KANSAS STATE HIGH SCHOOL ACTIVITIES ASSOCIATION PRESS RELEASE

TOPEKA – Changes to postseason formats and championship sites for basketball, football, wrestling and track and field highlight actions approved at the June 12-13 KSHSAA Executive Board Meeting. The postseason formats are set by the KSHSAA Executive Board each year.

Basketball – Beginning in March of 2026, the state basketball tournaments will be moving to four total sites. Four facilities will play host to the seven classifications, 14 championships. By honoring the KSHSAA membership voted in the fall of 2023 to qualify eight boys teams and eight girls teams involved at the final site, modifications to the daily schedule will be developed. The schedule and other event details, including classification designations for each site and venue selection will be determined and announced following the 2024-25 basketball season.

Another basketball postseason change effective with the 2024-25 season will come at the 3A, 2A, 1A DI and 1A DII classifications. Each class will be divided into four regions and then seeded into two sub-states within the region: Substate A: 1, 4, 5, 8, 9, 12, 13, 16; Substate B: 2, 3, 6, 7, 10, 11, 14, 15. The winner of each substate will advance to the state basketball tournament. Further format details and dates will be sent to member schools.

Football – As announced in January, the state football championships will be moving to three sites with three games being played at each site. The executive board approved the following sites and schedule for 2024:

Emporia State University:

Class 6A = Friday, November 29 at 2:00pm

Class 4A = Saturday, November 30 at 1:00pm

Class 5A = Saturday, November 30 at 7:00pm

Hutchinson Community College:

Class 2A = Friday, November 29 at 6:00pm

Class 3A = Saturday, November 30 at 12:00pm

Class 1A = Saturday, November 30 at 5:00pm

Kiowa County High School, Greensburg:

Class 8-player DII = Saturday, November 30 at 11:00am

Class 6-Player = Saturday, November 30 at 3:00pm

Class 8-Player DI = Saturday, November 30 at 7:00pm

Wrestling – Girl’s wrestling will now include four classes to mirror the boy’s classification designations. The addition of another class for girl’s wrestling necessitates the addition of another championship site. 6A, 5A, 4A and 3-1A will each have their own site to determine a champion. 3-1A state wrestling will be in Hays and 4A will be in Salina. Park City Arena and one other facility to be named later will house either 6A or 5A. State sites and regional dates will be determined at the September KSHSAA Executive Board meeting. The state wrestling tournament will take place February 28 – March 1, 2025.

Track and Field – Qualification for the state meet was adjusted to now be the top 3 plus the next four best regional performance in each event.

Two committees will be formed to gather input from membership school leaders. One to discuss the details behind the implementation of Esports prior to the possible adoption as a KSHSAA sanctioned activity. The second committee will review the KSHSAA calendar to consider possible alternatives to dates of postseason activities.

The Louisburg boys basketball team had to weave through some difficult opponents throughout its Frontier League schedule, but the Wildcats more than held their own and some of their opposition took notice.

The All-Frontier League team was released Sunday and the Wildcats had three earn league honors. Senior Nathan Parker was selected to the first team, while junior Conlee Hovey was named as an honorable mention. Senior Brady Hickey was selected to the All-Defensive Team.

“When you broke it down and looked at everyone, there were a lot of really good players in the league,” Louisburg coach Ben Doll said. “It was impressive to see Nate get on the first team. I was hoping Conlee could get a little better, but getting honorable mention in a tough league is a big deal.

“It is also really cool they do an all-defensive team to recognize some of the best defenders in our league, especially some who might not recognized otherwise. Brady had a great year for us in that department, and really all-around he did some great things for us.”

Parker was a big part of the Wildcat offense all season, as he not only scored, but facilitated the offense at times. He finished with a team-best 12.6 points a game and he also tallied a team-high 51 assists.

“Nate did great job throughout the season and was someone who can get on streaks,” Doll said. “When was on, he was hard to stop. Against Coffeyville and Frontenac, he really got going and he kept our team in games. Not only that, he led our team in assists. He had a great knack of getting inside and finishing, or he found guys for open shots. He really had a great year.”

As for Hovey, the Louisburg forward improved as the season went along and was third on the team in scoring with 7.2 points a game and led the Wildcats with 162 rebounds.

He became more a focal point for the Wildcats as the season went along and other teams started to take notice. 

“Conlee was the guy that got the most attention about doing extra things,” Doll said. “We had other guys like Nate they had to stop, but they had to start doubling on Conlee and would do things to bracket him and take him out of the play. His rebounding was really good as the season went along. The key to our success were getting extra opportunities and he was a big reason for that. He is definitely a football first kid, but with a little bit of work in the summer, I think he can be one of the best players in the league next year.”

Hickey was one of the Wildcats’ top defenders and most consistent players throughout the season. As the team’s starting point guard, he had 16 steals and was third on the team with 76 rebounds.

He was also the team’s second leading scorer, averaging 8.4 points a contest.

“He was huge for us all year and had a great season,” Doll said. “He was our primary ball handler. He handled pressure teams tried to throw at us and did a great job with it. We put him on the best player on almost every team. He would guard different kinds of guys in different ways. He was our second leading scorer too. He was the only one that started every game and he was most consistent player.”

ALL-FRONTIER LEAGUE

FIRST TEAM

Cooper Carr, Baldwin, sophomore

Logan Sullivan, Eudora, senior

Kalen Streit, Bonner Springs, senior

Aiden McCullough, Ottawa, sophomore

Nathan Parker, Louisburg, senior

SECOND TEAM

Chase Bond, Spring Hill, senior

Alex Crowley, Tonganoxie, senior

Talan Torrez, Baldwin, senior

Jason Jones, Bonner Springs, sophomore

Caleb Hepner, Ottawa, junior

HONORABLE MENTION

Joey Ziembicki, Baldwin, senior

Errol Siemon, Eudora, junior

Caden Stedry, Eudora, junior

Conlee Hovey, Louisburg, junior

Owen Blaine, Ottawa, senior

Carter Hepner, Ottawa, junior

Caden Cohee, Paola, junior

ALL-DEFENSIVE TEAM

Leo Schoenberger, Baldwin, sophomore

Kalen Streit, Bonner Springs, senior

Errol Siemon, Eudora, junior

Brady Hickey, Louisburg, senior

Carter Hepner, Ottawa, junior

Eli Richmond, Paola, senior

Jordan Miller, Spring Hill, sophomore

Alex Crowley, Tonganoxie, senior

The Louisburg girls basketball had a strong finish to its season in 2024 and a pair of Lady Cats were recognized for their efforts.

Junior Ashlyn Kuhlman was named to the All-Frontier League team that was released on Saturday as she was selected to the honorable mention squad.

Another junior, Sami Lane, was named to the all-defensive team as one player from each league school was recognized for their efforts on the defensive side of the ball.

Ottawa, which earned a spot at the state tournament last week, had two players named to the first team in freshman Leah Adkins-Dieterich and senior Foster Nichols. Baldwin senior Alyssa Reichard, Eudora freshman Brynn Deterding and Spring Hill junior Sydney Buscher rounded out the first team.

As for Kuhlman, she led the Lady Cats in three different statistical categories. She led Louisburg in scoring with eight points a game, 5.5 rebounds and also had 45 blocked shots.

Kuhlman was also second in the team in steals with 16 and paced the Lady Cats with 29 3-pointers on the season.

“The Frontier League was tough this year, so I was so happy to see Ashlyn receive honorable mention,” Louisburg coach Adrianne Lane said. “She definitely deserved this honor. Ashlyn was the offensive leader on our team this year and her being recognized by the Frontier coaches is very meaningful.”

Lane was one of eight selections on the all-defensive team as she finished the year with eight steals to go along with 15 deflections. She also pulled down 68 rebounds on the season.

“Sami being chosen by the coaches as all defensive team was nice to see as well,” coach Lane said. “Sami did a great job on the defensive side of the ball. She played great team defense this season.”

ALL-FRONTIER LEAGUE

FIRST TEAM

Alyssa Reichard, Baldwin, senior

Brynn Deterding, Eudora, freshman

Foster Nichols, Ottawa, senior

Leah Askins-Dieterich, Ottawa, freshman

Sydney Buscher, Spring Hill, junior

SECOND TEAM

Isla Herman, Spring Hill, sophomore

Pirsten Leslie, Bonner Springs, senior

Alyssa Schoeneck, Tonganoxie, sophomore

Peyton Wright, Baldwin, freshman

Kenzie Yoder, Eudora, senior

HONORABLE MENTION

Bailey Smith, Baldwin, senior

Nya Anderson, Bonner Springs, sophomore

Chasitee Sambol, Bonner Springs, sophomore

Ashlyn Kuhlman, Louisburg, junior

Emery Keebaugh, Ottawa, senior

Dylan Nichols, Ottawa, sophomore

Audra Downum, Paola, sophomore

ALL-DEFENSIVE TEAM

Bailey Smith, Baldwin, senior

Nya Anderson, Bonner Springs, sophomore

Jayla Erpelding, Eudora, senior

Sami Lane, Louisburg, junior

Emery Keebaugh, Ottawa, senior

Abby Ediger, Paola, junior

Sydney Buscher, Spring Hill, junior

Emerson Maslak, Tonganoxie, sophomore

Here is the Louisburg Sports Zone Athlete of the Week for week 12 of the winter sports season, sponsored by Landmark National Bank.

CONLEE HOVEY, JUNIOR, BASKETBALL

Louisburg junior Conlee Hovey has been a force inside for the Wildcat basketball team all season and it continued this past week as the Wildcats advanced to the sub-state championship game. Hovey pulled down a team-high 12 rebounds in a sub-state win over Field Kindley on the road on Feb. 28, and then followed it up with an 11 rebound performance in the championship game against Baldwin last Saturday.

Hovey has pulled down 162 rebounds on the season in 20 games and is third on the team in scoring as he averages 7.2 points a contest. He also registered three double-doubles on the year as he helped Louisburg to a sub-state runner-up finish.

The athlete of the week award is announced every Wednesday morning during the winter season and the winner is selected by Louisburg Sports Zone with the help of nominations from coaches.

Previous Winners:

Week 1: Myles Vohs

Week 2: Andrew Jamison

Week 3: Nathan Parker

Week 4: Elias Pugh

Week 5: Ashton Moore

Week 6: Colin Brown

Week 7: Ashlyn Kuhlman

Week 8: Brady Hickey

Week 9: Leola Eslinger

Week 10: Colton Prettyman

Week 11: McKenna Lohse

BALDWIN CITY — For the first three quarters, No. 10 Louisburg had the No. 2 seed in its sights for a potential upset.

It was the final frame where Baldwin started to pull away. The Bulldogs built a 14-point lead in the fourth quarter and time ran out on the Wildcats’ season in their 59-49 loss in the Class 4A sub-state championship game at Baldwin High School.

Louisburg pushed Baldwin for much of the game as it trailed by just four points at halftime and seven going into the fourth. The Wildcats couldn’t get the stops they needed down the stretch to pull off the upset.

“It is still very disappointing because I really believe that we had a chance to win the game,” Louisburg coach Ben Doll said. “We played tough the whole time and we kept it close for most of the game. We had a game plan for certain personnel and there were times we lost track of them. They hit some big shots where we weren’t supposed to go under screens. We weren’t perfect, but we kept it close the entire way and that is a really good team. They have a lot of parts that make them really good.”

Baldwin’s Cooper Carr and Joey Ziembicki did a bulk of the damage for the Bulldogs. Carr and Ziembicki each finished with 24 points and scored 48 of the team’s 59 points. Only four players scored for Baldwin on the night.

“We had a very solid game plan that we were able to stick to, but we weren’t perfect,” Doll said. “We knew Cooper was going to get his, but didn’t want to let the others get theirs and I think that is where we let down a little bit.”

The Wildcats (9-13) stayed within striking distance for most of the game, but the Bulldogs never let the lead get closer than four. 

Every time Louisburg would responded with a run, the Bulldogs would stop it — many times coming on Ziembicki’s five 3-pointers.

Turnovers also haunted the Wildcats as they committed 17 for the game, which turned into 15 Baldwin points. Still, Louisburg put the pressure on for all four quarters.

Louisburg forced 15 turnovers of their own and also got several second chance opportunities with 14 offensive rebounds.

Senior Brady Hickey led Louisburg in scoring with 10 points and he also had five rebounds and three assists. Senior Nathan Parker finished nine points and three assists.

Junior Myles Vohs came off the bench to give the Wildcats a spark on both ends of the floor. Vohs had six points, but he also finished with a team-high seven steals and a team-best five assists.

Another junior, Conlee Hovey, controlled the boards as he pulled down a team-high 11 rebounds to go along with six points. Senior Brock Vohs finished with seven points for Louisburg.

It was also the final game for five Wildcat seniors in Hickey, Parker, Luke Hill, Brock Vohs and Jaymes Melton. 

“I thanked the guys after the game and told them that I was really proud of them,” Doll said. “I would go to battle with these guys any time. The record doesn’t show what we were at the end. The boys were so close to getting to Salina. They kept growing and did what was asked of them. 

“I am proud of our five seniors and we have a lot to fill in for next year. We are going to miss a lot of good minutes, scoring and defense. They are five all-around good players. We could start all five of those guys on Senior Night and we didn’t miss a beat. They will be missed for sure.”

LOU 10 14 9 16 — 49

BAL 15 13 12 19 — 59

LOUISBURG (9-13): Brady Hickey 3-9 2-4 10; Nathan Parker 4-15 0-0 9; Brock Vohs 3-5 0-0 7; Conlee Hovey 3-6 0-0 6; Myles Vohs 2-8 2-3 6; Luke Hill 2-8 0-0 5; Luke Schultz 1-2 2-2 4; Gavin Lohse 1-1 0-0 2. Totals: 19-54 6-9 49. 3-point field goals: 5, (Hickey 2, Parker, Hill, B. Vohs)

OTTAWA — The Louisburg girls basketball had a strong finish to its regular season and the Lady Cats were playing their best basketball of the season.

In the postseason, however, Louisburg couldn’t slow down No. 3 seed Ottawa in the Class 4A sub-state semifinals Tuesday at Ottawa High School.

The Cyclones nearly shot 50 percent from the field and ended the Lady Cats’ season with a 55-28 loss. Ottawa qualified for the state tournament a few days later with a victory over Baldwin in the sub-state championship game.

“Ottawa is a great team,” Louisburg coach Adrianne Lane said. “They are very well rounded, they are fast, great at defense and they rebound very well. They started off hot against us, but we never quit and I felt like we did a good job hanging with them in the second half. I wish Ottawa the best of the luck this postseason.”

Ottawa jumped out to a big lead on the Lady Cats as they took a 20-7 lead after the first quarter. The Cyclones went up 37-15 at halftime and the Lady Cats couldn’t get closer.

Louisburg (6-15) did put together a good second half as it outscored Ottawa in the third quarter.

Junior Ashlyn Kuhlman led the Lady Cats in scoring with eight points and also had a team high four rebounds and two blocks. Junior Sami Lane was next with five points, four rebounds and two assists.

Sophomore McKenna Lohse also had four rebounds, while junior Ally Brown had two assists. Junior Sabra Brueggen had a team-best two steals.

It may have not been the ending the Lady Cats were hoping for, but coach Lane saw improvements from her team as the season went along.

“This season has been a roller coaster,” she said. “We started off pretty slow, but once we got some experience I felt like we did a great job competing in every game. Towards the end of the season we were playing together and playing to win. 

“February was a great month for our team. We went 5-3 the second half of the season and two of those losses were to Spring Hill by 7 and Eudora by 6, and I thought we held our own against them. I am so proud of how far the girls came, they worked hard every day and they ended the season playing together and playing to win.”

LOU 7 5 10 6 — 28

OTT 20 17 9 9 — 55

LOUISBURG (6-15): Ashlyn Kuhlman 3-14 0-0 8; Sami Lane 2-7 0-0 5; Morgan Latham 2-4 0-0 4; Jillian Asher 1-6 0-0 3; McKenna Lohse 0-2 2-2 2; Zyleigh Melton 1-2 0-0 2; Shylar Whiting 1-6 0-0 2; Addy Stohs 1-1 0-0 2. Totals: 11-46 2-2 28. 3-point field goals: 4, (Kuhlman 2, Asher, Lane)

COFFEYVILLE — It wasn’t the ideal scenario for Louisburg in its first round sub-state game.

The No. 10 seed Wildcats had to travel more than two hours to face off with No. 7 Coffeyville-Field Kindley with its season on the line against an unfamiliar opponent. 

As it turned out, Louisburg wouldn’t mind going back as the Wildcats put together its best shooting performance of the season. 

Louisburg shot better than 50 percent from the floor and knocked in 11 3-pointers in the Wildcats’ 68-58 victory Wednesday over the Golden Tornadoes. The Wildcats now move on to the sub-state championship game Saturday at Baldwin.

“It is awesome,” Louisburg coach Ben Doll said. “There are a lot of things that were working against us, whether it was our seed or going on a long road trip, but our guys just responded. I want to play more games in this gym. We shot so well in here, and I don’t know what it was, but our guys were seeing it the entire game.”

The Wildcats (9-12) shot 51 percent for the game and a bulk of those shots came from senior guards Nathan Parker and Luke Hill. 

Parker exploded with his best game of the season as he knocked in six 3-pointers and scored a game-high 29 points to go along with a team-high four assists. 

As for Hill, the Wildcat guard made four 3-pointers and finished with 15 points to go along with at team-high two steals.

“I am so happy for them,” Doll said. “They are both capable of going on runs like that and they are both capable of getting hot and this is the perfect time for them to do it. We did a good job of executing and running stuff for them and they both knocked them down when it was time to hit shots.”

It was a game of runs to start as the Wildcats jumped out to a 20-12 lead after the first quarter, but struggled in the second. Field Kindley outscored the Wildcats 19-9 before halftime and actually took a two-point lead.

After halftime, the Wildcats put together one of their best quarters of the season as they scored 24 points in the third period to go up 10.

“That was the difference in the game,” Doll said. “We have had third quarters where we have come out after halftime and not adjusted very well. I think zoning them a little bit helped, but if you shoot the ball well you are going to have a great chance to win and that is what we did.

“Basketball is a game of runs and you have to limit the runs your opponent goes on and we didn’t do a good job of that in the second quarter. Later in the game, we threw the zone at them and it worked for a while, until they started hitting shots. Then we got out of it and we were ok finding their shooters and blocking out.”

The Golden Tornadoes had one little run in them as they cut the lead to five midway through the fourth quarter, but the Wildcats hit a couple key baskets and free throws down the stretch to seal the win.

Senior guard Brady Hickey joined Parker and Hill in double figures as he finished with 10 points to go along with four assists. Junior Conlee Hovey was a fixture on the boards for Louisburg as he pulled down a game-high 12 rebounds.

Louisburg will now face No. 2 Baldwin in the sub-state championship at 5 p.m. on Saturday. The Wildcats will once again have to go on the road and face a team that has beaten them twice already this season.

“We know them very well,” Doll said. “There is an old saying, and I feel like it is true because I have been on the other side of it, is if you beat someone twice it is hard to beat them a third time because you know each other so well. They are a really good team. They have a driver in (Cooper) Carr, they have shooters and they have some bigs that are long and athletic and they alter a lot of shots. It will be a very tough game for us, but we are happy to be in this position and have a chance to go to Salina.”

LOU 20 9 24 15 — 68

COF 12 19 12 15 — 58

LOUISBURG (9-12): Nathan Parker 8-14 7-8 29; Luke Hill 5-8 1-2 15; Brady Hickey 4-8 1-2 10; Luke Schultz 3-4 0-0 6; Brock Vohs 1-2 2-4 4; Conlee Hovey 1-3 0-0 2; Gavin Lohse 0-1 2-2 2. Totals: 22-43 13-18 68. 3-point field goals: 11, (Parker 6, Hill 4, Hickey)

Here is the Louisburg Sports Zone Athlete of the Week for week 11 of the winter sports season, sponsored by Dr. Laura’s Orthodontics.

MCKENNA LOHSE, SOPHOMORE, BASKETBALL

Louisburg sophomore McKenna Lohse had a big week for the Lady Cat basketball team in their two victories over Paola and Harrisonville last week. Against Paola, Lohse came off the bench and nearly recorded a double-double with eight points and nine rebounds in a 39-35 victory over the Panthers.

Two days later against Harrisonville, Lohse got the start and dominated the glass for the Lady Cats. She finished with a team-high 11 rebounds in a 40-33 victory. She also had four points, two assists and two steals in the win.

The athlete of the week award is announced every Wednesday morning during the winter season and the winner is selected by Louisburg Sports Zone with the help of nominations from coaches.

Previous Winners:

Week 1: Myles Vohs

Week 2: Andrew Jamison

Week 3: Nathan Parker

Week 4: Elias Pugh

Week 5: Ashton Moore

Week 6: Colin Brown

Week 7: Ashlyn Kuhlman

Week 8: Brady Hickey

Week 9: Leola Eslinger

Week 10: Colton Prettyman

In what started out as a night of celebration for the Louisburg basketball team, turned into one of disappointment.

The Wildcats hosted Harrisonville for Senior Night on Thursday, in what was also their regular season finale. Despite a solid start, Louisburg came up short in a 57-52 loss.

Harrisonville used a big second quarter to take the lead and it never relinquished it, despite a late Louisburg rally that cut the deficit to two late in the contest.

“We played hard,” Louisburg coach Ben Doll said. “I have never doubted that and Harrisonville is a very good team that has 20 wins on the year. We knew it was going to be a tough game, but it was one where we thought we could go toe-to-toe with them. There were just a few moments in the game where we couldn’t get stops and we were just trading buckets. I think we lost the game in about the middle portion where all that was going on.”

The game was tied at 9-all after the first quarter, but Harrisonville scored 19 points in the second and went into halftime with a seven-point lead.

Harrisonville got out to the lead thanks to its performance from the outside. It knocked down nine 3-pointers for the game, with seven of those coming in the first half. 

Louisburg also struggled from the free-throw line as it converted just 13 of 24 attempts for the game.

“They hit a lot of threes and we didn’t convert at the free-throw line,” Doll said. “ That just isn’t going to cut it. We left a lot of points on the table. You have to make free throws when you are in close games and the guys know that. We have to do a better job of that.”

Harrisonville stretched its lead out early in the fourth quarter, before the Wildcats went on a little rally of their own. 

It started on a basket from Conlee Hovey and was fouled. Hovey missed the free throw, but got the rebound and put back to make it a four-point possession. 

Brady Hickey knocked in a free throw to make it six-point contest, then Hovey scored again under the basket on an assist from Brock Vohs. Harrisonville took the lead back to six, but Nathan Parker knocked down a 3-pointer from the corner to make it a one possession game late.

Harrisonville was then called for a technical foul, and Parker hit 1 of 2 free throws to make it 53-51. The Wildcats got the ball back with a chance to tie or take the lead.

The Wildcats attacked the basket, but the shot rimmed off and Harrisonville got the rebound. It went on to make its free throws and sealed the win. 

It was the final home game for seniors Nathan Parker, Brady Hickey, Brock Vohs, Jaymes Melton and Luke Hill. The five players and their parents were honored before the game.

All five started the game for the Wildcats and got them out to a 7-0 lead.

“They are going to be an extra special group for me with this being my first year here,” Doll said. “It was easy to start all five of those guys because all of them have been such good contributors and such hard workers. We actually started the game really well. 

“This is what this part of the season is about too is to keep these guys playing and hopefully we can get them five more games here and not end it too early. They are going to do a lot of great things in their life, but this will be the only time that people will pay to watch you play basketball, so you need to enjoy that.”

Parker had a big game for the Wildcats as he scored a game-high 18 points, including four 3-pointers. Hovey almost finished with a double-double as he added eight points and a team-high nine rebounds.

Hickey added seven points and a team-high four assists

Louisburg (8-12) earned the No. 10 seed in the Class 4A sub-state tournament and will make the trip to No. 7 Coffeyville-Field Kindley (14-6) on Wednesday for a 6 p.m. tipoff.

“I told the guys we just have to move on from this real quick,” Doll said. “This is going to be like any basketball tournament, it is all about the matchups. We wish we could be hosting a home game and have a better seed, but it is do or die now. This is what we showed up in the summer for, and all the work we put in throughout the year, is for this moment. Now hopefully we can play far into March.”

LOU 9 12 13 18 — 52

HAR 9 19 13 16 — 57

LOUISBURG (8-12): Nathan Parker 5-12 4-7 18; Conlee Hovey 4-8 0-1 8; Brady Hickey 2-6 2-6 7; Luke Schultz 1-3 2-2 5; Luke Hill 1-3 2-2 5; Brock Vohs 1-4 1-2 3; Myles Vohs 1-5 0-0 2; Gavin Lohse 0-1 2-4 2; Jaymes Melton 1-1 0-0 2. Totals: 16-43 13-24 52. 3-point field goals: 7, (Parker 4, Schultz, Hill, Hickey)

Wildcats roll Paola in final league contest

PAOLA — Louisburg got a chance to hand its rival a loss on its Senior Night and the Wildcats took full advantage. 

Louisburg made the short journey to Paola last Tuesday and the Wildcats spoiled the Panthers’ special night as the Wildcats used a big second half to pull away for a 46-29 win over the Panthers.

The last time the two teams met, the Wildcats forced a running clock and held the Panthers (0-20) scoreless in the second half. It was a much different game this time around as Louisburg held just a two-point lead at halftime.

“We knew this was a game they wanted to get, especially with it being their Senior Night, so we knew we were going to get their best shot and we did,” Louisburg coach Ben Doll said. “They are still playing hard to their credit and we played well enough to get a win.”

Louisburg junior Myles Vohs got the Wildcats out to a good start as he knocked down a pair of 3-pointers to put the Wildcats up 11-4. Paola battled back and trimmed Louisburg’s lead to 21-19 lead at halftime.

The Wildcats ramped it up defensively as they held the Panthers to just 10 second half points, including a 14-4 run in the fourth quarter to put the game out of reach.

“Our goal in this game was to do better against a zone if they threw one at us because we have struggled with that a lot this year,” Doll said. “At the same time, I knew if we got out and pressed them that we could get them to turn over the ball. We didn’t do a very good job of that early, but in the fourth quarter we did a really good job of playing free and loose. We forced a lot of turnovers and that is what got us the win. Plus we hit free throws too and that helped a lot.”

On defense, the Wildcats forced 12 turnovers on the night and turned those into 14 points on the other end.

Senior Nathan Parker led Louisburg in scoring with 13 points, while Hickey added nine points and a team-high Sven rebounds in the win. Junior Conlee Hovey also pulled down seven rebounds, while junior Luke Schultz finished with a team-best four assists.

LOU 11 10 11 14 — 46

PAO 8 11 6 4 — 29

LOUISBURG: Nathan Parker 4-8 2-2 13; Brady Hickey 4-11 1-2 9; Myles Vohs 2-5 0-0 6; Luke Schultz 0-4 6-8 6; Brock Vohs 2-6 2-3 6; Conlee Hovey 2-4 1-2 5; Jaymes Melton 0-0 1-2 1. Totals: 14-40 13-19 46. 3-point field goals: 5, (Parker 3, Vohs 2)

In what began as a rough start for the Louisburg girls basketball team, Thursday’s final regular season game ended what was a winning stretch for the Lady Cats.

Louisburg outlasted Harrisonville, 40-33, at home to finish 5-3 in its final eight games after starting the season with eight straight losses.

The victory over Harrisonville, and Paola earlier in the week, gave the Lady Cats the momentum they need as they head into postseason play this Tuesday.

“Finishing the season with a win at home was a great way to end,” Louisburg coach Adrianne Lane said. “Winning both games last week was a great way to end our season. This was the first week all season we did win 2 games and I know that this will help the girls confidence going into substate week. 

“I am so proud of the girls and their efforts in the second half of the season. We ended 5-3 the last eight games of the season and I think the girls have improved a lot since the first game.”

The Lady Cats were able to get the win without having to score a field goal in the fourth quarter. Louisburg was able to do its damage from the free-throw line. 

All eight of its points in the fourth quarter came at the line as Louisburg was able to ice the game away after taking an eight point lead going into the final frame.

For the game, the Lady Cats were 15 of 21 from the free-throw line and were able to keep Harrisonville at arm’s length. 

“Our free-throw shooting on Thursday was a huge positive,” Lane said. “We only scored free throws in the fourth quarter, which won the game for us. I also felt like every girl contributed to that win.”

Louisburg junior Ashlyn Kuhlman led the Lady Cats in scoring with 12 points on the night, including three 3-pointers. She also tallied a team-high five blocked shots and three steals. 

Jillian Asher added nine points in the win, with seven of those coming from the free-throw line. Zyleigh Melton, Sami Lane and Ally Brown each finished with five.

Sophomore McKenna Lohse had a big night on the boards for Louisburg as she pulled down a team-high 11 rebounds. Sabra Brueggen and Lane each pulled down five rebounds, while Brueggen also had three steals.

“I honestly think this was the best we had done all season with handling pressure,” coach Lane said. “The girls did a good job taking care of the basketball and not throwing it away in pressure situations. 

“The posts did a great job rebounding and holding their position against a very physical Harrisonville team. The posts also did a great job on offense and holding their position to get the ball inside. When we get the ball inside and kick it back out, we have a higher shooting percentage.”

Louisburg will begin postseason play on Feb. 27 as the No. 14 seed in sub-state. The Lady Cats will travel to No. 3 Ottawa for the sub-state semifinals. Tipoff is set for 7 p.m.

LOU 8 13 11 8 — 40

HAR 2 9 13 9 — 33

LOUISBURG (6-14): Ashlyn Kuhlman 4-14 1-2 12; Jillian Asher 1-5 7-8 9; Zyleigh Melton 1-1 2-2 5; Sami Lane 1-7 2-2 5; Ally Brown 1-3 3-4 5; McKenna Lohse 2-6 0-3 4. Totals: 10-43 15-21 40. 3-point field goals: 5, (Kuhlman 3, Melton, Lane)

Lady Cats get road win at Paola

PAOLA — In a lot of cases, free throws can decide the difference between and win a loss.

It was certainly the difference for Louisburg last Tuesday in Paola. The Lady Cats made 12 of 14 free-throw attempts in the second half, many of those coming in the fourth quarter, as they were able to hold on for a 39-35 victory over the Panthers.

“Free throws were big for us,” Louisburg coach Adrianne Lane said. “We had several players come up and hit them late in the game. They were huge and accounted for a lot of our points the second half.”

Juniors Jillian Asher and Sabra Brueggen each hit jumpers to begin the fourth quarter to give Louisburg a four-point lead. The Lady Cats kept the advantage the rest of the way as they went 8-for-10 from the line, including makes from Ashlyn Kuhlman, Shylar Whiting, Asher and Brueggen.

Louisburg jumped out to an early 11-3 lead to start the game, but the Panthers rallied back to eventually take the lead in both the second and third quarters.

Kuhlman led the Lady Cats in scoring with 10 points to go along with four rebounds and three blocks. Whiting also finished with eight points, including 6 of 7 from the free-throw line. 

Sophomore McKenna Lohse gave the Lady Cats a spark the needed off the bench. Lohse nearly had double-double with eight points and nine rebounds and gave Louisburg some crucial minutes on the inside.

“It was good win and it was great to get that win on the road,” Lane said. “I don’t think it was our best appearance of the year, but we had some girls come off the bench that did really well. 

“I thought Kenna had a great game and she definitely kept us in it,” Lane said. “She hasn’t played a ton this year, but she really stepped up and made a difference.”

LOU 11 6 10 12 — 39

PAO 9 7 9 10 — 35

LOUISBURG: Ashlyn Kuhlman 2-6 4-4 10; Shylar Whiting 1-4 6-7 8; McKenna Lohse 4-9 0-0 8; Jillian Asher 2-9 1-2 5; Sabra Brueggen 2-6 1-1 5; Sami Lane 1-4 0-0 3. Totals: 12-48 12-14 39. 3-point field goals: 3, (Kuhlman 2, Lane)