Lady Cats end 47-year state drought with sub-state championship

Louisburg seniors (from left) Alyse Moore, Brooklyn Diederich, Megan Foote and Madilyn Melton hoist the Class 4A sub-state championship trophy Saturday following the Lady Cats’ 51-27 win over Fort Scott.

Back in middle school, six future Louisburg girls basketball players wrote down their basketball goals on a note card.

Their coaches at the time, Jim Foote and Andy Wright, asked them to set goals for themselves and what they wanted to accomplish on the basketball court.

It was an overwhelming majority – they all either wanted to make it to state or win a state title. State was always their goal.

So following their 51-27 win over Fort Scott in the Class 4A sub-state championship game Saturday, Foote dusted off those cards and showed them to the girls.

It was a blast from the past of sorts. For the last six or seven years, they wanted to be the ones to break the program’s long state drought.

So when seniors Megan Foote, Brooklyn Diederich, Alyse Moore, Madilyn Melton and juniors Delaney Wright and Jordan Mynsted read those cards, there was an obvious sense of achievement.

“It has been our goal for as long as I can remember,” senior Megan Foote said. “I can’t stop smiling. I’m so proud of this team. We have been through so much together, and to be able to win sub-state is a huge accomplishment.”

Yes, in anti-climatic fashion, the Lady Cats became the first team since 1974 to earn a state bid and ended the program’s 47 year absence. Years of hard work led to this moment.

“We wanted nothing more than to get our year on that (state) board,” Melton said. “With a year like the one we have had, it is a great feeling to know we have brought excitement into the school and community. Breaking the drought is a great achievement. Many great players have come before us and I feel like we won it for them.”

In a year where the Lady Cats didn’t even practice as a full team until after their first game, they rallied to put together one of the best season’s in school history as they moved their record to 18-4 after their victory Saturday.

Three of those losses have come at the hands of a Class 6A program, two Class 5A teams and a ranked 3A squad in Nemaha Central. They did all this under a first-year head coach in Adrianne Lane.

“I am so proud to be a part of this team,” Lane said. “The girls are fighters and they deserve to make history. It has been so much fun seeing the girls come together this season. We have overcome several obstacles, but this team’s perseverance has taken us to where we are.”

The Lady Cats have persevered and battled to get to this point, but it has been their defense in the last couple of months that has helped them get to where they are and it showed again Saturday.

Louisburg held Fort Scott to just 21 percent shooting and forced 15 turnovers. It is that kind of pressure that has put the Lady Cats in this position.

“I think our defense is the key to us winning most of our games,” Diederich said. “We all give 110 percent when we are on defense and we are always hustling.

“It is a super exciting feeling to go to state. We have always had this goal from day one to go to state. So, finally achieving this goal was a huge accomplishment.”

The Lady Cats held Fort Scott to single digit scoring in each of the four quarters, including a five-point fourth that helped Louisburg pull away.

“Man, this team is good at defense,” Lane said. “I love coaching teams that battle and play hard like this group. No matter what team we are playing I feel that we have someone on our team that can guard the other team’s best player. 

“A big part of our success on the defensive side of the ball is the way we help each other, and box out. This shows how unselfish the girls are. They are willing to step and help and box out in all situations.”

Both Moore and Mynsted almost had double-doubles to help lead Louisburg. Mynsted finished with 12 points and nine rebounds, while Moore had nine points and 10 rebounds.

However, it was Melton that achieved a big milestone for the Lady Cats. She joined Moore as she recorded her 500th career rebound in the fourth quarter.

Melton finished with a team-high 11 rebounds and had seven points and two blocks.

Foote added eight points to go along with a team-high six deflections and four steals. Moore and Wright led Louisburg with three assists each.

“I am honestly super proud of my team,” Moore said. “It’s amazing to be able to say that we made history in Louisburg and that we can make our community proud, especially our school and just represent them well.”

Now the Lady Cats will try for the best finish in school history tonight when they travel to Labette County (19-2) for the Class 4A state quarterfinals. A win would give them the best finish in school history and they are looking forward to the challenge.

“It will be a tough week for sure, but I believe we’re ready,” Foote said. “Right after the game on Saturday, we scheduled a film session for the next day. We take it one game at a time. Once one game is over, we move on to the next. Obviously we’re very excited and hyped up, but I think that’ll make us even better because we have something to prove. 

“We are focused and coming into practice to compete. Labette is a talented team and has a great atmosphere to play in. I believe we play better on the road as well. We are 100 percent focused and we will be using the momentum from Saturday to our advantage.”

Labette County is an experienced postseason team that has been to state five of the last seven seasons. Louisburg has spent the last two days trying to prepare for a team they haven’t seen before, but it is excited for the opportunity.

“Labette County is a solid team and they have experience playing in the state tournament,” Lane said. “That being said, I think the girls are ready for the challenge and I think we will show up and play hard. I feel that some of our best games of the season were played on the road, so the girls will be mentally ready. It will be a fun day for the girls, and we plan to enjoy it and battle every possession.”

LOU 13 16 7 15 — 51

FS 6 8 8 5 — 27

LOUISBURG (18-4): Jordan Mynsted 4-9 3-3 12; Alyse Moore 3-9 3-3 9; Megan Foote 1-5 5-6 8; Madilyn Melton 3-6 1-2 7; Brooklyn Diederich 2-8 0-0 5; Adyson Ross 2-4 0-0 4; Emma Lohse 1-2 0-0 2; Delanie Tally 1-1 0-0 2. Totals: 18-55 12-16 51. 3-point field goals: 3, (Diederich, Mynsted, Foote)

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