Louisburg senior Ben Minster gets to the basket during the Wildcats’ game with Paola in January. On Friday, the Wildcats traveled to Paola for its final regular season game of the season, and came up just short in a 45-43 loss.

PAOLA – The Louisburg boys basketball team laid it all out on the line in its regular season finale against its rival Friday.

Louisburg squared off against Paola in its last tune-up before the sub-state tournament and the Wildcats nearly pulled off the road upset. The Wildcat held a one-point lead with 13 seconds left in the contest, but Paola knocked down a pair of free throws and Louisburg couldn’t get its last attempt to fall in a 45-43 loss.

Although it was a painful defeat, there were a lot of positives to take from it according to Louisburg head coach Ty Pfannenstiel.

“I thought we played really well,” Pfannenstiel said. “Paola is the hottest team in our league the past two weeks, knocking off Desoto, Eudora and Ottawa. For us to play at that level was very encouraging moving forward. I was really proud of the way that we played.”

Wildcat senior Desmond Doles hit a couple big shots late as he tied the game at 42-all with a runner in the lane with just under two minutes left in the game. Louisburg later forced a turnover and Doles was fouled on the ensuing possession and made 1 of 2 free throws to put Louisburg up 43-42 with under a minute remaining.

Paola’s Kale Clark hit a pair of free throws with 13 seconds left to give the Panthers a one point lead, but the Wildcats had one final opportunity. A 3-point shot from Justin Sievert wouldn’t go down, but Louisburg grabbed an offensive rebound for a second chance, but turned the ball over.

The Panthers would add another free throw to ice the game with two seconds left.

It was a close contest throughout as Louisburg hit a basket at the buzzer to give it a 16-14 lead at the end of the first quarter and took that two-point lead into the locker room at halftime.

Paola outscored Louisburg 10-7 in the third quarter to grab a one-point lead and then expanded it to six midway through the fourth quarter, only to see Louisburg battle back and take the one-point lead late.

Doles led Louisburg in scoring with 12 points to go along with seven rebounds and four assists. Seniors Ben Minster and Dalton Ribordy also finished in double figures with 10 points each, while Minster added six rebounds and three assists.

Clark and Brandon Wilkes each scored 15 points to lead the Panthers.

“When we play with energy, play smart, and communicate with each other, we can play with anybody in this league and we proved that (Friday),” Pfannenstiel said. “We were able to be consistent on both offense and defense for four quarters.”

The regular season might not have gone the way the Wildcats had hoped it would, but they are looking for a fresh start when postseason action begins this week.

Louisburg (2-18) will try for its second straight trip to the state tournament Friday as they will face off with No. 1 Spring Hill (12-7) at 6 p.m. at Paola High School in the first round of the sub-state tournament. The winner of that game will meet the winner between No. 2 Ottawa (11-8) and No. 3 Paola (11-8) at 7:30 p.m. on Saturday in the championship game.

“I think our competitiveness against Ottawa, Spring Hill and Paola the last few weeks has definitely given us confidence for sub-state,” Pfannenstiel said. “Anything can happen in a win or go home game. We played a good game against Paola and we will have to play even better on Friday against Spring Hill. If we can play with energy and play with confidence, I really like our chances.”

LOU               16           11           7             9 – 43

PAO               14           11           10           10 – 45

LOUISBURG (2-18): Desmond Doles 12, Ben Minster 10, Dalton Ribordy 10, Justin Sievert 6, Dylan DeShazer 3, Kohl Vogel 2. Totals: 19-42 3-9 43. 3-point field goals: 2, (Doles, DeShazer).

Louisburg senior Dalton Ribordy puts up a shot in the lane during Wednesday’s home game against De Soto. Ribordy was one of five seniors honored during Senior Night.

The Louisburg boys basketball team had hoped to make its Senior Night a little more special by pulling off an upset of De Soto on Wednesday.

It was already a memorable one as the Wildcats honored its five seniors – Ben Minster, Justin Sievert, Dalton Ribordy, Parker Perentis and Desmond Doles – following the contest. Unfortunately, Louisburg wasn’t able to a win in its final home game of the season in a 57-40 defeat.

With the victory, De Soto earned a share of the Frontier League title as it improved its record to 11-7 on the season.

“We didn’t get out to a very good start,” Louisburg coach Ty Pfannenstiel said. “De Soto has some very good guards and they shot it really well. We have to do a better job of contesting shooters and making them work for their shots.

“I thought our guys off the bench came in and gave us a good spark with their energy and intensity. We are getting some decent looks offensively, but we have to be more consistent with getting them to go in.”

The difference of the game proved to be on the perimeter.

Louisburg seniors (from left) Dalton Ribordy, Justin Sievert, Ben Minster, Desmond Doles and Parker Perentis were honored Wednesday during Senior Night.

De Soto connected on 11 3-pointers as it jumped out to a 15-2 lead to start the game and the Wildcats struggled to climb out of that hole. As good as De Soto shot it, the Wildcats struggled from behind the arch as they went 0-for-12.

Despite those struggles, the Wildcats still worked to get in the ball inside and got several good looks. Louisburg’s offense came to life in the second quarter as it scored 16 points in the frame, but De Soto stayed sharp offensively itself and led 34-23 at halftime.

Minster led Louisburg in scoring with 11 points and four rebounds, while Doles finished with eight points. Ribordy and junior Dylan DeShazer each scored seven points in the loss.

Although the game ended in a loss, the team honored its five seniors following the game and Pfannenstiel knows how much they have meant to the program.

“I have been very proud of our seniors,” Pfannenstiel said. “They are hard workers and most importantly, they are good kids.  Our motto is we preach making a commitment to the program and having good character. These seniors have done everything we have asked of them.

“I know all five of them will go on to be successful in life because of the characteristics that they have.  We hope that the experiences they have learned while playing basketball for Louisburg High School can be used to help them in their journey.  I just want to thank our seniors for representing our school and community the right way.”

Louisburg will try to end its regular season on a good note Friday when it travels to Paola for its final game before sub-state. Tipoff is set for 7:30 p.m.

LOU               7             16           8             9 – 40

DES                17           17           9             14 – 57

LOUISBURG (2-17): Ben Minster 11, Desmond Doles 8, Dalton Ribordy 7, Dylan DeShazer 7, Madden Rutherford 4, Kohl Vogel 2, Justin Sievert 1. Totals: 14-40 12-19 40. 3-point field goals: none

Louisburg seniors Parker Perentis (left) and Justin Sievert trap a Spring Hill defender during Friday’s game at Louisburg High School. The Wildcats return to action Wednesday when they host De Soto for Senior Night.

Just three days prior to Louisburg’s home contest with Spring Hill, the Wildcats had one of their worst defensive performances of the season as they lost by 33 points on the road to Baldwin.

It was a defense that Wildcat head coach Ty Pfannenstiel didn’t even recognize.

In Friday’s game with Spring Hill, Louisburg got back to what it does best.

The Wildcats held the Broncos to under 50 points and stayed in the game up until the final minutes in a 49-39 loss. Louisburg used a zone defense for much of the game, which slowed down the Bronco offense.

“We weren’t good defensively on Tuesday and that is something we have been pretty good at all year,” Pfannenstiel said. “I was pretty proud of our defensive effort (Friday), and just overall we played the game the right way. We were communicating on defense, we were active, especially in our zone defense. It was nice changeup for us because this is the first time we have started out a game in a zone.”

Louisburg (2-16) took advantage of a slow-paced game as both teams employed a zone defense. The Wildcats were patient offensively and took a 9-6 lead into the second quarter and trailed just 18-16 going into halftime.

However, the Wildcats weren’t able to get much going offensively in the third quarter as Spring Hill outscored them 12-2 and took a double-digit lead.

The Broncos ended the third quarter on a made half-court shot that gave Spring Hill even more momentum going into the final period.

“That happens and it is basketball,” Pfannenstiel said. “We were playing passive in the third quarter and then it was a gut punch there in the end with the halfcourt shot. I challenged our kids in the huddle and told them there was a lot of basketball to be played.”

The Wildcats listened to their coach as they battled back and got 3-pointers from seniors Parker Perentis and Justin Sievert, along with baskets from Desmond Doles and Dylan DeShazer to help get the deficit to seven.

Senior Dalton Ribordy goes up for a basket Friday against Spring Hill.

Then late in the fourth quarter, junior Brayden Gage drove the lane for a basket and was fouled to cut the Spring Hill lead to four. It would be as close as the Wildcats would get as the Spring Hill made six straight free throws to end the game and stop their rally. Louisburg scored 21 points in the final quarter to try and get back in it.

“We competed well on the offensive end,” Pfannenstiel said. “We just struggled to score. The third quarter was the biggest difference in the game and that has been our biggest issue all year, and I am not sure what it is exactly. We just went away from what we were doing well and didn’t play with as much energy. But for us to come back in the fourth quarter and battle, was good to see. Parker hit some big shots and we found some ways to get him the ball. We can definitely build off this.”

Perentis led the Wildcats in scoring with 12 points, including four 3-pointers. Doles was next on the team with six points, while DeShazer and senior Dalton Ribordy each pulled down six rebounds to lead Louisburg.

The Wildcats will play its final home game at 7 p.m. on Wednesday when they host De Soto for Senior Night. Louisburg will honor its seniors, Parker Perentis, Justin Sievert, Dalton Ribordy, Ben Minster and Desmond Doles, prior to their game.

LOU               9             7             2             21 – 39

SH                  6             12           12           19 – 49

LOUISBURG (2-16): Parker Perentis 12, Desmond Doles 6, Brayden Gage 5, Kohl Vogel 4, Justin Sievert 4, Dylan DeShazer 4, Ben Minster 2, Dalton Ribordy 2. Totals: 16-37 2-3 39. 3-point field goals: 5, (Perentis 4, Sievert)

Louisburg junior Brayden Gage draws a foul while driving toward the basket Tuesday at Baldwin High School. Gage finished with eight points in the road loss to the Bulldogs. 

BALDWIN CITY – The Louisburg boys basketball team had an opportunity to break its losing skid Tuesday when it faced off with Baldwin – a team the Wildcats had split with earlier this season.

It became evident early on that it was not going to be the Wildcats’ night.

Baldwin caught fire on the offensive end as it shot 54 percent from the field in its 77-44 win over Louisburg at Baldwin High School.

“Our defense was not very good,” Louisburg coach Ty Pfannenstiel said. “We pride ourselves on playing tough defense and this was our poorest effort of the season by far. With our offensive struggles this year, it has been so important for us to be good on the defensive end of the floor each night. We didn’t compete as a team and that’s disappointing.”

Senior Ben Minster led Louisburg (2-15) in scoring with 12 points and fellow senior Justin Sievert also finished in double figures with 10. Junior Brayden Gage added eight points in the loss, while senior Dalton Ribordy and sophomore Madden Rutherford both pulled down a team-high six rebounds.

Jayce Dighans led Baldwin in scoring with 28 points and had seven rebounds.

Louisburg returns to action tonight when it hosts Spring Hill. Tipoff is set for approximately 7:30 p.m.

Lady Cats fall to Baldwin

The Louisburg girls basketball team hit the road Tuesday for a matchup with Baldwin, the No. 1 team in Class 4A-Division II.

Baldwin showed exactly why they considered as one of the favorites to win a state title. Louisburg couldn’t keep up with the hot-shooting Bulldogs in a 63-28 loss.

Freshman Madilyn Melton led the Lady Cats with 13 points in a loss to Baldwin.

Freshman Madilyn Melton and senior Bailey Belcher provided Louisburg (7-10) with a bulk of its offense. Melton was the lone Lady Cat in double figures with 13 points to go along with seven rebounds, while Belcher added eight points.

Junior Carson Buffington did the work on the glass as she led Louisburg with 15 rebounds on the night.

Louisburg senior Desmond Doles drives to the basket on an Ottawa defender Friday at Ottawa High School. Doles finished with a team-high 13 points, but the Wildcats fell on the road, 49-39.

OTTAWA – Going up against a state-ranked team is a difficult enough with a full roster, but the Louisburg boys basketball team traveled to No. 10 Ottawa with a thin bench.

The Wildcats were without two of their starting big men in Dalton Ribordy and Dylan DeShazer, who were both out with an illness, and they needed to get big minutes from their bench. Louisburg got some good production and hung with the Cyclones, but couldn’t get over the hump in a 49-39 loss.

Louisburg was able to slow down Ottawa at times, but the Cyclones were still able to shoot 53 percent from the floor and go on the big runs when they needed them.

“Ottawa got seven points really quick to start the game and they were the first team that has really exposed our defense like that,” Louisburg coach Ty Pfannenstiel said. “They knocked down some shots later in the first half, but I was proud of the way we battled back and competed for four quarters. Hopefully we will get back to full strength soon and keep getting better.”

Seniors Desmond Doles and Ben Minster gave the Wildcats a scoring lift to help keep them in the game as they trimmed a double-digit deficit to four midway through the third quarter, before Ottawa went on another run.

Doles led Louisburg in scoring with 13 points, including three 3-pointers, while Minster finished with 12 points and six rebounds.

Junior Noah Hill came off the bench to start in place of Ribordy and played 23 minutes. Sophomore Madden Rutherford saw an increase in playing time with five points in 16 minutes to go along with a team-high three assists.

Louisburg senior Noah Hill works his way toward the basket Friday against Ottawa.

“We were a little short-handed this week and we have been battling some illness,” Pfannenstiel said. “We were down two bigs tonight and that is Ottawa’s strength and those guys are good. I thought Noah came in and did a really good job and gave us good minutes. He is always going to battle hard and he is tough and plays with a lot of energy. I was proud of our effort.”

Both teams went back and forth at each other early as the game was tied at 7-all midway through the first quarter, but the Cyclones went on 9-0 run that went into the second and eventually went into halftime with a 27-19 advantage.

Louisburg (2-14) made things interesting in the third quarter when Minster scored back-to-back baskets to trim the Ottawa lead to 31-27, but the Cyclones went on another 8-0 run to create more distance from the Wildcats.

A Doles 3-pointer cut the Ottawa lead to 44-37 with 1 minute and 45 seconds left in the game, but the Wildcats could get no closer.

Ottawa’s Krys Johnson led the Cyclones in scoring with 13 points.

Louisburg will try and rebound Tuesday when it travels to Baldwin. The Wildcats have split their two matchups with the Bulldogs already this season as they go for their third win.

Tipoff is set for approximately 7:30 p.m.

LOU               7             12           8             12 – 39

OTT               12           15           12           10 – 49

LOUISBURG (2-14): Desmond Doles 13, Ben Minster 12, Justin Sievert 6, Madden Rutherford 5, Kohl Vogel 3. Totals: 15-38 4-4 39. 3-point field goals: 5, (Doles 3, Rutherford, Vogel)

Louisburg sophomore Madden Rutherford goes up for a shot and gets fouled Friday during the Wildcats’ game with Eudora in Louisburg. Eudora downed Louisburg 60-43.

Even though it was homecoming, there wasn’t a whole lot to celebrate for the Louisburg boys basketball team Friday against Eudora.

Despite a competitive first quarter in which the Wildcats stayed within striking distance, they couldn’t keep pace with Eudora in a 60-43 loss in Louisburg. It was also Louisburg’s third consecutive loss.

The Wildcats had a hard time getting in a rhythm offensively against the No. 4 team in Class 4A-Division I, as they shot just 32 percent from the field and were 1 for 12 from behind the 3-point line.

“We didn’t shoot the ball well,” Louisburg coach Ty Pfannenstiel said. “That is not one of our strengths anyway, but it is going to take a night of knocking down our shots to stay with a team like that. Eudora is a really good team. They are very well-coached, disciplined, they play hard and play team basketball. They just do a lot of little things right. It is going to take great game on our end to stay with them and we just didn’t have it. We have to get better, play harder, we have to execute at a higher level and we didn’t do that.”

Louisburg (2-13) stayed with the Cardinals in the first quarter and trailed just 16-12 going into the second period. Unfortunately, the Wildcats managed just eight points in each of the second and third quarters, allowing the Cardinals to build on their lead.

Louisburg’s Scott Murphy and Isabelle Holtzen were crowned winter homecoming king and queen Friday during halftime of the boys game against Eudora.

Eudora outscored Louisburg 16-8 right before halftime, which turned out to be a pivotal moment in the game, as the Cardinals built a double-digit lead that they wouldn’t relinquish.

“I was proud of the way we competed in the second half,” Pfannenstiel said. “I think in the second quarter we got kind of mopey. It is like we were defeated already and that has been part of our problems in games is having a bad quarter. We have to continue to keep fighting. I thought in the second half that we had better leadership and guys were being vocal in a positive way.”

Senior Dalton Ribordy and junior Dylan DeShazer led Louisburg in scoring with nine points each and senior Justin Sievert added eight in the loss. Ribordy also added a team-high seven rebounds and DeShazer finished with six.

Louisburg will have some extra time off to practice before the Wildcats return to action Friday when they travel to Ottawa, which is ranked No. 10 in Class 4A-Division I.

“We are down to six guaranteed games from here on out,” Pfannenstiel said. “We have to take advantage of it. It is fun to play the game of basketball when you play it at a high level. We have to get back at having fun on the court and try to find that spark.”

LOU               12           8             8             15 – 43

EUD               16           16           10           18 – 60

LOUISBURG (2-13): Dalton Ribordy 9, Dylan DeShazer 9, Justin Sievert 8, Brayden Gage 7, Madden Rutherford 5, Kohl Vogel 3, Noah Hill 2. Totals: 15-47 12-24 43. 3-point field goals: 1, (Sievert)

Louisburg senior Parker Perentis passes off to a teammate Tuesday during the Wildcats’ game with Paola at Louisburg High School. Perentis finished with a team-high 13 points in the Wildcats’ 69-52 loss.

The Louisburg boys basketball team survived a hot start from Paola on Tuesday and rebounded enough to nearly tie the game at halftime.

The Wildcats just couldn’t survive another Panther run.

Louisburg scored just seven points in the third quarter and Paola did enough to hand the Wildcats a 69-52 loss at Louisburg High School.

“The third quarter was the disappointing part for me,” Louisburg coach Ty Pfannenstiel said. “We just came out flat and I am not sure what it is. We have to be better and we weren’t very good in the second half.”

Paola jumped out to a 20-9 lead in the first quarter behind a barrage of 3-pointers, but the Wildcats responded in the second quarter in an unconventional way.

Louisburg exploded for 25 points before halftime and 18 of those came from the Wildcat bench. Senior reserve guard Parker Perentis scored 11 of his team-high 13 points in the second quarter, including three 3-pointers to help Louisburg get back in it.

Juniors Noah Hill and Kohl Vogel also came off the bench to score a combined seven points to cut the Paola lead to 38-34 at halftime.

“Paola came out hot,” Pfannenstiel said. “I think they hit like five 3-pointers in the first quarter and they took a big swing and a punch at us. I was proud of the way we battled back from that. I thought our energy was really good in the second quarter. Parker came in off the bench and did a good job. He was able to hit some shots and we need that.

“Those are energy guys coming off the bench. They are getting their shot at varsity action and they come in and they play hard. That is what it takes and that is what we need as a team to be able to play against this league because it is so balanced and tough every game.”

The Panthers outscored Louisburg 13-7 in the third quarter, but the Wildcats tried making another run at the Panthers. Senior Justin Sievert hit a pair of jumpers, including a 3-pointer, to cut the Paola lead to 53-46 early in the fourth, but couldn’t get any closer.

Paola ended the game on an 11-1 run and converted at the free-throw line to preserve the win.

Wildcat senior Desmond Doles was second on the team in scoring with nine points and a team-high four steals. Fellow senior Dalton Ribordy finished with seven points after missing the last two games with an injury.

Louisburg will try and get back on track tonight when it hosts No. 10 Eudora for homecoming. Tipoff is set for approximately 7:30 p.m.

“We have to be better now for the second half of the season,” Pfannenstiel said. “We have played everyone in the league now, and at times we have been competed well. We have battled hard at times, even though the scores look bad in the end. I think if we play with energy, and execute on both ends of the floor, then I think we will be fine here in the second half.”

LOU               9             25           7             11 – 52

PAO               20           18           13           18 – 69

LOUISBURG (2-12): Parker Perentis 13, Desmond Doles 9, Dalton Ribordy 7, Brayden Gage 5, Ben Minster 5, Justin Sievert 5, Kohl Vogel 4, Noah Hill 4. Totals: 18-46 9-14 52. 3-point field goals: 7, (Perentis 3, Gage, Vogel, Doles, Sievert)

Members of the 2018 Louisburg High School winter homecoming court are (front row, from left): Grant Ryals, Scott Murphy, Kai Tinich, Mitchell Drew; (back row) Haven Trageser-Turner, Isabelle Holtzen, Alexa Goodspeed and Tomi Frederes. 

Homecoming week at Louisburg High School kicked off Monday and events are in full swing. With something going on every day this week, it will be a busy time for students. All of it is, of course, centered around the crowning of the 2018 winter king and queen. Eight students were selected as nominees and here are their names and profiles.

The crowning will take place on Friday at halftime of the boys basketball game with Eudora. Tipoff for that game is set for approximately 7:30 p.m. Good luck to all the participants and make sure to come out on Friday to support the Wildcat girls and boys teams against the Cardinals.

Kai Tinich and Alexa Goodspeed

Kai Tinich

Kai is the son of Terry and Susan Tinich. He has been involved with student council for four years. Kai has participated in golf for three years, Leo’s Club for three years, FCCLA for two years, FCA for two years, Spanish Club for two years and basketball for one year. After graduation, Kai plans to attend the University of Arkansas to study international business with a minor in Greek or Italian.

Alexa Goodspeed

Alexa is the daughter of Susan Goodspeed. She has participated in cross country for four years, FFA for four years, softball for two years, Spanish Club for two years. She was a basketball manager for one year and participated in Leo’s Club and choir for one year. After graduation, Alexa plans to attend Pittsburg State University and major in physiology.

Tomi Frederes and Mitchell Drew

Tomi Frederes

Tomi is the daughter Christy and Jerry Frederes. She has participated in FFA for four years, cross country and Leo’s Club for three years, softball and Spanish Club for two years and track and volleyball for one year. After graduation, Tomi plans to attend Pittsburg State University and major in business.

Mitchell Drew

Mitchell is the son of Pat and Shanna Drew. He has participated in baseball for four years and football for four years. After graduation, Mitchell plans to attend Pittsburg State University and pursue a bachelor degree in nursing.

Scott Murphy and Isabelle Holtzen

Scott Murphy

Scott is the son of Gene and Amanda Murphy. He has participated in soccer, band, stage crew, Model United Nations, student council, Scholars Bowl and Technology Student Association for four years. He has also taken part in track and Spanish Club for three years, Jazz Band for two years and National Honors Society, Math Club and Science Olympiad Club for one year. After graduation, Scott plans to attend Cornell University to study mechanical engineering.

Isabelle Holtzen

Isabelle is the daughter of Craig and Michelle Holtzen. She has participated in debate, basketball, cross country, track and Fellowship of Christian Athletes for four years. She has also taken part in choir for three years, National Honors Society and Model United Nations for two years and musical, Leo’s Club and Student Advisory Council for one year. After graduation, Isabelle plans to attend the University of Northern Iowa to major in business and will pole vault for the track team.

Grant Ryals and Haven Trageser-Turner

Grant Ryals

Grant is the son of Janelle Ryals and Jason and Michelle Ryals. He has participated in soccer for four years, student council for three years, National Honors Society and girls soccer manager for two years, and Leo’s Club and golf for one year. After graduation, Grant plans to attend William Jewell College to play soccer and major in biomedical engineering.

Haven Trageser-Turner

Haven is the daughter of Jeff and Katie Trageser and Courtney Turner. She has participate in FFA, student council and musical for four years, basketball and choir for three years, FCCLA for two years and softball, Leo’s Club and Spanish Club for one year. After graduation, Haven plans to attend the University of Kansas and major in nursing.

Louisburg junior Brayden Gage glides to the basket for a layup during Thursday’s game at Spring Hill. Gage finished with eight points in the Wildcats’ 63-53 loss to the Broncos.

SPRING HILL – It is a game that will show up in the loss column, but for the Louisburg boys basketball team, Thursday’s contest with Spring Hill provided the Wildcats with several positives.

The Wildcats showed a competitive nature head coach Ty Pfannenstiel hadn’t seen for four quarters and that allowed them to stay close in a 63-53 loss. Although the defeat was disappointing, Pfannenstiel believes his team can build on it.

“I thought we played with a lot of intensity,” he said. “I think the kids really like competing against Spring Hill and they always seem to get up for them and I really noticed that in football. I could tell in our preparation that our guys really know those kids well, from playing on summer teams with them and stuff like that.

“I was pleased with the way we competed. It seemed we were ready to go for four quarters and we didn’t go through that one bad quarter, even though we started a little slow offensively. Defensively, we were ready to go. (Spring Hill) is a big team and they are very good. They are the No. 1 team in our sub-state for a reason.”

Spring Hill (9-4) jumped out to a 17-10 lead at the end of the first quarter, but the Wildcats stayed within striking distance in the second quarter. Louisburg (2-11) went on an 8-2 run to end the first half and cut the Broncos’ double digit lead to just seven at halftime.

The Wildcats used their defense to get back in the game as they had a pair of steal and scores from senior Ben Minster and junior Brayden Gage toward the end of the first half.

Louisburg senior Parker Perentis drives past a Spring Hill defender Thursday.

“Our defense always leads to our offense,” Pfannenstiel said. “We got some steals and it picks up our offensive play. We scored the ball a little better than we have been. We saw going in that Spring Hill had been playing a lot of zone and they didn’t play zone the entire night, so it was a different look than we were expecting. I was very pleased with the way we played.”

Although the Wildcats scored just seven points in the third quarter, they responded with a 22-point fourth quarter, but couldn’t overtake the Broncos.

Louisburg had to play without senior starter Dalton Ribordy for the second straight game as he sat out with an ankle injury. In his absence, the Wildcats got a big performance from senior Ben Minster.

Minster finished with a team-high 19 points to go along with eight rebounds. Gage and senior Desmond Doles each added eight points, while Gage had a team-high four assists.

The Wildcats will leave the road behind them for a week and return home for a pair of games beginning Tuesday when they host rival Paola. It will be Louisburg’s first home contest since Jan. 4.

“Our kids are ready for the stretch run,” Pfannenstiel said. “We are getting ready to play Paola and this is the first time we have seen them. After that, we are going to go back and play the rest of the league again. If we bring the same type of intensity we did (Thursday), and if we can get healthy and get Ribordy back, we can do some good things.”

LOU               10           14           7             22 – 53

SH                  17           14           12           20 – 63

LOUISBURG (2-11): Ben Minster 19, Brayden Gage 8, Desmond Doles 8, Justin Sievert 6, Dylan DeShazer 6, Parker Perentis 4, Kohl Vogel 2. Totals: 19-46 11-18 53. 3-point field goals: 4, (Gage, Doles, Minster, Sievert)

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)