback.
Two close overtime losses ended up being the difference between winning the tournament and finishing 0-2 for the Wildcats.
Despite the loss, Louisburg showed a lot of positives, including battling back from a nine-point deficit in the second half.
“I thought we did a lot of good things against a good team,” Louisburg coach Ben Doll said. “It was a good matchup for us and they are a decent team. The fact was we had chances to win in regulation and both overtimes showed we were doing some positive things. We just couldn’t get it done defensively when we needed to.
Louisburg junior Luke Schultz went 1 of 2 from the free-throw line to tie the game at 56-all with 35 seconds left in the second overtime, but the Trojans had one final chance and held for the last shot.
Girard’s Scott Moore got a pass from Aiden Troike right underneath the basket with just seconds left on the clock to record the game-winner.
The Wildcats (4-6) found themselves down 33-24 early in the third quarter, but engineered a way to battle back. Louisburg went on a 10-0 run that eventually gave them a 34-33 lead.
Louisburg senior Nathan Parker was the spark for the Wildcats offensively as he started the run with a 3-pointer and fellow senior Luke Hill followed with one of his own.
Junior Conlee Hovey and senior Brady Hickey followed with back-to-back buckets to compete the run.
“We did a better job of getting some good shots that were in rhythm and we took care of the ball better,” Doll said. “There was a stretch in the first half where it was turnover city. We didn’t have good ball security. Our defense was decent, but it was very good to battle back and not roll over.”
The game remained close and the Wildcats took a 48-46 lead late in the fourth quarter on a back door from pass Parker than found an open Hickey for a layup.
Troike then tied it for Girard with 45 seconds left and Louisburg had an opportunity to win the game in regulation but the Wildcats couldn’t convert.
In the first overtime, Parker opened with a 3-pointer, and after a Girard rebound and put back, Parker knocked in another three to take a 54-50 lead with 2:49 left.
On the Trojans’ next possession, they converted a 3-point play and the game was eventually tied again at 54-all. The Wildcats had one last opportunity as Hickey recorded a steal and a breakaway but his floater was just offline at the buzzer.
Parker provided a bulk of the offense for the Wildcats as he scored a game-high 23 points, including four 3-pointers. Louisburg knocked in eight 3-pointers a team.
“He is a scorer, and since coming back from break he has been up and down,” Doll said. “He has been focused on good shot selection and was good on Friday. He does a good job of getting other guys involved as well. When Nate is on and does well, that is better for the rest of us.”
Hill and Hickey were second on the team in scoring with eight points each, while Hovey led the Wildcats with five rebounds. Junior Gavin Lohse had a team-high three steals, including one that led to a breakaway dunk to begin the third quarter.
Louisburg will try and get back on the winning track Wednesday as the Wildcats travel to Wamego. Tipoff is set for 7:30 p.m.
LOU 6 16 15 11 6 2 — 56
GIR 11 16 13 8 6 4 — 58
LOUISBURG (4-6): Nathan Parker 8-19 3-3 23; Luke Hill 3-8 0-0 8; Brady Hickey 3-6 1-2 8; Luke Schultz 1-3 3-6 6; Gavin Lohse 2-3 0-0 4; Conlee Hofe 2-3 0-0 4; Myles Vohs 1-3 0-0 2; Brock Vohs 0-2 1-2 1. Totals: 20-47 8-13 56. 3-point field goals: 8, (Parker 4, Hill 2, Hickey, Schultz)