Wildcats win third straight in homecoming victory over Ottawa

If you were to look at the stat sheet, the Louisburg girls had one of their tougher shooting performances of the season.

The Wildcats shot just 22 percent for the game and trailed Ottawa for much of the night Friday during Louisburg’s homecoming contest. Not exactly the recipe for success.

They needed a spark.

Louisburg got it from many different players as the Wildcats pulled away in the fourth quarter to get a 46-40 win over the Cyclones and avenged a loss from earlier in the season. 

Whether it was a 3-point shot, a big rebound, a steal or making key free throws, the Wildcats got production from several different players.

It was also the third straight victory for the Wildcats (5-10) and they have also won four of their last five games.

“I think this win was the biggest of the season so far,” Louisburg coach Adrianne Lane said. “I feel like this will help the girls see what they are capable of as a team and this will also help their confidence moving forward.”

Ottawa held the lead for the entire first half, but the Wildcats were able to jump in front late in the third quarter. Senior Jillian Asher knocked down a 3-pointer with just over a minute left in the third to give Louisburg its first lead at 32-29.

The Cyclones didn’t back down as sophomore Leah Askins-Dietrich put her team on her back and led them on a 9-2 run into the fourth quarter that gave them the lead back at 38-34.

Louisburg senior Ally Brown hit a 3-pointer with 5 minutes left to cut the Ottawa lead to one and start a Wildcat run. Asher then nailed a 3 of her own with 4:32 left to put Louisburg up 40-38 and the Wildcats wouldn’t relinquish the lead.

Brown and Asher scored eight and seven points, respectively in the game, and all came in the second half. 

“The shooting was great in the second half and we hit the shots that we needed to,” Lane said. “Ally and Jill’s confidence really showed when they were finishing their shots down the stretch.”

The Wildcat defense held strong as they allowed just two points in the final four minutes. 

“We did have a rough start, but I felt like our defense kept us in the game and we came out the second half running a different play and having girls play in different positions, and the girls capitalized on this,” Lane said. “We did a great job rebounding offensively second half and keeping the ball alive, and our second effort was fantastic.”

Ottawa was forced to foul down 41-38, and was called for an intentional foul, which gave Louisburg free throws and the ball. 

Senior Ashlyn Kuhlman stepped to the foul line and made of 5 of 6 attempts in the final 40 seconds to help give the Wildcats the victory. Kuhlman also scored in double figures for the game with 12 points, including 8-for-9 from the line.

“Free-throws win games and we had some big ones to go ahead in the fourth quarter,” Lane said. “Kenna (Lohse) hit two big ones to tie us up in the third. Jill hit one big one to put us up by 3 and Ashlyn finished the game by making several at the end. Great effort by all of them.”

Another senior, Sabra Brueggen was an important piece on the inside for Louisburg as she scored a team-high 14 points and seven rebounds. She was also 6-for-9 from the free-throw line.

Senior Sami Lane was all over the floor for the Wildcats as she led the way with a team-high nine rebounds and also paced Louisburg with three assists.

“Sabra and Sami both had a great game for us as well,” coach Lane said. “These two kept the ball alive on several different occasions and gave us second chances to score.”

The Wildcats also put together a strong effort on defense as they held Ottawa to just 29 percent shooting. Senior Shylar Whiting had a team-high four steals on the night and Brown had two.

Louisburg will try to make it four in a row Tuesday as the Wildcats travel to Tonganoxie. Tipoff is set for 6 p.m.

LOU 4 12 16 14 — 46

OTT 12 8 11 9 — 40

LOUISBURG (5-10): Sabra Brueggen 4-11 6-9 14; Ashlyn Kuhlman 2-15 8-9 12; Ally Brown 3-7 0-0 8; Jillian Asher 2-7 1-2 7; Sami Lane 1-3 0-0 3; McKenna Lohse 0-3 2-2 2. Totals: 12-53 17-24 46.  3-point field goals: 5, (Asher 2, Brown 2, Lane)

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