Lady Cats down Ottawa for third straight win

By Andy Brown
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Updated: December 22, 2016

Andy Brown / Louisburg Sports Zone

Louisburg senior Tayler Lancaster tries to drive around an Ottawa defender during the Lady Cats’ game Monday in Ottawa. The Lady Cats defeated the Cyclones 55-40.

OTTAWA – Madisen Simpson had the type of scoring night only a handful players in Louisburg girls basketball history can relate to.

During Monday’s game in Ottawa, Simpson exploded for a career-high 28 points, including 6-for-8 from 3-point range and the Cyclones didn’t have an answer for the Louisburg senior guard.

More importantly, Simpson’s scoring output helped give the Lady Cats a big boost in their 55-40 win over Ottawa. It was the third straight victory for Louisburg as it heads into the holiday break with a 3-3 record and a 2-0 mark in the Frontier League.

As big as Simpson was for the Lady Cats, it was their defense that propelled them to a fast start as they finished with 15 steals on the night as they kept Ottawa at arm’s length, despite a slow second quarter.

“I challenged some of the seniors at halftime and their response was great,” Louisburg coach Shawn Lowry said. “They responded like you would have hoped they would. I am really proud of them. I think the thing you are seeing too is that it is a collective effort. Madisen had a great night, obviously, but other girls did good things defensively and rebounding so it was a good team win.”

Louisburg jumped out to a quick start as it took a 21-11 lead into the second quarter, and from there, the Lady Cats had a tough time keeping that same momentum going to finish the half as Ottawa outscored them 9-6.

Louisburg senior Madisen Simpson goes up for two of her game-high 28 points Monday in Ottawa.

The Lady Cats still took a 27-20 lead into halftime, but Lowry wanted to see more and the team responded to his challenge.

“We really came out strong,” Simpson said. “Our defense was high-intensity to start the game, but once the second quarter started we dropped a little bit. We got into a little bit of foul trouble, but we were able to pick it back up and worked hard as a team. Even when the younger players came in at the end, they finished it for us and it really was a good win.”

The players seemed to take to heart whatever their coach said as Louisburg went on to outscore Ottawa 16-8 in the third quarter to go up by double digits and all but seal the win over the Cyclones.

As much as Simpson helped the Lady Cats in the scoring department, she also performed on the defensive end. Simpson, along with sophomore Carson Buffington and senior Tayler Lancaster, led the team with four steals each.

Senior Paige Buffington and junior Isabelle Holtzen also provided a lot of defensive pressure on the perimeter.

“Madisen has taken that point guard role on for us this year and she has not missed a beat there for us,” Lowry said. “However for her, it all starts defensively. When she came in as a freshman, I challenged her a lot. I knew she wanted to be an offensive player, but I am so proud of the defensive player that she is. Yes, she had 28, but her defense is what I am most proud of.

“I thought Paige was really solid too, and she wasn’t feeling really well, but that is why she is a captain for us. She will give whatever her team needs her to give, even when she is not feeling great. Proud of her for that.”

Lancaster almost reached double digits in scoring with nine points, while Carson Buffington led the Lady Cats with eight rebounds and senior Chloe Renner added five.

The win provided the Lady Cats with a big boost heading into the holiday break. They have already matched their win total from a season ago and are looking for several more wins in the season’s final two months.

“I knew that we were going to be better than last year with all the hard work we put in during the preseason and commitment week,” Simpson said. “I didn’t think that our defensive intensity would be this high, this soon. Our defense is absolutely amazing right now, and as we go further into the season, I can’t imagine what it is going to be like later on.”

Louisburg returns to action on Jan. 6 when it travels to Baldwin. Tipoff for the girls game is set for 6 p.m.

LOU 21 6 16 12 – 55

OTT 11 9 8 12 – 40

LOUISBURG (3-3): Madisen Simpson 28, Tayler Lancaster 9, Haley Cain 6, Paige Buffington 4, Isabelle Holtzen 3, Chloe Renner 3, Carson Buffington 2. Totals: 22-48 4-10 55. 3-point field goals: 7, (Simpson 6, Lancaster)