Upset-minded Wildcats fall short to Baldwin in sub-state championship

BALDWIN CITY — For the first three quarters, No. 10 Louisburg had the No. 2 seed in its sights for a potential upset.

It was the final frame where Baldwin started to pull away. The Bulldogs built a 14-point lead in the fourth quarter and time ran out on the Wildcats’ season in their 59-49 loss in the Class 4A sub-state championship game at Baldwin High School.

Louisburg pushed Baldwin for much of the game as it trailed by just four points at halftime and seven going into the fourth. The Wildcats couldn’t get the stops they needed down the stretch to pull off the upset.

“It is still very disappointing because I really believe that we had a chance to win the game,” Louisburg coach Ben Doll said. “We played tough the whole time and we kept it close for most of the game. We had a game plan for certain personnel and there were times we lost track of them. They hit some big shots where we weren’t supposed to go under screens. We weren’t perfect, but we kept it close the entire way and that is a really good team. They have a lot of parts that make them really good.”

Baldwin’s Cooper Carr and Joey Ziembicki did a bulk of the damage for the Bulldogs. Carr and Ziembicki each finished with 24 points and scored 48 of the team’s 59 points. Only four players scored for Baldwin on the night.

“We had a very solid game plan that we were able to stick to, but we weren’t perfect,” Doll said. “We knew Cooper was going to get his, but didn’t want to let the others get theirs and I think that is where we let down a little bit.”

The Wildcats (9-13) stayed within striking distance for most of the game, but the Bulldogs never let the lead get closer than four. 

Every time Louisburg would responded with a run, the Bulldogs would stop it — many times coming on Ziembicki’s five 3-pointers.

Turnovers also haunted the Wildcats as they committed 17 for the game, which turned into 15 Baldwin points. Still, Louisburg put the pressure on for all four quarters.

Louisburg forced 15 turnovers of their own and also got several second chance opportunities with 14 offensive rebounds.

Senior Brady Hickey led Louisburg in scoring with 10 points and he also had five rebounds and three assists. Senior Nathan Parker finished nine points and three assists.

Junior Myles Vohs came off the bench to give the Wildcats a spark on both ends of the floor. Vohs had six points, but he also finished with a team-high seven steals and a team-best five assists.

Another junior, Conlee Hovey, controlled the boards as he pulled down a team-high 11 rebounds to go along with six points. Senior Brock Vohs finished with seven points for Louisburg.

It was also the final game for five Wildcat seniors in Hickey, Parker, Luke Hill, Brock Vohs and Jaymes Melton. 

“I thanked the guys after the game and told them that I was really proud of them,” Doll said. “I would go to battle with these guys any time. The record doesn’t show what we were at the end. The boys were so close to getting to Salina. They kept growing and did what was asked of them. 

“I am proud of our five seniors and we have a lot to fill in for next year. We are going to miss a lot of good minutes, scoring and defense. They are five all-around good players. We could start all five of those guys on Senior Night and we didn’t miss a beat. They will be missed for sure.”

LOU 10 14 9 16 — 49

BAL 15 13 12 19 — 59

LOUISBURG (9-13): Brady Hickey 3-9 2-4 10; Nathan Parker 4-15 0-0 9; Brock Vohs 3-5 0-0 7; Conlee Hovey 3-6 0-0 6; Myles Vohs 2-8 2-3 6; Luke Hill 2-8 0-0 5; Luke Schultz 1-2 2-2 4; Gavin Lohse 1-1 0-0 2. Totals: 19-54 6-9 49. 3-point field goals: 5, (Hickey 2, Parker, Hill, B. Vohs)