Wildcat girls rally past Harrisonville for first win of season

HARRISONVILLE, Mo. — Losing is never easy and the Louisburg girls basketball team has had a tough start to its season as the Wildcats lost their first seven games of the year.

The Wildcats took that streak into Harrisonville on Monday in hopes picking up that first win. Louisburg had the lead for most of the game, only to see Harrisonville go on a run and take a 6-point lead midway through the fourth quarter.

Instead of backing down, the Wildcats battled back. Louisburg got big shots from Ashlyn Kuhlman, Jillian Asher and Morgan Latham down the stretch as they pulled away for a 48-38 victory to snap their losing skid. 

“Getting our first win of the season was so exciting and almost a relief,” Louisburg coach Adrianne Lane said. “This team has been working so hard, they deserved that win.”

Down six points with under five minutes left, the Wildcats put together one of their better stretches of the season. Louisburg ended the game on a 16-0 run that included 3-pointers from Kuhlman and Asher, along with a couple baskets from Latham. 

Kuhlman and Asher also hit free throws down the stretch to preserve the win as the Wildcats converted 16 of 19 opportunities from the free-throw line for the game.

“I was very impressed with the girls and their ability to stay calm, especially when we got down six in the fourth quarter,” Lane said. “They wanted that game, and they showed that the way they battled back. Ashlyn, Jillian and Morgan all hit some big shots to seal that win.”

Kuhlman and Asher provided a big spark for the Wildcats offensively as the two players combined to score 37 of the team’s 48 points.

Kuhlman scored a game-high 21 points to go along with four rebounds and two blocks. She was also 9-for-10 from the free-throw line. As for Asher, she finished with 16 points and also had a team-high three steals. 

Latham chipped in seven points as she had a couple big baskets in the Wildcat fourth quarter run. 

Senior Ally Brown led the team in a pair of categories as she tallied a team-high six rebounds and also had a team-high five assists. She also had two steals in the final two minutes that helped preserve the win. 

Louisburg (1-7) shot 42 percent from the field and held Harrisonville to just 25 percent.

Louisburg took a 13-6 lead after the first quarter, but Harrisonville slowly chipped away, before going up 38-32 midway through the fourth. 

“Overall, I thought we had some good moments and some rough moments,” Lane said. “Harrisonville pressing the entire game was a battle for our team. Our defense was solid, and I thought we did run some great offense.”

The Wildcats will continue a busy week Thursday when they travel to Chanute Invitational to compete in the 3-day tournament. Louisburg opens play against Sunrise Christian at 3 p.m., and will play at 3 again on Friday. 

“I am super excited for the tournament,” Lane said. “I think we will play some good teams that will make us better as we continue to grow as a team this season.”

LOU 13 7 10 18 — 48

HAR 6 10 12 10 — 38

LOUISBURG (1-7): Ashlyn Kuhlman 5-11 9-10 21; Jillian Asher 4-7 6-6 16; Morgan Latham 3-4 1-2 7; McKenna Lohse 1-2 0-0 2; Sabra Brueggen 1-2 0-1 2. Totals: 14-33 16-19 48. 3-point field goals: 4,(Asher 2, Kuhlman 2)

Rough second quarter hurts Wildcats at Baldwin

Going on the road against a ranked team is never easy, but Louisburg couldn’t have asked for a better start last Friday at No. 8 Baldwin.

The Wildcats jumped out to an 8-point lead in the first quarter, but they hit a rough patch. Louisburg would score just four points in the second and third quarters combined, as the Wildcats fell just short road, 37-31.

Despite going scoreless in the second quarter, the Wildcats still only trailed by three at halftime. Louisburg did score 13 points in the fourth quarter, but it wasn’t quite enough to get the upset win.

“The Baldwin game was a tough loss, but I think it showed the girls how we want to play as a team,” Lane said. “The first quarter and the fourth quarter we did a great job on both sides of the ball and I think that helped the team’s confidence.”

Ashlyn Kuhlman led Louisburg in scoring with seven points and also had five rebounds. Junior Morgan Latham had six points and five rebounds, while senior Sabra Brueggen pulled down a team-high six rebounds. Senior Shylar Whiting had five points and four rebounds. 

LOU 14 0 4 13 — 31

BAL 13 4 8 12 — 37

LOUISBURG: Ashlyn Kuhlman 2-6 2-2 7; Morgan Latham 3-5 0-0 6; Shylar Whiting 2-6 0-0 5; Jillian Asher 1-4 2-2 4; Sami Lane 1-10 0-0 3; Sabra Brueggen 1-6 0-1 2; Ally Brown 1-6 0-0 2; Ellia Gibbons 1-3 0-0 2. Totals: 12-48 4-5 31. 3-point field goals: 3, (Kuhlman, Whiting, Lane)

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