Louisburg boys drop league road game at Tonganoxie

TONGANOXIE — Tuesday’s road contest at Tonganoxie was an important one for the Louisburg boys basketball team.

Not only would a win stop a four-game losing streak, but it would give the Wildcats a leg up on getting into the state playoffs. Both teams had the same amount of wins and are vying for spots in the top 16.

Neither of those came to fruition for Louisburg. Tonganoxie used a big third quarter to separate itself and hand Louisburg a 55-48 loss.

Tonganoxie earned its fourth win of the season, while the Wildcats are 3-13 with four games remaining and a game back of earning a playoff spot.

Of all things, it was the free-throw line that made a big difference in the game as Tonganoxie made 18 of 25 attempts to just 8 of 13 for Louisburg.

“That was a tough one due to the substate standings and the fact that we had plenty of chances to win the game,” Louisburg coach Ben Doll said. “In the end we just fouled too much. They took 25 free throws to our 13. That makes a big difference in a tight game.”

Louisburg got out to a good start as it scored 17 points in the first quarter and held a one-point lead at halftime. It was the third quarter where the Chieftains began to pull away.

Tonganoxie outscored Louisburg 19-10 in that third period as the Wildcat struggled to get much going offensively. The Wildcats shot 30 percent from the floor, compared to 50 percent for Tonganoxie.

The Wildcats were also down starter Luke Schultz, one of the team’s top rebounders and scorers, as he was out with an injury. 

Senior Gavin Lohse tried to fill that void for the Wildcats as he made it tough on the Chieftains with a team-high 13 points and 18 rebounds.

Unlike the first matchup between the two teams, the Wildcats were just 4-for-24 from behind-the-arch as they couldn’t get those shots to fall from the outside. 

Senior Ethan Kush, who started in place of Schultz, made two 3’s and finished with eight points. Senior Myles Vohs and junior Derek Frederick also each scored eight and each had a team-high four assists.

“Gavin had another strong night for us in the paint and grabbing rebounds,” Doll said. “He was a warrior for sure. Also, it was nice to see Ethan Kush hit a couple big shots from 3 when we needed them.”

Louisburg will try and break that losing skid Friday when it travels to Spring Hill in another Frontier League matchup. Tipoff is set for 7:30 p.m.

LOU 17 9 10 12 — 48

TON 14 11 19 11 — 55

LOUISBURG (3-13): Gavin Lohse 6-11 1-2 13; Derek Frederick 4-9 0-0 8; Myles Vohs 2-10 3-4 8; Ethan Kush 3-10 0-1 8; Billy Vohs 1-4 0-0 3; John Guetterman 0-1 3-4 3; Owen Marsh 1-8 1-2 3; Lance Callahan 1-5 0-0 2. Totals: 18-60 8-13 48. 3-point field goals: 4, (Kush 2, B. Vohs, M. Vohs)

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