Louisburg boys lose pair of home games to Leavenworth, Ottawa

Louisburg boys basketball endured a tough week at home, dropping a pair of close, hard-fought contests to Leavenworth and Ottawa.

The Wildcats were edged by Leavenworth, 51-48, last Friday despite building a double-digit second-half lead. Louisburg got off to a strong start and led 30-17 midway through the third quarter, but struggled to handle the Pioneers’ pressure defense down the stretch. Leavenworth forced 23 Louisburg turnovers and converted them into 16 points while catching fire offensively in the second half.

Louisburg still held a 35-33 lead entering the fourth quarter, but Leavenworth outscored the Wildcats 18-13 in the final frame to complete the comeback.

Lance Callahan led Louisburg with 12 points, while Herschel Strumberger added 10 points and eight rebounds. Parker Stanfield also pulled down eight rebounds, and Owen Marsh finished with eight points and five steals. Louisburg hit four 3-pointers in the game but was limited by the Pioneers’ defensive pressure after halftime.

Louisburg (2-2) followed that loss with a 67-53 setback to Ottawa last Tuesday, facing one of the top teams in the Frontier League. The Wildcats stayed competitive in the first half, trailing just 28-28 at the break, but Ottawa took control in the third quarter by outscoring Louisburg 27-7.

Despite the lopsided third quarter, Louisburg continued to battle behind a strong perimeter shooting effort, knocking down 10 3-pointers.

Callahan connected on five from beyond the arc and finished with a team-high 19 points, while Derek Frederick was perfect from deep at 4-for-4 and scored 15 points. John Guetterman chipped in eight points, and Strumberger led the Wildcats on the boards with 10 rebounds.

Louisburg outscored Ottawa 18-12 in the fourth quarter but could not overcome the decisive third-quarter run.

LOU                         14            11            10            13 – 48

LV                              2               12            19            18 – 51

LOUISBURG (2-2): Lance Callahan 5-15 0-0 12; Herschel Strumberger 5-6 0-0 10; Owen Marsh 3-11 2-3 8; John Guetterman 3-5 0-0 7; Derek Frederick 1-6 3-4 6; Parker Stanfield 1-1 1-4 3; Fletcher Viterna 1-1 0-0 2. Totals: 19-47 6-11 48. 3-point field goals: 4, (Callahan 2, Frederick, Guetterman)

LOU                         10            18            7               18 – 53

OTT                          16            12            27            12 – 67

LOUISBURG: Lance Callahan 6-13 2-2 19; Derek Frederick 5-7 1-2 15; John Guetterman 2-5 4-5 8; Fletcher Viterna 2-4 0-1 5; Owen Marsh 1-10 1-2 3; Herschel Strumberger 0-3 2-4 2; Parker Stanfield 0-0 1-2 1. Totals: 16-43 11-18 53. 3-point field goals: 10, (Callahan 5, Frederick 4, Viterna)