Wildcats snap losing skid with win over Bishop Ward

By Andy Brown
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Updated: January 23, 2018

Andy Brown / Louisburg Sports Zone

Louisburg junior Brayden Gage drives to the basket on Friday during the Wildcats’ consolation semifinal game against Harmon at the Baldwin Invitational Tournament. The Wildcats took seventh place Saturday with a 70-42 win over Bishop Ward.

BALDWIN CITY – The Louisburg boys basketball team was staring a ninth straight loss in the face Saturday when it faced off with Bishop Ward.

If the Wildcats wanted to break the streak, they were going to have to do it without senior starter Dalton Ribordy. who had to sit out with an injury. Louisburg held a slim 3-point lead at halftime against Ward in the seventh-place game of the Baldwin Invitational.

Louisburg had a tough time getting in any kind of rhythm offensively. So in the second half, the Wildcats let their defense do the work.

The Wildcats turned over Bishop Ward several times in the final two quarters and turned that into instant offense in their 70-42 win over the Cyclones, and broke their long losing streak in the process.

“Our defense was better in the second half, no doubt,” Louisburg coach Ty Pfannenstiel said. “Ward didn’t shoot the ball well in the second half and we were very good on the defensive glass. A lot of that had to do with our triangle-and-2 look we threw at them. We did a good job of getting buckets in transition and then when we got into a half court set, we were patient and worked the ball inside. I was pleased with the way we played in the second half.”

With Ribordy out of the lineup, Pfannenstiel was looking for someone else to replace that void and he found it in Ben Minster. The Louisburg senior was all over the floor for the Wildcats as he finished with a game-high 24 points.

Along with his scoring punch, Minster also did it on the glass with a team-high six rebounds and on the defensive end with team-best six steals.

“Dalton is one of our leaders, so not having him out there was a concern,” Pfannenstiel said. “He’s our best rebounder and low post defender so we had to have some other guys step up for us. Ben played with a lot of energy and provided a spark offensively and defensively. He played with a different energy this week. He was aggressive on both ends and kept attacking. He’s an explosive player and needs to continue to play with that mentality from here on out.”

Louisburg (2-10) held a 25-22 halftime lead over Bishop Ward, but Pfannenstiel wanted to change things up in order to spark his team. He decided to employ a triangle-and-2 defense in hopes of confusing Ward.

It seemed to work.

The Wildcats forced 28 Bishop Ward turnovers and scored 23 points off those Cyclone mistakes, which gave them the spark they were looking for. Louisburg recorded 18 steals and were able to score 17 points in transition.

Senior Dalton Ribordy goes up for two of his 12 points Friday against Harmon.

They were also able to hold Bishop Ward leading scorer Clarence Johnson in check in the second half. Johnson, who scored a team-high 16 points, scored most of those in the first half.

“Our defense did a good job of executing in the second half,” Pfannenstiel said. “We went some triangle-and-2 to try and get them out of an offensive rhythm. We did a great job of keeping the ball out of the hands of No. 4 (Johnson). He was a really good player and we were able to make him work harder in the second half.”

Senior starter Desmond Doles gave the Wildcats a big boost himself as he scored in double figures with 12 points and four steals on defense. Junior Kohl Vogel scored nine points and had five rebounds to go along with four steals.

Junior Dylan DeShazer added eight points and five rebounds, while sophomore Madden Rutherford finished with six points and five boards. Senior Parker Perentis added three steals on defense.

“It’s taken us awhile, but I think we are finally playing to our strengths as a team,” Pfannenstiel said. “We have to continue to focus on the things that we do well and capitalize on those moments in games.”

Louisburg returns to action Thursday when it travels to Spring Hill in hopes of getting its second straight win. Tipoff is set for 7:30 p.m.

LOU 11 14 25 20 – 70

BW 10 12 11 9 – 42

LOUISBURG (2-10): Ben Minster 24, Desmond Doles 12, Kohl Vogel 9, Dylan DeShazer 8, Madden Rutherford 6, Parker Perentis 4, Justin Sievert 4, Noah Hill 2, Michael Waldron 1. Totals: 25-54 18-32 70. 3-point field goals: 2, (Perentis, Minster)

Louisburg falls to Bonner Springs, Harmon to open tournament

Louisburg had a difficult first-round matchup in the Baldwin Invitational on Wednesday when it faced off with Bonner Springs, the state’s No. 3-ranked team in Class 4A-Division I.

The Wildcats fell to the Braves 75-43, but had a chance to rebound in the consolation semifinals Friday against Harmon. Despite a furious fourth quarter rally, the Wildcats came up short, 64-56.

Against Harmon, the Wildcats trailed by 18 points early in the fourth quarter, but they eventually whittled the lead. Louisburg went on a 17-0 run to cut the lead to one, but couldn’t get over the hump.

Louisburg used full-court pressure to speed up Harmon and those turned into turnovers and easy baskets for the Wildcats.

“We played with a different intensity in the fourth quarter,” Pfannenstiel said. “Our kids have to realize that when we play with that type of intensity and focus, we can be pretty good.”

Ben Minster led Louisburg in scoring with 20 points and Dalton Ribordy added 12 in the loss. Ribordy had to leave the game in the second half with an ankle injury and didn’t return.

Junior guard Brayden Gage finished with nine points and three assists, while Desmond Doles brought down six rebounds. Doles also led Louisburg in scoring with 13 points in the loss to Bonner Springs.

LOU 15 4 12 25 – 56

HAR 14 12 20 18 – 64

LOUISBURG: Ben Minster 20, Dalton Ribordy 12, Brayden Gage 9, Justin Sievert 6, Dylan DeShazer 5, Madden Rutherford 2, Desmond Doles 2. Totals: 23-52 9-17 56. 3-point field goals: 1, (DeShazer)

LOU 8 15 13 7 – 43

BOSP 20 18 24 13 – 75

LOUISBURG: Desmond Doles 13, Ben Minster 11, Dylan DeShazer 7, Dalton Ribordy 4, Brayden Gage 3, Justin Sievert 3, Madden Rutherford 2. Totals: 15-40 12-19 43. 3-point field goals: 1, (DeShazer)