SPRING HILL — For the second time in three days, Louisburg had the ball in its hands with a chance to win.

And for the second time, the Wildcats found a way to pull out a win — at the buzzer.

With Louisburg down by one point in overtime, senior T.J. Dover pulled down a rebound off a Grant Harding miss and scored as the buzzer sounded to give the Wildcats a 43-42 win Friday at Spring Hill High School.

On Tuesday against Baldwin, the Wildcats had their first buzzer-beater win when junior Dalton Ribordy broke a tie game with a game-winner of his own.

“I would rather just do things right the first time and not get in these close games to where we have to win in the last second, but I really do love these boys,” Louisburg coach Jason Nelson said. “This is the second time they just decided they weren’t going to lose.”

Both teams struggled to break free from one another, especially in the overtime. Dover gave Louisburg a three-point lead in the extra period as he scored five straight points, but Spring Hill rallied back to eventually tie and take the lead on a free throw from Jordan Hoston with less than minute left.

Louisburg (8-10) called a timeout to set up a play with nine seconds left, and while it didn’t work to perfection, it certainly did the job.

Senior Jayce Geiman got the ball on the inbound pass, sent it over Harding who drove the basket. The shot missed but Dover was there to corral the rebound and put it in off the backboard to give the Wildcats their second straight win.

Louisburg senior T.J. Dover goes up for a shot Friday against Spring Hill. Dover finished with nine points, including the game-winner in overtime.

“I was just looking for any loose ball,” Dover said. “We obviously just wanted to get the ball in Grant’s hands for the last shot and we were just looking to rebound if he missed and we were able to clean it up. The same thing happened in the last game. Everyone is just stepping up now and it seems like it is coming together at the right time.”

It was a tough game offensively for both teams as they struggled to get into any kind of rhythm. The Wildcats shot just 39 percent from the field and also struggled from the free-throw line, where they were 4-for-13 for the game.

Still, the Wildcats made that one extra play they needed to secure a big win against a possible postseason opponent in two weeks when Louisburg returns to Spring Hill for the Class 4A substate tournament.

“Tuesday was a manifestation of poor defense, and this time was a manifestation of poor free-throw shooting,” Nelson said. “We were 4 of 13 from the line and most of them were missed front ends of one-and-ones.

“I thought we played fantastic at times in the second half and in overtime. The first half we were a little bit slow offensively, but credit to the kids they found a way to win.”

The lead changed hands four times in the second half and Louisburg turned a three-point deficit into a one-point lead late in the third quarter on a basket from Ribordy and senior Jake Hill.

Spring Hill grabbed the lead right back to start the fourth and built a 36-32 lead midway through the quarter, but the Wildcats cut into the lead on a made shot from Ribordy. Louisburg then used its defense late to tie the game when Geiman knocked a Spring Hill pass away and threw it to teammate Sam Guetterman who had an easy layup with a minute left.

The game eventually went into overtime and Dover scored seven of his nine points in the extra period, including the game-winner, to help give Louisburg the win.

Geiman and Harding each scored in double figures with 10 points to lead the Wildcats, while Ribordy added eight points and five rebounds.

“It was exciting,” Dover said. “It was huge to get this game, especially after losing to them the first time at our place. We know what we need to do to win, and now that we figured out how to win those games, it is all about fixing the small stuff like free throws and not giving up offensive boards. When we get that stuff figured out, then I am excited to see what we can do for substate.”

Louisburg will have two more regular season games left before the postseason and it begins Tuesday when it travels to De Soto. The Wildcats will host rival Paola on Friday for senior night.

LOU               7             12           11           6             7 – 43

SH                  9             10           10           7             6 – 42

LOUISBURG (8-10): Grant Harding 10, Jayce Geiman 10, T.J. Dover 9, Dalton Ribordy 8, Sam Guetterman 4, Jake Hill 2. Totals: 18-46 4-13 43. 3-point field goals: 3, (Geiman 3)

Louisburg’s Sam Guetterman (left) celebrates with Dalton Ribordy (middle) and Desmond Doles following Ribordy’s buzzer-beater Tuesday that gave the Wildcats a 60-58 win over Baldwin.

Less than two minutes into the game, Dalton Ribordy found himself on the bench with two fouls.

For the next 14 minutes of the first half, Ribordy had to sit as he watched his team dig themselves a double-digit hole against Baldwin on Tuesday. The Louisburg junior wanted to be out there to help in some way.

Ribordy got his chance later — and it was a big one.

After a couple missed shots, and with two seconds left in a tie game, Ribordy fought for an offensive rebound. He grabbed it and put up one last opportunity. That shot found the bottom of the net to give the Wildcats a 60-58 win at the buzzer at Louisburg High School.

“I didn’t know how much time we had left when I got the shot off,” Ribordy said.  “I just put it up and watched it rattle around a couple times. Then I heard the buzzer and saw it go in. I just felt — I don’t even know what I felt actually. Then I see the student section run onto the floor and it was just an amazing feeling.”

It was a feeling many didn’t think they were going to have, especially after the first half. Ribordy, Grant Harding and Desmond Doles all had to sit a majority of the half in foul trouble and the Wildcat offense struggled to get going.

Junior Dalton Ribordy puts up shot at the buzzer that gave the Wildcats the win Tuesday against Baldwin.

Baldwin held Louisburg to seven points in the second quarter and took a 34-22 lead at halftime. Louisburg, which had beaten Baldwin three times earlier this season, found that a fourth time was going to be even tougher.

“The end was fantastic,” Louisburg coach Jason Nelson said. “The first 16 minutes were terrible for us. We were slow on defense. Offensively, we were settling for shots and we were playing right into their zone. To our credit, once halftime was over our defensive intensity was much better, we blocked out much better, but most importantly we asserted ourselves offensively.”

The Wildcats (7-10) also got good production from their bench as different players had to step up as Louisburg had to play without starter Jayce Geiman and they had to battle foul problems.

Senior Jake Hill came off the bench to finish in double figures with 11 points, including a couple big baskets in the fourth quarter to help Louisburg battle back. Hill was one of three Wildcats to score in double figures as Harding led Louisburg with 16 points and Ribordy added 10.

Senior Dalton Stone started for this first time this season and finished with nine points on three 3-pointers.

“Jake had a good game and he is our best player against a zone, especially at getting the zone to collapse,” Nelson said. “He did fantastic at that.

“This is probably our first attitude win of the year. This was our first win of the year where we basically weren’t going to be denied, which is refreshing to see.”

Louisburg senior Jake Hill goes up for two of his 11 points off the bench Tuesday.

Louisburg found itself down eight points late in the third quarter, but Hill scored a basket to end the frame and then another to begin the fourth quarter to cut Baldwin’s lead to four. Louisburg eventually tied it up on four straight points from Harding with 3 minutes and 50 seconds left in the game.

The lead switched hands and was tied on two different occasions before Harding tied the game at 58-all late in the game. After a Baldwin missed shot, it gave the Wildcats one final possession.

Harding drove the lane but his shot rimmed out. He then got his own rebound, but missed a second shot before Ribordy got the offensive board and the game-winner.

“It feels pretty good,” Ribordy said. “We came in at halftime and talked about things that we needed to fix. I felt like when we came out at the beginning of the third quarter, that is exactly what we did. We fought all the way back to the very last second and pulled out the win.

“After a win like this, I think it shows that no matter what the deficit is, we know we can come back if we play together as a team.”

Louisburg will try for back-to-back wins Friday when it travels to Spring Hill. The Wildcats and Broncos could meet a couple weeks later as they are in the same substate tournament.

“Spring Hill is always good at home,” Nelson said. “This game is big for our confidence and this will be a good barometer to see where we are at for substate.”

LOU               15           7             19           19 – 60

BAL                17           17           13           11 – 58

LOUISBURG (7-10): Grant Harding 16, Jake Hill 11, Dalton Ribordy 10, Dalton Stone 9, T.J. Dover 8, Sam Guetterman 6. Totals: 22-53 13-18 60. 3-point field goals: 4, (Stone 3, Harding)

Louisburg senior Sam Guetterman battles for a rebound with a pair of Ottawa players Friday at Louisburg High School. The Wildcats couldn’t slow down Ottawa as they fell 75-60.

There weren’t many teams that were going to slow down the Ottawa boys basketball squad Friday.

Louisburg gave it a try, but the Cyclones didn’t miss much — more specifically the duo of Isaac McCullough and Perry Carroll. The Ottawa teammates scored 26 points each as the Cyclones downed the Wildcats 75-60 at Louisburg High School.

The Cyclones shot 59 percent from the field and knocked down eight 3-pointers as the Wildcats tried several different things to climb back in the game.

“We did everything well that was in our game plan except blocking out and preventing offensive rebounds,” Louisburg coach Jason Nelson said. “I think we gave up five or six offensive rebounds and that is too much. It hurt us in the first half, but aside from that we contested their shots.

“We went through progressions offensively and did some good things there, but I have never seen anything like that in what Ottawa did. We answered as best we could, but on a night like that, not much more we could do.”

Louisburg’s T.J. Dover wins a jump ball Friday against Ottawa.

Senior Grant Harding did his best to try and keep the Wildcats (6-10) in it as he scored a season-high 31 points, including five 3-pointers. Harding shot well from the field as he made 8 of 17 attempts and was aggressive all night in attacking the Cyclone defense.

“Grant has been working really hard at his shot and we have all been waiting for it to come together and it did (against Ottawa),” Nelson said. “We have all seen what kind of shooter Grant is, but the biggest blessing with him not shooting as well as he wants is it has taught him to attack the rim more. Once his shots starts falling more, it will really make him difficult to stop”

Defense didn’t factor much into the first quarter as the two teams pushed the ball up the floor. Ottawa, which had a three-point lead midway through the first, went on a mini 7-0 run, to push the lead to 10.

Senior Sam Guetterman hit a 3-pointer and junior Desmond Doles cut the Cyclone lead in half, but Ottawa went on a another 7-1 run to end the quarter and the Wildcats wouldn’t get the lead to under 10 again.

Guetterman was second on the team in scoring with seven points and five rebounds, while senior T.J. Dover had six points and a team-high six rebounds. Senior Dalton Stone also finished with six points.

Louisburg will try and snap its four-game losing streak Tuesday when it hosts Baldwin. The Wildcats have defeated the Bulldogs three times already this season.

LOU               18           15           13           14 – 60

OTT               28           20           16           11 – 75

LOUISBURG (6-10): Grant Harding 31, Sam Guetterman 7, T.J. Dover 6, Dalton Stone 5, Jayce Geiman 5, Dalton Ribordy 3, Desmond Doles 2. Totals: 20-46 13-17 60. 3-point field goals: 9, (Harding 5, Stone 2, Geiman, Guetterman)

Louisburg senior Dalton Stone scores two points on a reverse layup Friday at Eudora High School. The Wildcats came up short in a 68-54 loss to the Cardinals.

EUDORA – Before Eudora’s Mitchell Ballock released a half-court heave at the buzzer, the damage was already done.

Ballock’s shot right before halftime found nothing but net and the Louisburg boys basketball team found itself down 17 points and had to go back into the locker room trying to figure out how to slow down the Creighton University commit.

The Wildcats couldn’t overcome what was a rough first half as they lost 68-54 to No. 2 Eudora as Ballock went off for 25 points, despite sitting out most of the fourth quarter and Louisburg suffered its third straight loss in the process.

Eudora jumped out to a 15-7 lead in the first quarter and Louisburg had to deal with foul trouble as starter Grant Harding was forced to sit with two fouls early in the contest. A 3-pointer from Jayce Geiman and a basket from Jake Hill cut the Eudora lead going into the start of the second quarter.

The Cardinals used a quick 7-0 run to go up double digits again, before the Wildcats were able to get the lead down to seven a couple baskets from Harding and a pair of free throws from Desmond Doles. Eudora once again answered as it went on a 13-3 run to end the first half, including the half-court shot from Ballock.

Eudora ballooned the lead to 23 points in the fourth quarter before Louisburg was able to chip away at the lead.

Geiman led Louisburg in scoring with 19 points, including three 3-pointers, while Harding finished with 10 and also had four steals. Senior Sam Guetterman nearly had a double-double with eight points and a team-high eight rebounds and senior T.J. Dover scored nine points.

Louisburg will try and get back on track Friday when it hosts No. 4 Ottawa. Tipoff is set for 7:30 p.m.

LOU               12           11           13           18 – 54

EUD               18           22           17           11 – 68

LOUISBURG (6-9): Jayce Geiman 19, Grant Harding 19, T.J. Dover 9, Sam Guetterman 8, Jake Hill 2, Desmond Doles 2, Dalton Stone 2, Dalton Ribordy 2. Totals: 19 13-20 54. 3-point field goals: 4, (Geiman 3, Guetterman)

Louisburg senior Jake Hill tries to back down a Paola defender during the Wildcats’ game Tuesday at Paola High School. Paola rallied for a 55-49 win over Louisburg.

PAOLA – The Louisburg High School boys basketball team was just minutes away from pulling off an upset of its league rival, and a possible future substate opponent, on the road.

A victory would have given the Wildcats an even bigger boost of confidence as they had already won three of their last four games going into Tuesday’s game at Paola High School. Unfortunately for Louisburg, the Wildcats will have to wait a little longer to try and knock off Paola.

The Panthers overcame a six-point deficit with four minutes left in the game to pull out a 55-49 win over Louisburg.

“The loss itself was disappointing, but the dedication to improvement our boys displayed that night and practice the next day was impressive,” Louisburg coach Jason Nelson said. “We’ve spoken of the necessity to maintain our game plan implementation for 32 minutes and we saw, first hand, what happens when we don’t execute. We went through a two-minute period where we didn’t execute at the defensive end and it cost us dearly.”

Louisburg (6-8) put together a 45-39 lead midway through the fourth quarter after 3-pointers from Jayce Geiman, Dalton Stone and a basket from Desmond Doles. Paola then called a timeout and the Panthers picked up their intensity.

Paola’s Dalton Rankin hit a 3-pointer to cut the lead in half, and then got a pair of baskets from Tanner Moala and Andrew Phillips to give them a 1-point lead with under three minutes left.

Wildcat senior Sam Guetterman hit a pair of free throws to put Louisburg up one again, but only for a short time.

Noah Bell responded with a 3-pointer to put Paola back on top by two points, then Louisburg senior T.J. Dover drove the lane for two points to tie it up with 1 minute and 16 seconds left.

Paola took the lead on pair of free throws by Brandon Wilkes, and then the Panthers got a Wildcat turnover, which turned into two points for Phillips and all but sealed the win for the home team.

The Wildcats were playing short-handed as they missed one of their post players in junior Dalton Ribordy, who was out with an illness. Nelson believes the team did what it could to pick up the slack, especially having to go up against a pair of 6-foot, 5-inch players in Moala and Matthew Wilson.

“Given our dramatic personnel rotation, we played really well,” Nelson said. “With Dalton out of the lineup, we’re significantly smaller, and knew we’d have to play some smalls on their bigs. Those who were tasked with playing against their bigs did a really good job.”

Senior Grant Harding led the Wildcats with a double-double as he recorded 10 points and 10 rebounds. Geiman also had a team-high 12 points, including four 3-pointers, while Dover finished with 10 points. Guetterman had eight points and six rebounds in the loss.

Bell led the Panthers with 13 points and Moala finished with 10 points and eight rebounds.

Louisburg will try to get back on the winning track, but the Wildcats face a tough test tonight on the road at No. 4 Eudora. The Wildcats played the Cardinals close for a half earlier this season and they hope to turn that into more this time around.

“We know that if and when we put 32 minutes of our style of basketball together we can play with most anybody and we’ve gotten progressively better,” Nelson said.

LOU             8             12           15           14 – 49

PAO             8             12           14           21 – 55

LOUISBURG (6-8): Jayce Geiman 12, Grant Harding 10, T.J. Dover 10, Sam Guetterman 8, Dalton Stone 6, Desmond Doles 2, Jake Hill 1. Totals: 19-46 7-11 49. 3-point field goals: 6, (Geiman 4, Stone 2)

Lady Cats fall to No. 8 Paola

PAOLA – At times, there wasn’t much the Louisburg girls basketball team could do Tuesday against Paola.

The Lady Cats played the type of defense they were looking for, but Paola always had an answer. The Panthers shot a high-percentage from the field as they took down Louisburg, 67-43.

“They are athletic,” Louisburg coach Shawn Lowry said of Paola. “I am not sure what their shooting percentage was, but it was good. It is not that we were playing off anywhere, they were just hitting some nice shots and hats off to them for that. It was a nice offensive performance.”

Louisburg senior Tayler Lancaster tries to dribble into the lane Tuesday in Paola.

Paola senior Matti Morgan lifted her team with a game-high 27 points as she was perfect from the field.

Morgan and the rest of the Panthers were tough to stop as they scored 41 first half points and the Lady Cats weren’t able to keep up. The two teams provided a back-and-forth first quarter as Paola took a 24-17 lead going into the second.

“We did ok,” Lowry said. “We have some things that we have to make some adjustments on and some fundamental things that we have been doing and we didn’t do this time. We had some breakdowns that happened that the players know about and we will get it fixed. I wasn’t disappointed at all with our toughness or effort. The kids give a lot.”

Louisburg (6-7) got a bulk of its scoring from a pair of seniors. Madisen Simpson led the Lady Cats with 22 points, including four 3-pointers, while Paige Buffington finished with 12.

Sophomore Carson Buffington finished with a team-high 11 rebounds.

The Lady Cats will try and snap mini two-game losing skid tonight when they travel to Eudora.

“That is what great about this time of year is you are in the meat of your schedule with Tuesday and Friday games,” Lowry said. “Now we just have to get ready for the game (today) and turn around play two more times next week. We just need to get some of our stuff fixed.”

LOU             17           8             10           8 – 43

PAO             24           17           17           9 – 67

LOUISBURG (6-7): Madisen Simpson 22, Paige Buffington 12, Chloe Renner 4, Kennia Hankinson 3, Carson Buffington 2. Totals: 14 9-16 43. 3-point field goals: 6, (Simpson 4, P. Buffington 2)

Louisburg senior Jayce Geiman tries to dribble past a Spring Hill defender Friday during the Wildcats’ homecoming game at Louisburg High School. Spring Hill used a big second half to beat Louisburg, 61-48.

In the first half, everything seemed right in the world of the Louisburg boys basketball team.

Shots were going in, the Wildcat defense forced some difficult shots and they were doing a good job on the glass. The second half proved to be more unlucky for the Wildcats.

The same shots that went in, didn’t go in the final two quarters and Spring Hill caught fire at the right time. That half turned into a 61-48 win for Spring Hill at Louisburg High School and the Wildcats saw their three-game winning streak come to an end.

“I think we just got a little cold,” Louisburg coach Jason Nelson said. “Defensively, we did what we needed to do. Offensively we got the looks we wanted, but they just weren’t falling. You are going to have a night or two like this during the season and that’s all it was — a night. We just weren’t quite as in sync as we usually are.”

Louisburg (6-7) had its way on the inside, especially in the first half. Junior Dalton Ribordy dominated the paint as he scored 12 of his 14 points in the first two quarters. Ribordy also pulled down a team-high 13 rebounds to record a double-double.

Spring Hill made it more difficult to get the ball inside in the second half and the Wildcats struggled to score from all over the floor.

“Dalton did a great job in there and he was difficult to stop in there at times,” Nelson said. “Even in the second half, he was still getting looks but they just didn’t go down. It is the way it went for everyone I think.”

The lead changed hands a few times in the first quarter, but Louisburg went on 8-2 run that ended on a steal and a dunk from Grant Harding to give Louisburg a 14-9 lead.

Louisburg senior Grant Harding rises up for a dunk Friday during the Wildcats’ game with Spring Hill.

Louisburg continued its run into the second quarter as it took a 20-13 advantage on a pair of baskets from Ribordy and another from senior T.J. Dover.

Spring Hill got right back in it as the Broncos put together a 10-2 spurt that gave them a quick 23-22 lead. Dover and Ribordy answered with back-to-back baskets to give Louisburg a three-point lead going into halftime.

The game remained close through much of the third quarter. Harding scored five consecutive points for Louisburg to give the Wildcats a 31-29 lead, and after Spring Hill took the lead back, Sam Guetterman answered with a 3-pointer to put Louisburg in front.

The Broncos, however, used another 10-2 run to end the third quarter to put them up 42-36 thanks to a pair of 3-pointers. Spring Hill ballooned its lead to 13 midway through the fourth quarter, and despite two 3-pointers from Jayce Geiman, the Wildcats could get no closer than seven the rest of the way.

“We knew it was going to be a grind,” Nelson said. “At that time, we were hitting the shots we needed to hit and we were confident. I think we tightened up a little bit in the second half when they hit those threes, but they have great shooters. Then we started hitting threes to get it closer, but we just couldn’t get closer. We were 13 for 20 in first half, but we just couldn’t keep in going in the second half.”

Louisburg will try and get back on the winning track tonight when it travels to Paola for another Frontier League contest. The two teams are scheduled to tip at approximately 7:30 p.m.

“Paola is Paola,” Nelson said. “I think the guys are going to be excited for the challenge. I think more than who we are playing, they are going to be excited to hopefully get this taste out of our mouth. This one loss doesn’t take away from the strides we have been making and hopefully we can keep getting better.”

LOU               14           12           10           12 – 48

SH                  10           13           19           19 – 61

LOUISBURG (6-7): Grant Harding 15, Dalton Ribordy 14, Sam Guetterman 7, Jayce Geiman 6, T.J. Dover 6. Totals: 22-51 1-6 48. 3-point field goals: 3, (Geiman 2, Guetterman)

Louisburg junior Dalton Ribordy draws some contact and scores a basket during Tuesday’s home contest against De Soto at Louisburg High School. The Wildcats captured their third-straight win with a 56-40 victory over De Soto.

On two different occasions, the Louisburg High School boys basketball team had a chance to let De Soto stay in the game or even take the lead.

Louisburg wasn’t about to let that happen.

The Wildcats used a big second and fourth quarters on both ends of the floor to pull away from De Soto for a 56-40 win Tuesday in Louisburg. In the process, the Wildcats recorded their third consecutive victory after they won the final two games of the Baldwin Invitational last week.

“The first half we just gave up too many offensive rebounds and putbacks and that kept it close,” Louisburg coach Jason Nelson said. “Our on-ball defense a few times wasn’t the best. It was a testament to those guys that they were able to fix those things. They are doing a good job of looking for each other on the court. Now we have to put together four quarters.”

De Soto trailed Louisburg 14-13 at the end of the first quarter, but the Wildcats turned the pressure up defensively in the second quarter and went on a 13-4 run to go up 27-17 at halftime.

Again, De Soto made another run in the third quarter as it scored on offensive rebounds and drives to the basket and cut the Louisburg lead in half.

Senior Sam Guetterman drives past a De Soto defender Tuesday in the Wildcats’ 16-point win.

In the fourth quarter, the Wildcats (6-6) made it a point to the get the ball inside to senior T.J. Dover and junior Dalton Ribordy and it worked. Louisburg ended the game on a 16-5 run that was spurred on by several baskets by the two Wildcat forwards.

“That is exactly what we need to do to be successful,” Nelson said. “We need to get the ball into Ribordy and T.J. and play inside-out. That frees up Jayce (Geiman), Grant (Harding), Sam (Guetterman) and everyone else on the perimeter to get open shots or drive it. We did a good job of that this time and it is something that we need to continue to do.”

Dover was one of three Wildcats players to score in double figures. He tied with Harding for a team-high 15 points and Geiman added 11, along with a pair of 3-pointers. Ribordy added six points, including a couple big baskets during the Wildcats’ fourth quarter run.

“We have been working hard on post entry and T.J. and Dalton are so athletic inside,” Nelson said. “If we can get the ball inside, then we can do some good things. We keep improving in that area and they are being more assertive down low and the guards are doing a better job looking for them.”

After a rough start to the season, the Wildcats’ three-game winning streak has brought their record back to .500 and they earned their second Frontier League win. Louisburg will now try to keep those winning ways going as it hosts Spring Hill at 7:30 p.m. Friday.

The game will follow homecoming ceremonies that had to be rescheduled from earlier this month.

“Our biggest attribute right now is our mentality,” Nelson said. “This is the second game in a row where we have played a good, scrappy team. Instead of letting them back into it and getting a lead, we pulled away instead and that is good to see. Hopefully we can keep playing well.”

LOU               14           13           13           16 – 56

DES                13           4             18           5 – 40

LOUISBURG (6-6): Grant Harding 15, T.J. Dover 15, Jayce Geiman 11, Dalton Ribordy 6, Sam Guetterman 4, Jake Hill 2, Desmond Doles 2, Dalton Stone 1. Totals: 21-41 12-18 56. 3-point field goals: 2, (Geiman 2)

Louisburg senior T.J. Dover goes up for a blocked shot against Bishop Ward during the consolation semifinals of the Baldwin Invitational on Friday at Baldwin High School. The Wildcats defeated Baldwin on Saturday for fifth-place.

BALDWIN CITY — Last year at this time, the Louisburg High School boys basketball team was entering the Baldwin Invitational Tournament on a high note with a 6-3 record and the Wildcats were feeling confident.

After it was over, the Wildcats walked away with three straight losses, which led to a long string of defeats to end the 2016 season. It was a pivotal point in their season.

“I think the boys remember that,” Louisburg coach Jason Nelson. “As we entered the tourney last year, we had a decent record, but hadn’t played the same competition as this year going in. I feel like an improved early schedule really helped us mentally and also didn’t provide us with a ‘false sense’ of where we really were as a program.”

That improved schedule and better mentality left Louisburg with a better feeling after leaving Baldwin.

Despite losing the first game of the tournament, the Wildcats bounced back with two straight wins, including a 56-47 victory over Baldwin in the fifth-place game Saturday at Baldwin High School.

Louisburg (5-6) used a big second half to overcome a halftime deficit and possibly played its best two quarters of the season according its coach.

Louisburg senior Jake Hill (right) battles for a rebound Friday at Baldwin High School.

“In my opinion, the second half of the game was some of the best basketball in my time here,” Nelson said. “We were patient with the ball, picked the opportune moments to attack and did so with confidence and authority. Plus, we didn’t settle for low percentage shots which further allowed us to pull away. Lastly, our defense was aggressive the entire game and we didn’t allow many uncontested shots which prevented them from shooting a high percentage from deep.”

The Wildcats have defeated the Bulldogs in two previous meetings this season, but each time Baldwin stayed in the game with its 3-point shooting. This time around, Louisburg held Baldwin to just 4 for 16 from 3-point range.

Senior Grant Harding also provided a bulk of the scoring punch for Louisburg as he finished with a game-high 24 points and gave the Wildcats a lift when they needed him. For his performance in the three games, Harding was also named to the all-tournament team.

Still, the Wildcats got production from up and down their lineup and fellow senior Sam Guetterman nearly had a double-double with 11 points and eight rebounds, while junior Dalton Ribordy had a team-high nine rebounds and senior T.J. Dover finished with eight points.

“As a group, we had a great tournament,” Nelson said. “Offensively, we didn’t force anything, moved the ball and didn’t settle for contested, low percentage shots. When Grant was open, he shot, when a lane was available, he drove. Same thing with Jayce, Sammy, T.J., Dalton and others.

“Everybody knows Grant is our biggest offensive threat given his inside and outside ability and it was nice to see him take control when the chance presented itself, but just as important was how the others played to their strengths. If we can keep playing to our individual strengths in a team oriented manner, we can fulfill the potential our staff sees in them.”

After an even first quarter, Baldwin took a 23-21 halftime lead, but the Wildcats came out strong in the second half as they outscored the Bulldogs 18-11 in the third quarter to pull away.

Louisburg has another busy week as it hosts De Soto in a makeup game Tuesday and will then host Spring Hill on Friday for homecoming. Both games will tipoff at 7:30 p.m.

LOU               11           10           18           17 – 56

BAL                11           12           11           13 – 47

LOUISBURG (5-6): Grant Harding 24, Sam Guetterman 11, T.J. Dover 7, Jayce Geiman 5, Dalton Ribordy 4, Desmond Doles 4. Totals: 20-43 13-24 56. 3-point field goals: 3, (Harding 3)

LOUISBURG ROLLS BISHOP WARD

Coming off a rough overtime loss earlier in the week to Wellsville, Louisburg had a chance to redeem itself Friday in the consolation finals against Bishop Ward.

The Wildcats took advantage of that opportunity as it rolled to a 45-24 win to advance to the fifth-place game.

Jayce Geiman and Grant Harding each led the Wildcats in scoring with 12 points each, while T.J. Dover finished with eight. Harding also had a team-high seven rebounds in the contest.

LOU               11           11           10           13 – 45

BW                5             7             6             6 – 24

LOUISBURG: Jayce Geiman 12, Grant Harding 12, T.J. Dover 8, Dalton Ribordy 6, Dalton Stone 3, Sam Guetterman 2, Alex Seuferling 2. Totals: 18-41 6-15 45. 3-point field goals: 3, (Geiman 2, Stone)

Louisburg senior Grant Harding drives to the basket Tuesday during the first round of the Baldwin Invitational Tournament at Baldwin High School. Harding scored a team-high 16 points in the 57-50 overtime loss.

BALDWIN CITY – All signs were pointing to a Louisburg victory in its first round contest Tuesday in the Baldwin Invitational.

The foreshadowing appeared in the form of a shot from Jayce Geiman. The Louisburg senior hit a game-tying 3-pointer at the buzzer to send the game with Wellsville into overtime and all the momentum swung over to the Wildcat bench.

That momentum quickly raced back to the other side of the floor.

Wellsville opened the extra period with a basket and the Wildcats were on the wrong end of two charging calls that took away possessions and they couldn’t recover in a 57-50 loss.

“The guys couldn’t have been more disappointed,” Louisburg coach Jason Nelson said. “Did they know that they didn’t play their best game? Absolutely. Our on-ball defense was subpar, our help defense was abnormally weak and we missed a lot of bunnies. They battled as best they could through it and for that, I’m proud. But that is a game we should have won.”

Louisburg (3-6) had to battle back from a fourth quarter deficit to send the game to an extra period. The Wildcats were down five points with under five minutes remaining, but senior Sam Guetterman hit a jumper and a 3-pointer to cut the Eagle lead to one.

Fellow senior T.J. Dover responded to give the Wildcats a one-point lead with three minutes left in regulation and senior Grant Harding followed that up with a steal and a breakaway dunk to put Louisburg up three.

Wellsville answered back with a quick 6-0 run to take a 48-45 lead with 12 seconds left. The Wildcats got the ball back with one last chance and Geiman answered with a 3-pointer from several feet behind the 3-point line at the buzzer to tie it.

Senior Jayce Geiman connects on a 3-pointer at the buzzer Tuesday to send the Wildcats’ game with Wellsville to overtime.

“Coach (Drew) Harding drew up a double screen for Grant curling off of it with Jayce as a secondary option,” Nelson said. “Wellsville’s defensive rotation was fantastic, and credit to Jayce for sliding until he found an opening. I felt like that was great momentum going in to overtime, and was confident, but we picked up a few early fouls in overtime and it switched the momentum.”

That it did.

Wellsville scored a quick basket to take the lead in overtime, and as the Wildcats tried to answer on their next possession, were called for a charge — one of six for the game — and two in the overtime.

The charges gave the Eagles extra possessions and they took advantage either at the free throw line or at the basket.

“I’ve never seen a game where charges were so numerous,” Nelson said. “To their credit, the boys were never discouraged by the calls, and never voiced displeasure and I’m proud of them for that. I don’t necessarily think it took away from our aggression, but it did alter our play to where we were trying to avoid contact at all and consequently some of our shots were altered a bit.”

Both teams traded leads in the first half and the Wildcats had to rally from five points down in the second quarter and eventually took a one-point lead at halftime. Down 20-15 with three minutes left in the first half, junior Dalton Ribordy scored a basket and Geiman followed it up with five straight points, including a 3-pointer to tie the game with a minute remaining.

Junior Dalton Ribordy (right) gets on the floor for a loose ball Tuesday against Wellsville.

Guetterman added a free throw with one second left and the Wildcats had a 23-22 lead in the locker room at halftime.

Harding was one of two Wildcats in double figures as he led the way with 16 points and Geiman finished with 12. Ribordy and Dover each had five rebounds to lead Louisburg.

The Wildcats return to action Friday when they face off with Bishop Ward in the consolation semifinals. Bishop Ward fell to Bonner Springs in their contest, 63-20. Tipoff is set for 4 p.m.

Louisburg will either play Baldwin or Anderson County for fifth or seventh place Saturday.

“These next two games are most definitely important, but more important is what did we learn from Tuesday’s game?” Nelson said. “We are focused on improving and peaking for substate, and to that end, these upcoming games are quite important.”

LOU               11           12           11           14           2 – 50

WEL              9             13           13           13           9 – 57

LOUISBURG (3-6): Grant Harding 16, Jayce Geiman 12, Sam Guetterman 8, T.J. Dover 6, Dalton Ribordy 6, Desmond Doles 2. Totals: 18-45 11-18 50. 3-point field goals: 4, (Geiman 2, Harding, Guetterman).

Louisburg senior Jayce Geiman gets the ball across half-court thanks to a screen from teammate Dalton Ribordy on Tuesday during the Wildcats’ home game against Frontenac. The Wildcats fell 71-59.

The Louisburg High School boys basketball team hoped to get its second consecutive win when the Wildcats returned home for the first time in three weeks.

Frontenac had other plans.

The Raiders scored a lot of points in transition and limited the Louisburg offense with their zone defense as they handed the Wildcats a 71-59 loss in what was up-and-down game that featured a lot of free throws.

“We knew we had to do coming in and we didn’t assert ourselves very well,” Louisburg coach Jason Nelson said. “We didn’t stick to the script the entire time and that hurt us. When we did do that in the second half, we started getting to the line and getting some weak side buckets, stuff that we should have started doing all along.”

The two teams combined for 55 free throws and Frontenac made more free throws (23) than Louisburg (20) attempted. While that was a big difference in the game, Louisburg also struggled from the field against the Raiders’ zone defense as it shot just 32 percent for the contest.

Louisburg and Frontenac went back-and-forth in the first half as the lead changed hands seven times and had seven more ties.

Frontenac pulled away in the third quarter as it outscored Louisburg 20-10 to build a 12-point lead going into the fourth quarter. The Raiders’ lead expanded to 15 before the Wildcats cut it to nine on Jayce Geiman’s 3-pointer with less than four minutes left in the game.

The Raiders stopped Louisburg’s mini-run to put the lead back up to 17 with two minutes left and sealed the win. Frontenac got those points in transition off Wildcat misses and from the free-throw line.

Junior Desmond Doles goes up for two points Tuesday against Frontenac.

“All that was a manifestation of our lack of communication,” Nelson said. “I don’t know remember the last time that our rotation was that slow, but when we don’t communicate or assert ourselves then stuff like this happens.

“When our shots were falling, it can carry over to the defensive end and guys hang their heads a little bit. But maybe that is on me for not motivating them enough.”

Geiman led the Wildcat scoring with 17 points, including five 3-pointers against the Frontenac zone. Senior Grant Harding also finished in double figures with 16 points, while junior Desmond Doles came off the bench to add eight points and a team-high seven rebounds.

Senior T.J. Dover added six rebounds in the loss, while junior Dalton Ribordy and senior Sam Guetterman had five a piece.

Louisburg will try and get a Frontier League win Friday when it hosts De Soto for homecoming. Tipoff is set for approximately 7:30 p.m.

“If we come out and set the tempo then good things are going to happen,” Nelson said. “If we are too reactive then we leave ourselves open to bad things happening. These kids know how to do it, we just have to be consistent and play through adversity.”

LOU               11           16           10           22 – 59

FRON            14           15           20           22 – 71

LOUISBURG (3-5): Jayce Geiman 17, Grant Harding 16, Desmond Doles 8, Sam Guetterman 6, T.J Dover 6, Dalton Stone 3, Dalton Ribordy 2. Totals: 20-62 12-20 59. 3-point field goals: 6, (Geiman 5, Stone)