Louisburg junior Michael Waldron drives to the basket Tuesday during the Wildcats’ road contest against Bonner Springs.
BONNER SPRINGS – The Louisburg
boys basketball team knew it was going to be a difficult challenge Tuesday when
it faced off with one of the better teams in the state.
The Wildcats traveled to Bonner
Springs for a Frontier League matchup and the Braves, who are ranked No. 10 in
Class 5A, handed Louisburg a 72-46 loss.
“It was a tough matchup,”
Louisburg coach Ty Pfannenstiel said. “They are really quick and we knew we
were going to have to play zone and keep them in front of us. We struggled to
do the little things early on and they exposed us on that and that is what good
teams do. There is a lot to be learned from the game. We will move on and keep
grinding.”
Bonner Springs used its quickness
and athleticism to pressure the Wildcats on defense and the Braves scored 19
points off Louisburg turnovers.
Louisburg (4-4) was unable to get much traction as Bonner Springs jumped out to a 22-12 lead in the first quarter and the Braves scored 26 more points in the second quarter to get out to a big lead.
Wildcat senior Dylan DeShazer led
Louisburg in scoring with 11 points and added six rebounds. Fellow senior Kohl
Vogel also finished in double figures with 10 points and six rebounds, while
junior Madden Rutherford led the Wildcats with eight rebounds.
Louisburg will try and get back on
track today when it travels to Baldwin. The Wildcats will travel to Baldwin
against next week for the Baldwin Invitational where Louisburg is the No. 6 seed
and will meet Harmon.
“We will see what kind of team we
are, whether we will feel sorry for ourselves or get in there and work to get
better,” Pfannenstiel said. “Hopefully we can play well on Friday and get a
little momentum going for a well-balanced tournament. There is eight really
good teams in that tournament, but we have to take care of business against
Baldwin and continue to get better.”
Louisburg senior Kohl Vogel goes up to try and block a Eudora shot Friday at Eudora High School. The Wildcats fell to the Cardinals, 59-31.
EUDORA – After one quarter, the
Louisburg boys basketball team was right there with Eudora, the No. 6-ranked
team in Class 4A.
It was the second quarter where the Wildcats weren’t able recover.
In its first action following the holiday break, Louisburg had its worst shooting night of the season in a 59-31 loss to the Cardinals at Eudora High School. The Cardinals were part of the reason for that as they forced 15 Wildcat turnovers and scored 17 points off those mistakes.
“It was obviously wasn’t one of
our better shootings nights, and it wasn’t necessarily shooting, but more
execution offensively,” Louisburg coach Ty Pfannenstiel said. “We were really
poor in the second quarter with our execution and Eudora was really hot there
for a while and they are a really good team and well-coached.
“They played as well as I have
seen them play this year. That will happen sometimes when you have an off night
and the other team is on fire and that is what the score was as lopsided as it
was.”
The two teams were on the opposite sides of the shooting spectrums as Louisburg shot just 28 percent for the game, while Eudora connected on 56 percent of its shots. The Cardinals also combined for 41 points in the second and third quarters to pull away.
“Eudora shot it well and even
their coach told me after it was over that they hadn’t even shot that well in
an open gym before, much less a game,” Pfannenstiel said. “We just have to
shoot the ball better and that was an emphasis over the summer. So far we have
done a lot better with that, but we just have to bounce back.”
Senior Kohl Vogel led the Wildcat
offense with eight points on the night and fellow senior Dylan DeShazer
finished with six. Junior Madden Rutherford had five rebounds to lead the
Wildcats.
Louisburg will try and get back on
track Tuesday when it travels to Bonner Springs, which is ranked No. 10 in
Class 5A. The Wildcats will live on the road the next couple of weeks as they
won’t have a home game until Jan. 25.
“We have some difficult games
coming up so we can’t feel sorry for ourselves after this,” Pfannenstiel said. “We
have a very good Bonner Springs team on Tuesday and we have to come back and
get ready to go.”
It was a successful, and eventful, 2018 for Louisburg High School athletics and for those who are connected to the Wildcat program. This past year created a lot of school history for LHS and several programs brought back state hardware to Louisburg.
Below are the Top 10 stories from 2018, along with a brief explanation of each. Included in the explanation is the link to the actual story from the event.
This year was a blast to cover and I was blessed to have the opportunity to go along for the ride with many of these. As much fun as it was, I can’t wait for 2019 to begin. Looking forward to it!
10. Dillon medals at state golf for second straight year
EMPORIA – All season,
Calvin Dillon had been atop or near the front of leaderboard and that didn’t
change in what was his biggest tournament of the season.
It was the second consecutive state medal for Dillon
after he finished 10th overall last season at
Wamego as a freshman.
“It is a real honor
to earn another state medal, especially with the quality players that were at
the state tournament,” Dillon said. “There were lots of good players and lots
of good teams.”
It
was another notch on Dillon’s list of accomplishments that included a Frontier
League title and six straight tournament victories during the 2018 season.
Louisburg football coach Robert Ebenstein
Louisburg girls soccer coach Kyle Conley
9. Conley, Ebenstein named Class 4A Coach of the Year
Louisburg
girls soccer coach Kyle Conley and Wildcat football coach Robert Ebenstein both
led their respective teams to special seasons.
Those seasons were special enough for both coaches to earn two big awards.
He guided the Wildcats to a 14-7 record and a spot in the
state championship match, where the Lady Cats finished second overall. The
finish was something to remember for Wildcat fans as that was accomplished in
just the program’s third year of existence.
He has posted a
41-18-2 record during his time as the Wildcat girls head coach and also guided
the Louisburg boys soccer team to its best finish in program history in 2017
with a fourth place finish at state.
As for Ebenstein, he
guided the Wildcats to 10 straight victories and a regional championship to
start the 2018 season, before getting knocked out in the sectional round
against eventual state champion, Bishop Miege.
8.
Holtzen finishes Louisburg career with 12 varsity letters
Once Isabelle Holtzen
received her diploma and walked out of Louisburg High School for the last time
as a student, she officially became one of the most decorated female athletes
in school history.
No, she doesn’t have any individual state championships, or even
one as part of a team. Holtzen’s decorations aren’t ones in the form of
trophies or all-state honors, but instead, they can be found on the front of
her letter jacket.
In research done by Louisburg Sports Zone, it was unable to find
the last athlete to accomplish the feat, which could mean Holtzen could be the
first Lady Cat to do so. She competed in cross country, basketball and track
and field
The last athlete to come close was in 2001 when Krystal Bowes
earned 10 varsity letters before moving on to a collegiate track career at
Wichita State.
“The biggest thing that it means to me is to just have an
opportunity to participate in three sports at a school like Louisburg,” Holtzen
said. “The bigger the school that you go to, the harder it is to play multiple
sports at the varsity level and I think Louisburg is unique in that fact. The
best part of this whole journey was I think my freshman year because there was
no pressure and no one was expecting anything from me. It was surprising and
exciting to be able to letter in all three sports.”
Holtzen is currently at
Northern Iowa, where she received a scholarship to pole vault for the Panther
Track and Field Team.
7.
Dixon earns All-American, Player of the Year honors, signs with Kansas State
Louisburg
senior Anna Dixon led the Lady Cat volleyball program all season and she was recognized
for her play on the court.
Dixon, the 6-foot-3 outside hitter, was recently named the Class 4A Player of the Year by the Kansas Volleyball Association, and along with that was also selected to the all-state first team.
It was the second year in a row Dixon was named player of the
year, as she had to share the honor last season with Rose Hill’s Gracie Van
Driel.
The honors certainly didn’t stop there as Dixon was
all named to the All-Frontier League first team as she helped guide the Lady
Cats to an undefeated league season.
Dixon led the Lady Cats in kills with 584 in 105 sets
played. She also finished with 325 digs, as she played all six rotations and
also had 50 aces and 42 blocks.
In her four years with the program, Dixon finished
with 2,003 kills, which would place that total among the best the school has
ever seen.
“I have always known Kansas State was going to be my
home,” Dixon said. “Even since I committed as a sophomore, I always wanted to
go up to Manhattan and see the girls and spend time with the team. K-State is where
I need to be.”
6. Louisburg wrestling sends six to state, Holtzen
earns first state medal
SALINA – As the final
whistle sounded in his blood round match, Cade Holtzen looked up into the
rafters of the Tony’s Pizza Events Center and smiled.
“It is one of the best
feelings that I have had in my life,” Holtzen said. “Just knowing that I’m
going to place – you just can’t match that with anything else.”
It certainly wasn’t
easy for the Louisburg freshman as he faced a win or go home with nothing
scenario heading into his match with Porter. Holtzen pulled out the victory and
eventually finished sixth overall at 113 pounds to give Louisburg a state
medalist for the third consecutive season.
“It is pretty cool,”
he said. “I have been working for this all season, so to get a state medal is
great. It may not have been as high as I wanted, but any state medal is pretty
amazing.”
Holtzen had a special
year for the Wildcats as he finished with a 45-6 record and broke the school
record for most wins in a single season. He won four different tournaments and
was a Frontier League and regional tournament runner-up.
To add to his resume,
he became only the second freshman in school history to earn state medal –
second to only Austin Hood, who would go on to with three state titles.
Austin Moore finished
one victory shy of earning his first state medal, while Ryan Adams, Thad
Hendrix and Blue Caplinger also picked up wins at the state tournament.
5. Moore, Johnson
finished in top 10 at state cross country, girls qualify for second straight
year
WAMEGO – It was going
to be hard for the Louisburg High School girls cross country team to duplicate
its magical season of 2017.
Not only did the Lady Cats qualify their team for state for the
first time in program history, but they also had a top five finisher in Trinity
Moore.
Fast forward to 2018, Louisburg wasn’t able to match that successful
run – the Lady Cats took it a step further.
Moore, along with freshman Reese Johnson, each had a top 10 finish during the Class 4A Kansas State Cross Country Championships at Wamego Country Club, and it is the first time in school history that two female runners had medaled at a state meet. Louisburg added on to that as the girls finished fifth in the team standings with 154 points, which is also the highest finish in school history.
Moore, who finished
fifth at state a year ago, bested her performance by one place as she took
fourth with one of her better performances of the season. Johnson was right
behind her as she crossed the finish line in sixth.
Shaylor Whitham, Carlee Gassman, Kaitlyn Lewer, Delaney Wright and Kennady Wilkerson were also members of the Lady Cats’ team to run at state. Emily Williams was a member of the regional team that finished second overall.
4. Louisburg track
earns six state medals, Gassman state runner-up in 300 hurdles
WICHITA – Carlee Gassman had broken the Louisburg High School 300-meter hurdle record three different times in 2018 prior to the state track meet.
She picked the perfect time to make it a fourth.
Gassman broke her own school record in the 300 hurdles in May at the Class 4A Kansas State Track and Field Championships in Wichita as she ran a time of 45.68 seconds to earn a silver medal as she was the Wildcats’ top performer on the weekend. Andale’s Abby Smarsh, who is a senior, won the event in 44.73.
It was the Louisburg sophomore’s first time competing at the
Kansas meet as she transferred in from Iowa last year, where she qualified for
the state meet there in the 400 hurdles.
Gassman’s medal in the 300 hurdles was just one of six the
Wildcats were able to bring home following the two-day meet. Those six medals
were the most Louisburg has earned since 2011, when the Wildcats combined to
medal in 10 events and the boys won their first team state title.
The 300 hurdles wasn’t the only event Gassman found success in
as she also medaled in the long jump. Gassman, who hadn’t competed in the event
prior to this year, finished fifth with a mark of 17 feet, 0.25 inches.
Isabelle Holtzen
would go on to finish sixth in the pole vault, the boys 4×400 team of Chris
Williams, Blue Caplinger, Ben Wiedenmann and Justin Collins went on to take
seventh. Williams finished eighth in the 400-meter run and Trent Martin medaled
eighth in the boys pole vault.
3. Louisburg
volleyball takes runner-up at state for second straight season
HUTCHINSON – The
feeling was much of the same.
The pride of finishing as a state-runner up was a popular one
among the members of the Louisburg volleyball team. At the same time, the
frustration of taking second in state in back-to-back seasons was just as
prevalent.
Louisburg wasn’t quite sure what to feel following its 25-13 and 25-14 loss to Bishop Miege in the championship game of the Class 4A state tournament Saturday at Hutchinson Sports Arena.
In 2017, the Lady
Cats fell to Rose Hill by two points in the championship match, and fast
forward to the present, they were in the same spot – holding the state
runner-up trophy. It was the 15th time in
program history that Louisburg finished in the top four at state.
The Lady Cats rattled off four straight wins to start
the tournament, including knocking off No. 1 seed Independence, and defending
state champions Rose Hill and Topeka Hayden. Louisburg then battled back to
defeat Andale in the state semifinals.
“The loss was tough,”
Louisburg coach Jessica Compliment said. “To come so close to a state title two
years in a row, only to come up short is tough. But with that being said, it is
a huge accomplishment for this team to get back to the state championship and
make it two years in a row. Finishing second is nothing to hang our heads on.
Last year’s finish fueled the fire for the team this year, and I challenged the
returning players to use this loss and feeling to fuel them for next year.”
Louisburg has been
one of the more dominant teams in Class 4A in the last decade as the Lady Cats
have made the state tournament seven out of the last nine years and have
finished as a state runner-up on three different occasions, along with several
third and fourth place finishes. They finished 2018 with a 36-9 record.
2. Louisburg girls
soccer advances to title game, has best finish in program history
NORTH NEWTON – The obstacle
seemed insurmountable – and it was.
The Louisburg High School girls soccer team found itself in the
Class 4-1A state championship match in the program’s third year of existence,
but if they wanted to take it another step further, the Wildcats were going to
have to knock the defending state champion of its perch.
Unfortunately, Bishop Miege wasn’t about to be moved.
In a state title game that was played in the sweltering heat in late May at Bethel College, the Wildcats couldn’t stay with the Stags in a 5-0 defeat. It was the third consecutive title for Bishop Miege, while Louisburg earned a state plaque for the first time in its short history.
It was special season for the Wildcats as the night before they knocked off Topeka Hayden, 1-0, in the state semifinals to secure the program’s first state plaque. In 2017, Louisburg both games in its state tournament appearance and finished fourth.
The road to this state
championship appearance has been an interesting one for the Wildcats. More than
three years ago, a group of Louisburg parents and citizens raised enough money
to begin the girls soccer program and fund it for three years.
Louisburg was in the final year of that funding, and while the
program isn’t going away, the team realized they needed to play for more than
themselves.
“We played for the community tonight,” Louisburg senior Bailey Belcher
said after the Hayden win. “We have to remember that when they raised money for
this program, it was just through this year, so I think we owed it to them to
play well. I really think it might have helped with how we played and I think
it was one of the best games we played all season.”
“It is a third-year program
with 41 wins, three regional championships, two state final fours and now a
state runner-up,” Louisburg coach Kyle Conley said after the title game. “We
just have kids who come in and work their butt off. They are not soft, they
aren’t weak and from top to bottom they are going to work hard.
“We worked hard, but we just played Miege. That is one of the
best teams in the state, and that stinks, but our kids played hard, worked
their tail off and it was a great year. We had people criticize us for how we
got there, but we won games and that really motivated the kids. It got them
fired up to go do something bigger than themselves. I couldn’t be more proud of
they stuck together and what they accomplished.”
1. Football wins 10 straight, takes Frontier League title and regional championship
It had been almost two
months since Louisburg and Piper squared off on the football field in what was
one of the more entertaining games on the Wildcats’ schedule.
Back in early
September, Louisburg left Piper High School with a seven-point win – a victory
that would help propel them to a Frontier League championship and a perfect
regular season.
The two teams squared
off again and the stakes were a bit higher. The game, at least for Louisburg
anyway, was even more exciting.
The Wildcats dominated action from the opening kickoff and never looked back in a 48-0 win over the Pirates. In the process, Louisburg won the school’s first regional championship since 2016 and are off to a 10-0 start for the first time since 2010.
It was as season
marked with special moments, including a 28-7 victory over then-undefeated
Paola late in the year to secure a league title.
“Being 10-0 and then having
that first loss of the season was very disappointing,” Louisburg coach Robert
Ebenstein said. “Losing always sucks, but losing in the playoffs and having to
wait until next August is the worst. At the end of the day, Miege is a
very good team and we did some good things. We got them to fourth down on
multiple drives in the first quarter, we just couldn’t make the plays on
those big downs. Then we got behind a little and started pressing.
“Overall it was a great year.
I am very proud of our guys and excited for them that they were able to get
double digit wins for only the third time since 2000, and there was a
lot of really good football played during that time period. It was a lot
fun to be a part of.”
Austin Moore was named to the Kansas Shrine Bowl and was a first-team all-state player for the Wildcats. Moore was also named as the Kansas Small-Class Player of the Year by 810 Varsity.
With all that success, honors
started to roll in for its players as running backs Austin Moore and Blue
Caplinger, along with linemen Brayden White and Kiefer Tucker all earned
all-state honors.
Moore and White went on to be
semifinalists for the Simone Awards and Moore was also selected to participate
in the Kansas Shrine Bowl in the summer of 2019. Ebenstein was also named as
coach of the year by the football coaches association.
Most recently, Moore was
named the Kansas Small-Class Player of the Year and Running Back of the Year by
810varsity.com, while White was named the Small-Class Lineman of the Year.
Ebenstein was also named Kansas Small-Class Coach of the Year by 810 Varsity.
Wildcats overcome slow start to rout Turner
Louisburg senior Dylan DeShazer puts up a shot in the lane Tuesday against Turner at Louisburg High School. DeShazer was one of five Wildcats in double figures and ended with 11 points.
It wasn’t the start Louisburg boys basketball coach Ty Pfannenstiel had hoped for Tuesday in the Wildcats’ home game against Turner.
The Wildcats turned the ball over 12 times in the first half, and although they had the lead, it wasn’t what Pfannenstiel was hoping for.
Louisburg’s third quarter was exactly what it was looking for.
The Wildcats scored 32 points in the third quarter and they were able to pull away from Turner for an 80-48 victory in their final game before the holiday break.
“I think we started off slow, but credit Turner a little bit and they were able to get some turnovers,” Pfannenstiel said. “We were really sloppy with the ball, especially early. We had 12 turnovers in the first half and that is just too many. That was our point of emphasis at halftime was to make the simple plays and try not to do too much.The second half we only had three turnovers and that was a big difference.”
Turner had a two-point lead midway through the first quarter and the Wildcats couldn’t seem to find a rhythm offensively. So Pfannenstiel went to his bench and put in five reserves in senior Noah Hill, junior Michael Waldron, sophomores Ben Guetterman, Andy Hupp and Connor Koesser.
Those players gave the Wildcats a lift off the bench as they went on a 9-1 run to end the quarter and give Louisburg a 17-11 lead.
“Those guys came in and gave us a spark there,” Pfannenstiel said. “You know when those guys get their opportunity, you know they are going to play hard. That kind of sent a message to those older guys and I am proud of that younger group that came in. Noah was in there with them, and he had been out with an illness and that is why he came off the bench, but it was good to have him lead that group. They were just doing the little things right and that is what we have to do as a group.”
The message was heard loud and clear as the Wildcats opened the second quarter on an 11-2 run and eventually built a 37-20 lead at halftime.
Louisburg’s offense caught fire in the third quarter as it racked up 32 points. Senior Kohl Vogel got things going with three consecutive steals that led two baskets to open the second half and the Wildcats were off and running.
The Wildcats all but sealed the win as the buzzer sounded in the third quarter when sophomore Weston Guetterman sank a 3-pointer from three or four steps in front of the half-court line. Louisburg led 69-38 and forced a running clock the rest of the way.
Louisburg sophomore Weston Guetterman puts up a last-second shot in front of the half-court line Tuesday against Turner. Guetterman made the shot and finished with 10 points.
“I think we only missed three shots in that third quarter and we were able to get some things going there,” Pfannenstiel said. “It really started on the defensive end and that sparked us offensively. We preach that every day that our defense has to be a constant every time. There will be times where we don’t shoot the ball well and we have to be good on the defensive end every time.”
Louisburg had five players score in double figures and Vogel and Hill led the way with 14 points each. Vogel also had five rebounds, five assists and three steals, while Hill had six rebounds.
Junior Madden Rutherford finished with 12 points and a team-high seven rebounds, while senior Dylan DeShazer and Weston Guetterman scored 11 and 10 points, respectively. Senior Brayden Gage added eight points, six rebounds and five assists.
The Wildcats have already doubled their win total from a season ago as they currently have a 4-2 record and have gotten off to a good start. However, Louisburg realizes there will be plenty more tests in the weeks to come.
“Every game has been a good game,” Pfannenstiel said. “Even in our two losses, we have been right there. I think our kids are playing confident, unselfish and team basketball. We are doing the right things on both ends of the floor and now we have a stretch to work and get better before we get into the brunt of the Frontier League. We come back from break and we play Eudora and Bonner Springs right away and both are really, really good teams. We have to have ourselves ready and keep moving forward.”
Louisburg junior Madden Rutherford battles two Piper players for a rebound Friday during the Wildcats’ road contest at Piper High School. The Wildcats pushed the No. 2-ranked Pirates, but fell 57-44.
KANSAS CITY, Kan. – The Louisburg boys basketball team found itself in a situation Friday that not a lot of teams in the state will find themselves in.
Louisburg went on the road to Piper High School and the Wildcats held a two-point halftime lead over the No.2-ranked Pirates and were on the verge of one of the biggest upsets of the season.
Although it was a one-point game in the fourth quarter, the Wildcats couldn’t hang on in a 57-44 loss to Piper. As good as the Wildcats’ effort was, they didn’t want to talk about the silver linings when it was all over.
“Our expectations are really high,” Louisburg coach Ty Pfannenstiel said. “There is no one in that locker room that is happy about a moral victory. We said that we aren’t into moral victories anymore. They were disappointed because they knew if they played well for two halves that we had a chance to beat a really good team.
“I really do think our kids are confident players and they are going to continue to work hard every day. Playing as well as we did should make us a confident team and know that we can go toe-to-toe with any team that we play.”
The Wildcats did that for much of the game, especially in the first half, as they slowed the Pirates down offensively. Louisburg ran a lot of set plays to get good looks at the basket.
On the defensive end, Louisburg forced Piper to knock down shots from the outside and took advantage of the Pirates slow start offensively. The Wildcats (3-2) jumped out to a 7-2 lead on baskets from Kohl Vogel and Madden Rutherford.
Louisburg senior Kohl Vogel puts up a shot in the second half of Friday’s game at Piper.
Late in the first quarter, Piper went on a 7-2 run to take the lead back, but senior Noah Hill scored back-to-back baskets to put Louisburg back up 13-10.
The Wildcats went up six after a 3-pointer from Rutherford and held that lead after another 3-pointer from Vogel. Piper knocked down a 3-pointer late in the second quarter to cut Louisburg’s lead to 25-23 at halftime.
“We knew they were a good team,” Pfannenstiel said of Piper. “We knew they were a confident team and they have a lot of athleticism. We knew we were going to have to slow them down because they like to get out and run. I feel like we did a really good job of that the entire game. We played very well defensively and our plan the whole time was to try and keep them in front of us, make them shoot from the outside and get every rebound and I thought we executed that really well.”
Piper went on a 11-1 run to start the second half to get out to an eight-point lead, but the Wildcats were able to battle back early in the fourth quarter. Baskets from Vogel and Hill were able to trim the Pirate lead to one with six minutes remaining.
However, the Pirates finished the game on an 18-6 run that included several late free throws that were able to seal the win for Piper.
“I told them at the end of the third quarter that we weathered the storm and we eventually got down eight,” Pfannenstiel said. “For us to fight back and answer there was really good to see. I think if we just knock down a few more shots then maybe it is a little bit different. The final score really wasn’t indicative of how close the game was. It was just kind of slugfest.
“The second half our shots just didn’t fall. Piper got a little more aggressive defensively and we turned the ball over a little bit. We did a really good job in the first half with only six turnovers and then we turned it over about 11 times in the second half and that gave them a few more opportunities and gave them some confidence. Plus, we didn’t shoot it really well in the second half, either.”
Vogel led the Wildcats in scoring with 17 points and Rutherford nearly had a double-double with nine points and 10 rebounds. Hill and senior Dylan DeShazer each finished with six points and Hill added six rebounds.
Louisburg will try and bounce back tonight when it hosts Turner for a 7:30 p.m. tipoff, in what is the Wildcats’ final game before the holiday break.
Louisburg boys use big second half to push past Frontenac
Louisburg sophomore Weston Guetterman dribbles past a defender during a game earlier this season. The Wildcats outscored Frontenac 43-20 in the second half Tuesday to record their third win of the season.
FRONTENAC – For the second game in a row, the Louisburg boys basketball team found itself in a tight game.
Well, at least until halftime anyway.
After falling in overtime last week, the Wildcats put it into a different gear Tuesday at Frontenac High School. Louisburg, which trailed by a point at halftime, recorded 43 points in the second half and left with a 69-47 win over Frontenac.
It was a dominant second half that saw the Wildcats outscore the Raiders, 43-20, in the final two quarters to pull away for an easy win.
“I thought we played a complete game,” Louisburg coach Ty Pfannenstiel said. “We started off a little slow. It took us awhile to figure out their 1-3-1 zone, but we finally started attacking it instead of trying to just pass it around. We were really good in the second half. We went with a bigger lineup so we tried out a 2-3 zone and it was really effective.”
The Wildcats put their three biggest players in Madden Rutherford, Noah Hill and Dylan DeShazer, on the back side of that 2-3 zone and it caused problems for the Raiders. Their size allowed guards Brayden Gage and Kohl Vogel to harass the ball up top.
Louisburg forced 19 turnovers on the night and scored 27 points off those mistakes as they were able pull away in the second half. Louisburg went on a 13-2 run late in the third quarter to get up on the Raiders.
“Those three (Noah, Dylan, Madden) are really long and can take up space, so it allowed Brayden and Kohl to be more aggressive up top,” Pfannenstiel said. “It really frustrated Frontenac and they didn’t ever seem to get into a rhythm. We played great team basketball.”
Vogel was a the team’s catalyst offensively for the second straight game as he led Louisburg with 19 points and had three assists and three steals. DeShazer, who missed the last game with an injury, was effective for the Wildcats as he finished with 17 points and led the team with nine rebounds.
Gage also scored in double figures for Louisburg with 13 points and had a team-high four assists and four steals. Hill was close to a double-double with eight points and eight rebounds. As a team, the Wildcats connected on eight 3-pointers.
“Our kids do not care who gets the stats,” Pfannenstiel said. “We are rebounding the ball pretty well so far this season. We have confidence that if they miss, we can get the defensive rebound and go. I was very proud of our effort and energy. The kids represented Louisburg well.”
Louisburg will face a tough test this
Friday when it travels to Piper, which is currently ranked No. 2 in Class 4A.
Tipoff is set for 7:30 p.m.
Louisburg senior Kohl Vogel rises up for a shot around four Anderson County defenders Friday in Garnett. Vogel scored a game-high 27 points in the Wildcats’ loss to Anderson County
GARNETT – Friday’s game between Louisburg and Anderson County featured more twists and turns than your traditional soap opera.
Both teams went on big runs and went back and forth at each other on the scoreboard. Neither team could pull away, and one knocked down a shot in the final seconds in regulation to force overtime.
It was a contest where both teams had an opportunity to put the game away in their favor, but unfortunately for Louisburg, the Wildcats just ran out of time.
Anderson County went on a big run to start overtime and knocked off Louisburg, 80-74, and the Wildcats suffered their first loss of the season.
“The locker room is dead in there,” Louisburg coach Ty Pfannenstiel said. “They are hurting for sure. If you want to try and spin it as a positive, it is good to know that they care. As coaches, we know that they do because of the time that they put into this and the summer that they had. To be able to play well in this type of game is good to see.
“We are going to see these types of games in the Frontier League all season. We are going to continue to get better and use this as a momentum builder and not a step back. Our program took a step forward with how we played.”
The Wildcats (2-1) got big performances from several players throughout the game. Senior Kohl Vogel had his best game offensively as a Wildcat as he scored a game-high 27 points and pulled down nine rebounds.
Fellow senior Brayden Gage hit several big shots as he finished with 18 points and junior Madden Rutherford was big on the glass with a career-best 23 rebounds. Senior Noah Hill was also close to a double-double with seven points and nine rebounds.
However, the biggest moment came thanks to a sophomore.
With the Wildcats down by three points, and less than five seconds left, sophomore guard Weston Guetterman knocked down a 3-pointer to keep the Wildcats in it and sent the game to overtime.
“It was huge shot and it takes a lot of confidence for a kid to step up and shoot that shot,” Pfannenstiel said. “That is kind of kid that Weston is. Playing freshman basketball last year, he hit a half-court shot to win the game, so he is that big shot guy. It was a great job by our kids to get the ball to him and to execute that.”
Weston Guetterman (3) puts three fingers up and the Wildcat bench celebrates after Guetterman made a game-tying 3-pointer to end regulation Friday at Anderson County.
After the opening tip, it appeared the Wildcats were going to run away with their third straight win. Louisburg jumped out to a 14-0 lead to start the game after big baskets from Vogel and Gage.
The lead didn’t last long,however, as Anderson County went on a 20-9 run the rest of the first quarter to cut the Louisburg lead to three.
“We started the game about as well as we have started a game since I have been here,” Pfannenstiel said. “We came out confident and were making plays. Hats off to Anderson County for responding and they made a little run themselves and got it to a back and forth basketball game. I am proud of our guys with how we competed in this type of environment. We were never in this type of game last year and for our kids to play that well in that big of an environment was good to see.”
The Wildcats encountered some foul trouble in the second quarter as Guetterman and Vogel both had to sit with three fouls. Louisburg was already without senior Dylan DeShazer, who was out with an injury, so its bench had to respond and it did.
Brayden Gage lays the ball up for two points Friday against Anderson County.
Sophomore Ben Guetterman came off the bench to score 10 points, all of which came in the second quarter, to help give Louisburg a 43-37 lead at halftime.
However, turnovers were a problem for Louisburg most of the evening, including the second half. The Wildcats committed 30 turnovers on the night, including ones in the fourth quarter and overtime that allowed Anderson County to come back and take the lead.
“Anderson County wants to speed you up and they want you to play fast, and to be honest that is how we like to play, but there are times where we would have had an advantage in the halfcourt,” Pfannenstiel said. “At the same time, it is hard for our kids to get out of that attack mode. We were out of control at times and I think we committed like (30) turnovers and you aren’t going to win many games doing that.
“Anderson County just made some plays there in the second half and overtime to get the win. We had opportunities too, but they just rimmed out and that is how the game of basketball goes sometimes.”
Louisburg will try and get back on the winning track tonight when it travels to Frontenac for a 7:30 p.m. tipoff.
Louisburg senior Dylan DeShazer puts up a shot Tuesday during the Wildcats’ home contest with Burlington. DeShazer scored eight points and pulled down four key rebounds late in Louisburg’s 58-51 win.
The Louisburg boys basketball team needed something big to happen when its game with Burlington was tied with under three minutes remaining Tuesday at Louisburg High School.
Enter the Wildcats’ two “biggest” players.
Forwards Noah Hill and Dylan DeShazer rose to the occasion as Hill converted two late baskets and was fouled on both to give the Wildcats the lead. DeShazer did the work on the glass as he pulled down four rebounds in the final two minutes to keep possessions alive and help give Louisburg a 58-51 victory.
“I think Dylan had three or four consecutive offensive rebounds and we know that we have to crash the boards because there are a lot of opportunities to get seconds chances for us,” Louisburg coach Ty Pfannenstiel said. “You could say that it was the turning point of the game was that sequence there with those two guys, and for Dylan to come down with those was big. We have some good size kids, and when you play a team that doesn’t have a ton of size, you have to take advantage of that.”
With the game tied at 43-all with 2 minutes and 47 seconds left, the Wildcats rose to the occasion as they went on an 8-0 run to help put the game away despite a mini-Burlington run at the end to help keep it close.
Hill scored two baskets during that run, while Brayden Gage converted an open lay-up on a drive to the basket. Gage and Weston Guetterman also connected on free throws to give them a 51-43 lead with 1:31 left.
Burlington went on an 8-3 spurt to cut the Wildcat to three with 23 seconds left, but Gage and Madden Rutherford went 4-for-4 from the free-throw line to put the game away.
“It was not a great shooting night by either team,” Pfannenstiel said. “They made some plays and hit some shots and put the pressure on us again. I think the kids did a good job taking care of the ball and we made plays when we needed to. Brayden made some big free throws and we were able to find a way to win.”
Louisburg sophomore Weston Guetterman goes up for a layup Tuesday against Burlington.
Tuesday’s victory was the Wildcats’ second straight win to start their season and have already tied last year’s win total with two. It is a mark that the Wildcats are happy to put behind them now.
“We’ve talked about that and we know how important it is to get off to a good start in these six games before Christmas,” Pfannenstiel said. “Our kids are excited about that, but now we can put it in the rear view mirror. People are going to say those comments, but now it is a new season, it is a new team and we don’t have talk about last season anymore.”
Burlington put a lot of pressure on the Wildcat offense from the start, which made it difficult for them to get in a rhythm. Still, the Wildcats were able to hit big shots when they needed them.
Louisburg trailed by three points late in the first quarter, but junior Michael Waldron tied it up on a 3-pointer with 10 seconds left. Burlington took a 22-19 lead early in the second quarter, but the Wildcats went on a 9-1 run to go up 28-22 on a couple baskets from Guetterman and Hill.
Rutherford gave the Wildcats some momentum as he hit a 3-pointer with five seconds left to give Louisburg a 31-27 lead at halftime.
Offense slowed down for Louisburg in the third quarter as they went five minutes without a point, but the Wildcats managed to hang around thanks to two baskets from Kohl Vogel and another from Waldron. Hill put the Wildcats up four as he gathered an offensive rebound and recorded the putback with one second left in the third.
“We went through a little dry spell there in the third quarter, but we were able to stay in it,” Pfannenstiel said. “They missed a couple shots that could have easily taken the wind out of our sails and we were able to bounce back and get good possessions. We preach that every possession is important, whether it is the first one or the last. Every loose ball is important, every free throw and I think our kids are playing hard for four quarters.”
Hill led the Wildcats in scoring with 14 points and also finished with 11 rebounds to record his first double-double of the season. Louisburg had balanced scoring throughout as Rutherford added 10, while DeShazer, Guetterman and Vogel each finished with eight. DeShazer also had seven rebounds.
Now the Wildcats will try to make it three in a row Friday when they hit the road for the first time this season. Louisburg will travel to Garnett to face off with Anderson County and Pfannenstiel knows these early games are important for his team.
“It was a huge win for us,” he said. “We talk about that this game was kind of a turning point in our season for us last year as early as it was. Our second game of the year, we got out and beat Baldwin and then we lose a close game to Burlington and had a lead against Anderson County and gave it up in the end. Once that happened, we were never able to get that confidence the rest of the season and we never got any momentum going.
“We knew this was going to be an important week for us. We played well and got a win against Burlington and now we have a couple days to prepare and get ready for a very good Anderson County team. It was an important game and I was proud of the effort that our kids gave and executing at the end.”
Louisburg senior Noah Hill gets ready to go up for a basket against two Tonganoxie defenders Friday in the Wildcats’ season opener. Hill finished with 12 points in the Wildcats’ win.
Winning just two games a season ago, the Louisburg boys basketball team wanted to make sure history didn’t repeat itself this year.
After one game this season, the Wildcats are well on their way to not letting that happen and showed they are a much different team from a year ago.
Louisburg used a big second half offensively as the Wildcats came away with a 58-47 win Friday over the Chieftains at Louisburg High School. It was the way the Wildcats’ had hoped to start their season.
“It was a great win,” Louisburg coach Ty Pfannenstiel said. “I thought our kids competed hard, played with a lot of emotion and we had fun out there. Obviously, having a little success allows you to play a little more confident. Our goal was to be 1-0 at the end of the night and I thought we played pretty well for our first game out. It was exactly what we wanted.”
The Wildcats did have overcome some adversity along the way as they had to deal with foul trouble throughout the game and it forced different players to step up.
Junior Madden Rutherford put the Wildcats on his back in the first half as he scored 14 of his game-high 18 points in the first two quarters. He added 13 rebounds to stat line and finished with a double-double.
Rutherford also scored all eight of Louisburg’s points in the second quarter and was active on both ends of the floor.
“He is a competitor and an athlete,” Pfannenstiel said. “He played hard and he played to his strengths quite a bit. I thought this time out Madden was exactly what we needed. He played with a lot of energy and really did a great job rebounding the ball for us.”
Senior Noah Hill, who also finished in double figures with 12 points and eight rebounds, gave the Wildcats a spark early on as he scored six quick points in the first quarter to help Louisburg get out to a 16-7 lead.
Madden Rutherford (left) celebrates with Ben Guetterman (22) and Weston Guetterman after Ben made basket and was fouled on Friday.
The Wildcats went through a dry spell in the second quarter as they scored one point in the final four minutes of the half, but they still held a 24-21 halftime lead.
Foul problems helped contribute to that as point guard Brayden Gage had it sit most of the game and Pfannenstiel relied on sophomore Weston Guetterman, who was playing in his first varsity contest.
It worked out well as the Wildcats bounced back to open the second half on a 7-2 run. Senior Kohl Vogel widened the lead even more as hit a pair of 3-pointers, and junior Michael Waldron followed with another to put Louisburg up 38-27 late in the third quarter.
Vogel had a big second half as he scored 11 of his 15 points late to help the Wildcats secure a big first victory.
“We went through a little spell in the second quarter where they got some momentum and we were in foul trouble,” Pfannenstiel said. “We had some different guys in there, but we were able to weather that storm and come out and play well in the second half. It was good team basketball and it wasn’t a one-man show. Everyone did their part and it was very unselfish basketball.
“Brayden never really got into the rhythm of the game because of fouls, but Weston Guetterman, in his first varsity game, did a great job and we couldn’t take him off the floor the first three quarters because of that foul trouble. Almost everyone who was out there had some foul trouble and it was a little dicey there for a while. We had some kids step up on the bench and Kohl had a really nice game scoring the ball.”
The Wildcats put the game away in the fourth quarter when Hill scored two quick baskets and Vogel knocked down a 3-pointer to put the Wildcats back up by double figures and they never looked back.
Louisburg will try and make it two wins in a row Tuesday when it hosts Burlington. Tipoff is set for 7:30 p.m.
Wildcats hope to rebound after tough 2017-18 season
Louisburg’s Brayden Gage will be one of four returning seniors to this season’s Wildcat basketball team. The Wildcats will host Tonganoxie on Friday in their season opener.
It was rough season for the Louisburg boys basketball team last year, and one that saw the Wildcats in transition mode.
Ty Pfannenstiel was in his first season as head coach and the Wildcats won just two games a year ago. Several players stepped onto the varsity floor for the first time that season and saw a lot of close games slip away.
Although there will be a little more transition this season, with the loss of five seniors from last year, the Wildcats hope to turn some of those close losses into wins.
“I felt like we were competitive last year in most games, but it’s going to take greater effort and execution to turn those efforts into wins,” Pfannenstiel said. “Our kids really showed a lot of commitment this off-season and I feel like that will have a big impact this season. Practice has been going great so far and there has been great intensity and focus.”
Louisburg returns four seniors that each saw minutes last season on varsity and all are expected to start when the Wildcats open their season Friday against Tonganoxie at home.
Guards Brayden Gage, Kohl Vogel and forwards Dylan DeShazer and Noah Hill will all lead the Wildcats this season and Pfannenstiel is looking for big things out of those four players.
“All four are expected to be impact players for us this year,” Pfannenstiel said. “Brayden will be a great leader for us on both ends of the floor. He’s a competitor and I think our team will feed off of his energy. Dylan was a very productive player for us coming off the bench. We will expect him to be a big scorer for us both inside and out.
“Kohl Vogel is going to have to be a good scorer for us this year. He has the potential to be our very best defender as well. Noah is an incredibly competitive and scrappy player. He will have to be a force on the boards and be a great low post defender as well.”
Louisburg senior Dylan DeShazer is one of several Wildcat players returning with varsity experience from last season.
Junior Madden Rutherford, who also saw varsity minutes as a sophomore last season, will join the four seniors in the starting lineup. Junior Michael Waldron and sophomore Weston Guetterman will see significant time off the bench.
Junior Garrett Rolofson and sophomores Ben Guetterman, Connor Koesser, Andy Hupp and Konnor Vohs could all see varsity time as well throughout the year.
In the offseason, Pfannenstiel stressed shooting with his group as the players put up thousands of shots up over the summer to improve in that area. However, as much as his team needs to focus on the offensive end to get better, he knows that defensively is how his team will find success.
“The keys for this team will be to play to our strengths and be ready to compete every game that we step on the court,” he said. I think we have a chance to be a very good defensive team that will give teams problems. We will have to play unselfish on the offensive end and we obviously have to shoot the ball better this year. Our kids put in a lot of time this off-season on shooting the ball so I hope that turns into confident shooters on the offensive end.”
The Wildcats also realize their schedule got a lot tougher this season with the addition of three new teams to the Frontier League in Tonganoxie, Bonner Springs and Piper.
Louisburg will host Tonganoxie at 7:30 p.m., on Friday in its season opener and Pfannenstiel realizes there will be no easy game throughout the schedule.
“I think the Frontier League will be extremely competitive again this year,” he said. “I think Eudora and Bonner Springs return the most. Spring Hill and Ottawa both return a good core of their team as well. With the addition of Bonner, Tongie and Piper, the league will definitely have a different look. Each night will demand our best effort and execution and we are excited to get things started on Friday.”
