Lady Cats place three on All-Frontier League basketball team

By Andy Brown
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Updated: March 19, 2020

Andy Brown / Louisburg Sports Zone

Louisburg junior Madilyn Melton earned second team All-Frontier League honors with the team was released late last week. She was one of three Lady Cats to be awarded recognition.

In a year that saw three teams from the same league go to the state tournament, the 2019-20 version of the Frontier League was a very difficult one.

Eudora, Piper and Baldwin all advanced to the state tournament and Piper earned a spot in the Class 4A final four. Although the Louisburg girls basketball team didn’t have the season it was hoping for with an 8-13 record, the Lady Cats were still recognized by the area coaches.

Three Louisburg players were named to the All-Frontier League basketball team when it was released late last week. Junior Madilyn Melton was awarded second team honors, while juniors Alyse Moore and Brooklyn Diederich were named to the honorable mention squad.

“Given the up and down season that we had, I think we were definitely well-represented on the all-league teams,” Louisburg interim coach Leanna Willer said. “The Frontier League is extremely strong, especially in girls’ basketball. We have some true basketball talent in our league, and I was glad to see that other coaches and schools recognize what these three brought to the court this year.

“We are so proud of all three of these girls and we’re very excited to have all three of them returning next year. They are very deserving of this recognition.”

Melton had a big year for the Lady Cats at the forward spot as she led Louisburg in scoring at 13.3 points a game and finished with 7.1 rebounds a contest. She also averaged two steals and 1.3 blocks a game.

**Junior Alyse Moore was named to the honorable mention team after leading the Lady Cats in rebounding.**

“Madilyn finished the season very strong for us,” Willer said. “She was our clear leading scorer, but she also stepped up her rebounding and defensive game to become very valuable on both ends of the floor. At the beginning of the season, we were looking for her to have a big year, and I believe she expected the same of herself.

“Madilyn had a bit of a tough time getting to the rim toward the beginning of the year, but she started to learn to be more physical and find ways to score. Teams recognize that she is the player to stop when they play us, but her skill and experience help her overcome.”

Moore also had a strong season for Louisburg as she led the team in rebounding with nearly eight a game to go along with nearly three steals a contest. She also averaged 8.9 points a game.

**Junior Brooklyn Diederich was the team’s leading 3-point shooter and was awarded honorable mention all-league status.**

As for Diederich, she finished the season with an average of 6 points a game and a team-high 29 3-pointerse, but she also led the Lady Cats on defense. She recorded a team-high 5.7 deflections and 1.7 steals a game.

“Alyse is the type of player who gives 100 percent effort, 100 percent of the time,” Willer said. “She goes full speed and refuses to give less. She would run through a brick wall for her teammates only to get back up and do it again. On the court, Alyse is physical and leads the team in rebounds and steals. Her speed and physicality allowed us to play the type of defense we wanted and additionally, Alyse was our second leading scorer this season – a huge asset on both offense and defense.

“Brooklyn is one of those girls that just has a nose for the ball. She may be small, but she covers more court than anyone else and leads the team in deflections. If there’s a chance, Brooklyn will get a hand on the ball. Brooklyn plays like the energizer bunny – she just doesn’t quit. She was our third leading scorer and a person we want out there on the floor. We know she will play smart, give the effort that we need, and take care of the basketball.”