Big first half helps Louisburg to semifinal win over Paola

Louisburg senior Konnor Vohs pulls up for a 3-pointer Tuesday against Paola during the Class 4A sub-state semifinals in Louisburg.

For the first half anyway, Louisburg was playing some of its basketball at the right time.

The Wildcats jumped out to an 18-point halftime lead over rival Paola on Tuesday in the Class 4A sub-state semifinals. The next two quarters seemed more like a formality the way Louisburg had dominated the first half.

As it turned out, it was much more than a formality as Paola, with its season on the line, charged to cut the Louisburg lead to just four. Still, the Wildcats were able to make plays down the stretch and pull away for a 51-44 victory.

“We came out with a lot of energy and played great defense,” Louisburg coach Ty Pfannenstiel said. “We pride ourselves on our defense and the first half we executed our defensive game plan and we were playing hard. To hold a team to single digits at halftime is pretty good, and most of the time you are happy if you do that in a quarter. To hold them to eight in the first half was a big accomplishment. 

“It was a good thing we got a good lead because they made a run in the second half. It was kind of a reverse for us in the second half as we struggled offensively and we couldn’t get stops on defense.”

The one constant for the Wildcats was their aggressiveness on the boards, which turned out to be a big difference in the game. Louisburg outrebounded Paola by 14.

Along with its strong defense in the first half, the Wildcats were able to jump out to a 26-8 halftime lead on their rival.

“We just made a point to box out their two big guys and we had the mentality that we were going to go get every rebound,” senior Weston Guetterman said. “We played great pressure defense. With our season on the line, you have to play tough all four quarters. Obviously, we let them back in it a little bit, but we were able to finish strong.

“I was proud of the way we finished and we found a way to win, which is all that matters. Whether it is by 30 or 2, you just have to find a way.”

Louisburg was able to snap Paola’s big rally in the second half with several crucial plays down the stretch.

Paola went on a 15-0 run to get back in the game, a run that started in the third quarter and ended midway through the fourth. The Panthers cut the Wildcat lead to four, but Louisburg junior Julian Margrave stopped the run with a jumper.

The Wildcats kept it a six-point advantage on a floater in the lane from senior Konnor Vohs. After a basket from Paola’s Trey Moala, junior Michael Seuferling calmly knocked down two free throws to keep the Panthers at arm’s length.

Free throws from Margrave and Weston Guetterman, along with a basket from Seuferling, pushed the Louisburg lead to double digits and the Wildcats were able to hold on.

“Our kids played hard and it got to a point where we needed to make some plays,” Pfannenstiel said. “We had a lot of kids make plays for us down the stretch. Konnor’s little floater in the lane was really big and I was happy with how we played defensively overall. At this point in the season, we are going to get everyone’s best shot, no matter what the score is. Everyone is fighting for their seasons and it is all about surviving and advancing.”

Margrave led the Wildcats in scoring with 16 points to go along with eight rebounds. Weston Guetterman also scored in double figures with 10 points, but also had six rebounds, four assists and three steals.

Senior Ben Guetterman also had seven points and seven rebounds in the win.

Louisburg (15-6) will now try to advance to the state tournament for the first time since 2017 when the Wildcats will host No. 2 seed Iola (13-7) at 7 p.m. on Friday.

Iola ended the Wildcats’ season a year ago in the sub-state semifinals, despite a 32-point fourth quarter rally from Louisburg that forced overtime. Louisburg hopes it doesn’t have to resort to such heroics this time around.

“We want Iola and we wanted to see them again before we graduate and that was part of our motivation for this game,” Weston said, “We mainly wanted to win because we haven’t won a playoff game yet in high school.

“I am pumped for it. If we come out and play like we did here, I think we have a good chance.”

LOU 12 14 13 12 — 51

PAO 4 4 17 19 — 44

LOUISBURG (15-6): Julian Margrave 6-11 3-4 16; Weston Guetterman 4-11 2-6 10; Ben Guetterman 2-8 2-2 7; Michael Seuferling 2-6 2-2 6; Konnor Vohs 2-2 1-2 6; Dawson Barnes 2-3 0-0 4; Andy Hupp 1-2 0-0 2. Totals: 19-43 10-16 51. 3-point field goals: 3, (Vohs, B. Guetterman, Margrave)

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