Louisburg senior Alex Dunn tries to get a shot up despite the outstretched arms of an Ottawa defender Friday at Ottawa High School. The Wildcats fell to the Cyclones 50-33 to move to 6-10 on the season.

OTTAWA – Throughout its lengthy losing streak, the one thing the Louisburg boys basketball team has done was get off to good starts.

The Wildcats have put together solid first quarters, only to see the other team pull away later in the game. It was the exact opposite Friday in Ottawa.

Louisburg couldn’t cool off the Cyclones in the first quarter as Ottawa used a big run to pull away from the Wildcats in a 50-33 win. The loss was the seventh in a row for Louisburg.

“They were definitely on fire,” Louisburg coach Jason Nelson said of Ottawa. “We executed after that first three minutes or so. That first couple minutes, we knew was coming, and we dug our feet in to get back in it. We just couldn’t get the ball in the hole.”

The Cyclones opened the game on a 16-2 run and the Wildcats were not able to recover. Louisburg was able to keep the game within reach as it closed the gap to 10 points at the end of the quarter after a pair of baskets from senior Jacob Welsh.

Senior Ben Brummel goes up for a shot and gets fouled during Friday’s game in Ottawa.

Senior Alex Dunn cut the Ottawa lead to eight with a basket to start the second quarter, but the Cyclones went on a mini 7-0 run to push the lead back out and led 28-16 at halftime.

Although the Wildcats were able to settle the game down defensively, they couldn’t get the offense to match. Louisburg shot just 32 percent from the field and made only 7 of 24 free throw attempts.

The Wildcats (6-10) had plenty of chances as they were able to pull down 10 offensive rebounds for the contest, but their shots wouldn’t fall.

“The goals we established to get out of the rut was to outrebound them, like we always work on in practice,” Nelson said. “We can’t turn the ball over and we did a good job of handling their press and to push the ball offensively. When we did that we did OK. Those shooting numbers aren’t going to get it done. A lot of those were pretty solid looks.”

Ottawa opened the second half on a 12-2 run to push the lead to 20 and the Wildcats weren’t able to catch up.

Junior T.J. Dover led the Wildcats in scoring with nine points and Welsh was second on the team with eight. Guard Sam Guetterman led Louisburg with eight rebounds.

“We took a big step forward mentally,” Nelson said. “We always practice well, but we had a good week this week. Offensively we just have to get ours. We are really close, but it was just one of those nights. We have to find the hot hand.”

Louisburg will try and break its losing skid tonight when it hosts Baldwin. The Wildcats have defeated the Bulldogs twice this season. Tipoff is set for 7:30 p.m. at Louisburg High School.

LOUISBURG                11           5             8             9 – 33

OTTAWA                     21           7             12           10 – 50

LOUISBURG (6-10): T.J. Dover 3-7 2-7 9; Jacob Welsh 4-6 0-3 8; Grant Harding 2-10 2-5 6; Jayce Geiman 1-4 0-0 3; Ben Brummel 1-1 1-3 3; Sam Guetterman 0-4 2-4 2; Alex Dunn 1-3 0-0 2. Totals: 12-37 7-24 33. 3-point field goals: 2, (Geiman, Dover)

Louisburg guard Jacob Welsh passes off to teammate Ben Minster under the basket during Friday’s homecoming game against Eudora. The Wildcats fell to Eudora 66-30.

The Louisburg boys basketball team tried to slow down the pace against a high-powered Eudora offense Friday, and early on, it seemed to work.

After the first quarter, however, it didn’t quite go as planned.

Louisburg, which trailed by six points at the end of the first quarter, allowed 29 second quarter points to the Cardinals and the Wildcats ended up with a 66-30 loss on homecoming. It was also the sixth loss in a row for Louisburg.

“Until we start doing things that we are supposed to do, things that we work on every day in practice, it is going to be like this,” Louisburg coach Jason Nelson said. “What we see in practice is different than what we see in games and that mentality has to carry over and it hasn’t for some reason.”

The Wildcats (6-9) made it difficult on the Cardinals early as they forced the ball inside on offense and were able to get to the free-throw line. In fact, Louisburg went to the line 12 times in the first quarter and found themselves in the bonus four minutes into the contest.

Louisburg junior Jayce Geiman goes up for a shot during Friday’s game against Eudora.

Although Louisburg didn’t have a field goal in the first quarter, it trailed only 14-8 going into the second period. However the lack of offense, seven turnovers and confident Eudora team made for a tough way to end the first half for the Wildcats

“They are such a good group of kids and they want to be good, but it is about sticking to the game plan,” Nelson said. “We talk about controlling the tempo and attacking. We did that. They had seven fouls and we were shooting free throws in the first quarter. We were slowing them down and that is what we wanted. For some reason, we deviated from it and it just kind of snowballed.”

Eudora hit four 3-pointers on consecutive possessions at one point during the second quarter, which led to a 13-0 run by the Cardinals that gave them a 43-16 halftime lead. It was a lead the Wildcats couldn’t overcome.

Junior Grant Harding led the Wildcats in scoring with eight points and junior Jayce Geiman finished with a team-high five rebounds in the loss.

“We have been focusing on getting the ball inside more and running an inside-out game,” Nelson said. “When we do it, and when we are assertive with it, it works well. When we deviate from that, it kind of spirals out of control. It is not physical because these kids work harder than any group of kids that I have had, but we have to keep doing what we know how to do and not get away from that.”

The Wildcats will try and stop their losing streak Friday when they travel to Ottawa. Tipoff is set for approximately 7:30 p.m.

LOUISBURG                8             8             7             7 – 30

EUDORA                      14           29           12           11 – 66

LOUISBURG (6-9): Grant Harding 3-9 1-2 8; Alex Dunn 2-2 2-2 6; T.J. Dover 1-4 4-6 6; Jacob Welsh 2-3 0-0 4; Jake Hill 1-2 1-2 3; Dalton Ribordy 0-0 2-2 2; Jayce Geiman 0-7 1-2 1. Totals: 9-33 11-16 30. 3-point field goals: 1, (Harding)

Wildcat junior Grant Harding passes the ball off to an open teammate during Louisburg’s home game with Paola on Tuesday at Louisburg High School. Harding finished with 19 points, but the Wildcats lost 65-39 to the No. 3 ranked Panthers.

For the first quarter, the Louisburg boys basketball team had it all going its way against No. 3 ranked Paola on Tuesday at Louisburg High School.

The Wildcats held a three-point lead going into the second quarter and the momentum on its home floor.

All that started to change – and quickly.

Paola went on a 16-2 run to start the second quarter and never looked back in a 65-39 victory over Louisburg. The Wildcats also lost their fifth in a row, but Louisburg coach Jason Nelson saw a lot of positives from his team.

“It was much better at times,” Nelson said. “We just played one of the top teams in the state, and if we would have played that way for the last week-and-a-half, we would be in a lot better spot than we are right now. We knew we couldn’t let them get hot and we did a good job contesting them in the first half, but they are a fantastic team.”

The Panthers won the battle underneath the basket as they had a decided advantage. Paola starters Mason McDow and Alex Wilson each stand at 6 feet, 7 inches, while reserve forward Tanner Moala stands at 6-5.

Louisburg junior Sam Guetterman pulls up for a jumper Tuesday during the Wildcats’s home game with Paola.

Louisburg tried different defenses to give Paola multiple looks, but in the end, the Panthers scored around the basket and got several second-chance opportunities.

“They are huge,” Nelson said. “We are smallish for the most part and I thought we handled it as best as we could. We couldn’t run zone for a prolonged period of time against them because they were going to find the weaknesses and exploit it. We were just trying to change up the zones and run some man defense mixed in.

“We were blocking out for the most part, and that is something we have been preaching in practice, but every single time that we didn’t – they exploited it.”

The Wildcats (6-8) got out to a fast start thanks to Grant Harding. The Louisburg junior scored 10 of his team-high 19 points in the first quarter and helped the Wildcats to a 13-7 lead.

Louisburg took a 15-12 lead into the second quarter, but Paola went on its 16-2 run to build an 11-point lead with four minutes left in the first half. Wildcat junior Sam Guetterman hit a pair of baskets to keep the deficit at single digits, but the Panthers went on a mini 7-2 run to take a 38-23 halftime lead.

Offensively, the Wildcats didn’t have enough left to rally from that big of a deficit. Louisburg managed just 16 second-half points.

Along with Harding’s 19 points and seven rebounds, junior T.J. Dover added eight points in the loss, while Guetterman added five rebounds.

The Wildcats will try and snap their losing streak tonight when they host Eudora for homecoming. Tipoff is set for 7:30 p.m., with the crowning of the king and queen set before the contest.

Nelson knows his team is going through a tough stretch at the moment, but he saw signs that they are starting to come around.

“Compared to where we have been it is a much better mentality,” Nelson said. “There are lots of things to work on obviously, and it is not going to get any easier with Eudora looming, but this game tested our moxie and we will see how we respond against Eudora.”

LOUISBURG                15           8             11           5 – 39

PAOLA                         12           26           14           13 – 65

LOUISBURG (6-8): Grant Harding 6-13 5-6 19; T.J. Dover 4-6 0-0 8; Sam Guetterman 2-5 1-2 5; Dalton Ribordy 2-2 1-3 5; Ben Minster 1-3 0-0 2. Totals: 15-38 7-11 39. 3-point field goals: 2, (Harding 2)

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 and faculty alike. All of it is of course centered around the crowning of the 2016 winter king and queen. Eight students were selected as nominees and here are their names and profiles.

The crowning will take place on Friday inside the LHS gymnasium in between the varsity boys and girls games against Eudora. The boys game is scheduled to tip at approximately 7:30 p.m.

Cale Schneider

Cale is the son of Scott and Danna Schneider. Cale has been involved in soccer for four years, baseball for four years, Leo’s Club for two years, Spanish Club for two years and Math Club for one year. Cale is currently undecided on what college he will be attending, but he will major in civil engineering.

Makenzie Kallevig

Makenzie is the daughter of Eric and Kara Kallevig. Makenzie has been involved in volleyball for four years, track for four years, Letterman’s Club for three years, Leo’s Club for one year and basketball for one year. Makenzie plans to attend the University of Kansas and major in nursing with a minor in psychology.

Mitchell McLellan

Mitchell is the son of Wade and Angi McLellan. Mitchell has been involved in football for four years, basketball for four years and debate for one year. Mitchell plans to attend Hutchinson Community College to play football and then transfer to a four-year school and pursue a degree in law.

Makenzie Richardson

Makenzie is the daughter of Kelly and Mary Margaret Richardson. Makenzie has been involved in Student Council for three years, Letterman’s Club for three years, SADD for three years, National Honor Society for two years, volleyball for two years, cheerleading for one year and FCA for one year. Makenzie plans to attend Kansas State University and pursue a degree in the medical field.

The 2016 Louisburg High School winter homecoming candidates are (front row, from left) Makenzie Kallevig, Makenzie Richardson, Riley George, Megan Roy; (back row) Cale Schneider, Mitchell McLellan, Spencer Rogers and Cole Kramer

Spencer Rogers

Spencer is the son of David and Genni Rogers. Spencer has been involved in band for four years, jazz band for three years, Scholar’s Bowl for three years, Spanish Club for three years, Math Club for two years, Model United Nations for two years, cross country for two years, National Honor Society for two years, track for one year, debate for one year and forensics for one year. Spencer plans to attend the University of Kansas and major in molecular biology and then transfer to Dartmouth to earn a PhD in genetics.

Riley George

Riley is the daughter of Chris George and Denise Ellison. Riley has been a football manager for four years, she has been involved in debate for four years and forensics for four years. Riley plans to attend Kansas State University and pursue a degree in political science.

Cole Kramer

Cole is the son of Rob and Marcy Kramer. Cole has been involved in football for four years, baseball for four years and Letterman’s Club for two years. Cole plans to attend Johnson County Community College for two years and then transfer to Pittsburg State to major in automotive engineering.

Megan Roy

Megan is the daughter of Craig and Laura Roy. Megan has been involved in FFA for four years, Student Council for four years, volleyball for three years, SADD for two years, basketball for two years, FCCLA for one year and cheerleading for one year. Megan plans to attend Johnson County Community College and then transfer to the University of Kansas to pursue a degree in nursing.

Louisburg senior guard Jacob Welsh drives to the basket during the Wildcats’ game with Spring Hill on Thursday at Spring Hill High School. The Wildcats lost to the Broncos 61-36, which is their four straight setback.

SPRING HILL – For the first half, the Louisburg boys basketball team was right with Spring Hill.

On Thursday, Louisburg matched the Broncos shot-for-shot through much of the first half before Spring Hill went into halftime with a slim six-point lead.

The third quarter was a different story

Spring Hill blew the game open as it outscored the Wildcats by 19 points in third and went on to beat Louisburg 61-36 at Spring Hill High School. It was also the fourth loss in a row for the Wildcats.

“For us, it’s about getting back to the basics that led to our successes early in the year,” Louisburg coach Jason Nelson said. “We’re not running the floor like we were, we’re not aggressive on the boards like we were and our secondary movements in our half court sets haven’t been crisp.  All 11 guys on our roster are capable of scoring, and when they’re in the game it’s imperative that they assert themselves in a manner conducive to being a scoring threat.”

Louisburg junior Grant Harding provided a bulk of the Wildcat scoring in the first half as he scored 13 of his team-high 15 points in the first half to keep Louisburg in the contest. Spring Hill held a 19-17 lead at the end of the first quarter and led 29-23 at halftime.

However, after scoring 17 points in the first quarter, Louisburg (6-7) responded with just 19 points in the final three quarters combined and it was the third quarter in which the Wildcats saw the game slip away.

Spring Hill opened the second half on a big run and outscored the Wildcats 22-3 in the third quarter to put the game away.

The Louisburg defense had a tough time containing the Spring Hill duo of Trey Heinrich and Ivan Hughes. Heinrich and Hughes scored 22 points each. Hughes also connected on three 3-pointers.

Along with Harding’s 15 points, junior T.J. Dover narrowly missed double figures as he finished with nine points and four rebounds. Sam Guetterman had a team-high five rebounds from the guard spot.

The Wildcats will try and stop their losing streak tonight, but it won’t be easy. Louisburg will host the No. 3 ranked team in Class 4A-Division I, Paola. Tipoff is set for approximately 7:30 p.m.

LOUISBURG                17           6             3             10 – 36

SPRING HILL               19           10           22           10 – 61

LOUISBURG (6-7): Grant Harding 6-14 0-0 15; T.J. Dover 3-4 2-4 9; Jayce Geiman 2-8 0-0 5; Jacob Welsh 1-4 0-0 2; Mitchell McLellan 1-4 0-0 2; Dalton Ribordy 1-1 0-0 2; Sam Guetterman 0-2 1-2 1. Totals: 14-41 3-8 36. 3-point field goals: 5, (Harding 3, Geiman, Dover)

Louisburg senior Alex Dunn dives on the floor for a loose ball with a Bishop Ward player Saturday during the seventh-place game of the Baldwin Invitational. The Wildcats went 0-3 on the week.

BALDWIN CITY – It was supposed to be the perfect time for the Louisburg boys basketball team to take an even bigger step forward.

Louisburg entered the Baldwin Invitational Tournament last week looking to build on its three-game winning streak. Instead, the Wildcats went the opposite direction.

Dealing with different illnesses and injuries in the three games, Louisburg wasn’t able to take advantage of that momentum as it went 0-3 in the tournament, including a 51-44 loss to Bishop Ward on Saturday in the seventh-place game.

Louisburg (6-6) lost to Harmon in the opener on Jan. 20 and then to Wellsville on Friday in the consolation semifinals.

“I could not be more disappointed at the outcome of the tourney,” Louisburg coach Jason Nelson said. “Coming in playing the best ball I’ve seen an LHS team play since I’ve been here, at 6-3 and as the No. 2 seed, I felt we were ready to do damage.

“For whatever reason, we deviated from our game plans and practice principles and were tentative and lacking the mentality as a team that led us to the success we’d experienced to this point.”

It is difficult for many teams to get prepared to play a seventh-place game and both teams looked the part early on Saturday. Louisburg scored just six points in the opening frame, but held a one-point lead despite eight turnovers.

Sophomore Dalton Ribordy puts up a shot over a Harmon defender on Jan. 20 in Baldwin.

In the second quarter, Bishop Ward came to life as they outscored Louisburg 21-10 before halftime to take a 10-point lead. After a back-and-forth third quarter, the Wildcats started to chip away at Ward’s lead in the fourth.

Louisburg went on a 10-3 run to start the final quarter thanks to six points from junior forward T.J. Dover and four from junior Grant Harding. The Wildcats trailed by just three points with 3 minutes and 30 seconds left in the game, but Ward went on a 8-1 run of its own to push the lead back up.

Junior guard Jayce Geiman hit a pair of 3-pointers down the stretch to keep the game close in the final seconds, but the Wildcats couldn’t get all the way back.

Geiman and Harding each led Louisburg with 12 points on the day and Dover added six in the loss. Senior starting guard Mitchell McLellan was forced to sit out the final two games of the tournament with an injury, while different players were under the weather throughout the week.

However, Nelson knows he watched a different team last week.

“In our previous, successful games, we valued each possession and exerted our will on teams,” Nelson said. “In the tournament, we were reactive rather than proactive and we suffered because of it. Our boys fought hard, but our team mentality wasn’t syncing and we forgot our identity.”

The Wildcats will try and stop their losing streak Thursday when they travel to Spring Hill for their lone contest of the week. Tipoff is set for approximately 7:30 p.m.

“We need to get back to being us,” Nelson said. “The team that attacked the rim in transition and in the 1/2 court game, moved the ball with the pass and rotated the defense is the team we need to be, and I need to do a better job of getting us there, I guess.

“Defensively, we played pretty well, though we did allow a few too many offensive boards, but we just couldn’t translate that into the energy needed on the offensive end, and for that, the onus has to fall on me.”

LOUISBURG                6             10           7             21 – 44

BISHOP WARD           5             21           7             18 – 51

LOUISBURG (6-6): Jayce Geiman 12, Grant Harding 12, T.J. Dover 6, Dalton Ribordy 4, Ben Minster 4, Jacob Welsh 3, Alex Dunn 2, Jake Hill 1. Totals: 15 10-19 44. 3-point field goals: 4, (Geiman 4)

Wellsville edges Louisburg

Despite a 26-point performance from junior Grant Harding, Louisburg couldn’t quite overcome Wellsville on Friday in a 60-55 loss in the consolation semifinals.

After an even first quarter, the Wildcat offense couldn’t get going as Wellsville outscored Louisburg 12-5 before halftime and took a seven-point lead. The Wildcats came to life with 19 points in the third quarter to cut the Wellsville lead to one, but Louisburg couldn’t get the stops it needed in the final period.

Harding finished with 26 points after he shot 10 for 21 from the floor, including three 3-pointers. Junior Sam Guetterman, senior Alex Dunn and junior T.J. Dover all had six points.

LOUISBURG                15           5             19           16 – 55

WELLSVILLE               17           12           11           20 – 60

LOUISBURG: Grant Harding 10-21 3-5 26; Sam Guetterman 3-6 0-1 6; Alex Dunn 3-4 0-1 6; T.J. Dover 3-6 0-0 6; Jayce Geiman 2-5 0-0 5; Dalton Ribordy 2-2 0-0 4; Ben Minster 1-1 0-0 2. Totals: 24-46 3-7 55. 3-point field goals: 4, (Harding 3, Geiman)

Turnovers haunt Louisburg in opener

Louisburg got off to the start it was looking for in the opener of the Baldwin Invitational on Jan. 20 against Harmon, but it didn’t have the finish.

Harmon scored 18 points off Louisburg turnovers and the Wildcats didn’t have enough to catch up in a 62-47 loss.

The Wildcats held a 12-11 advantage at the end of the first quarter, but Harmon went on a 13-2 run to end the first half and took a 10-point lead into halftime.

Louisburg faced the same deficit going into the fourth, but Grant Harding hit a pair of 3-pointers and Sam Guetterman made a basket to cut the Harmon lead to four with 4:23 left in the game.

Turnovers and missed shots led to a 14-0 Harmon run to all but put the game out of reach for Louisburg.

Harding led Louisburg with 18 points, including four 3-pointers, while Guetterman and T.J. Dover also scored in double figures with 10.

LOUISBURG                12           6             14           15 – 47

HARMON                    11           17           15           19 – 62

LOUISBURG: Grant Harding 7-16 0-0 18; Sam Guetterman 4-8 2-3 10; T.J. Dover 5-8 0-3 10; Mitchell McLellan 3-5 0-0 6; Ben Minster 1-2 0-0 2; Dalton Ribordy 0-1 1-2 1. Totals: 21-44 3-8 47. 3-point field goals: 4, (Harding 4)

Senior guard Jacob Welsh goes up for a reverse layup during Friday’s road contest in De Soto. Louisburg rallied in the second half to get past De Soto 53-48 and picked up its third consecutive win in the process.

DE SOTO – It was late in the third quarter and Jayce Geiman hadn’t even attempted a shot.

Geiman, one of Louisburg’s starting guards, wanted to let the game come to him. So when the ball came his way behind the arch, he was open and took the open 3-pointer.

His shot found the bottom of the net and it was the spark the Wildcats needed the most Friday in De Soto. The made basket cut De Soto’s lead one point.

Louisburg’s offense, which was sluggish up until that point, awoke to get a big 53-48 Frontier League win on the road. Missed close shots turned into makes and the Wildcats hit their free throws down the stretch to pull it out.

“It was huge,” Louisburg coach Jason Nelson said of Geiman’s shot. “The kids that can shoot the three know who they are and they know how I feel about threes. But Jayce’s shot there was monumental and it was at that point that everyone settled in and calmed down offensively.”

The victory was also noteworthy as the Wildcats have already matched their season total from a season ago. The win improved Louisburg to a 6-3 record on the season and have now won three consecutive games.

“It was much needed,” Geiman said of the win. “We matched our season total on wins last year so it was a big win for us, plus it was a league win so it was definitely nice to get this one. This is the high point of the season so far for sure.”

Louisburg also got another spark in the third quarter – but this one was off the bench. Sophomore Ben Minster scored all of his seven points in the third to push the Wildcats in front.

Sophomore Ben Minster lays the ball up for two points during the third quarter of the Wildcats’ game Friday in De Soto.

Following Geiman’s 3-pointer that cut the De Soto lead to 30-29 with 2 minutes and 33 seconds left in the third, Minster drove the lane twice for two baskets and junior Grant Harding added another to push the Louisburg lead to 35-30.

“Ben was fantastic off the bench,” Nelson said. “He is so athletic. A lot of times, and part of it is my fault, I expect too much of him sometimes instead of just letting the game come to him. He is just a fantastic athlete and he gave us some big minutes. He and Grant are just so fast with that dribble.”

The lead didn’t last long as De Soto responded with a mini 5-0 run to tie the game going into the fourth quarter.

Harding, who scored 13 points and pulled down 10 rebounds to finish with a double-double, opened the final quarter with a basket and the Wildcats never lost their lead. Senior Mitchell McLellan scored six of his eight points in the quarter, and Geiman hit another 3-pointer to push the lead to eight.

De Soto would hit back-to-back 3-pointers to cut the lead to two, but junior T.J. Dover pushed it back to four when he hit a shot and was fouled.

Louisburg coach Jason Nelson gets excited on the Wildcat bench with players Korbin Hankinson (30) and Jake Hill after a late basket from T.J. Dover.

Geiman, senior Jacob Welsh and junior Sam Guetterman each hit free throws down the stretch to seal the win for Louisburg.

“Mentally they are so tough,” Nelson said of his team. “I ask a lot of them and to be able to battle through adversity when our bunnies aren’t falling was great to see. Our execution on offense was fantastic up until the shot, which is maddening sometimes.

“They are in position and doing everything right, but it is what it is and it will come. We are still young and a lot of these guys are just in their ninth varsity game. I couldn’t ask for a better group of guys right now.”

It wasn’t an easy win as the Wildcats had to play catch up for most of the game. De Soto decided to slow the game down and made each possession difficult on the Louisburg defense.

De Soto worked the ball around the floor and took close to 30 seconds off the clock with each possession before getting the shot it wanted.

“De Soto moved the ball really well,” Nelson said. “We had a couple really good defensive series when we were in man and zone, but they were just so methodical, patient and found the open man. It was a little frustrating at times, but I thought we played pretty well defensively for the most part.”

Louisburg returns to action Tuesday when it begins play in the Baldwin Invitational. The No. 2 seed Wildcats open against Harmon at 4 p.m.

Baldwin Invitational Tournament Bracket

LOUISBURG                13           8             14           18 – 53

DE SOTO                     16           6             13           13 – 48

LOUISBURG (6-3): Grant Harding 6-14 1-2 13; Jayce Geiman 2-2 2-3 8; Mitchell McLellan 4-4 0-0 8; Ben Minster 3-4 1-2 7; Dalton Ribordy 3-7 0-0 6; Jacob Welsh 0-2 5-6 5; T.J. Dover 2-8 0-1 4; Sam Guetterman 0-1 2-2 2. Totals: 20-42 11-16 53. 3-point field goals: 2, (Geiman 2)

Louisburg senior Mitchell McLellan goes up for a layup during a home game earlier this season. The Wildcats defeated Frontenac on the road Tuesday in a 49-41 victory. It was Louisburg’s second win in a row.

FRONTENAC – The Louisburg boys basketball team couldn’t have gotten off to a better start during Tuesday’s road game at Frontenac.

The Wildcats scored the game’s first eight points and were well on their way to a big win. Louisburg got the win it was looking for, but it got a fight from Frontenac in the process.

Frontenac made the game interesting on several occasions, but the Wildcats always had an answer on both ends of the floor in a 49-41 victory.

“Our perimeter defense was fantastic,” Louisburg coach Jason Nelson said. “We were aggressive while not jumping passes and giving them advantageous situations.  Also, they were never able to get comfortable in their sets because of the pressure and consistent help defense we had. 

“We did give up 10 points on second-chance opportunities, including eight in the first half, but to their credit, our boys fixed this when challenged.”

Grant Harding, who led Louisburg in scoring and rebounding with 14 points and nine rebounds, got the Wildcats off to go a good start as he scored five straight points. After a Jacob Welsh jumper, Louisburg took an 8-0 lead.

Louisburg (5-3) took a 13-7 lead into the second quarter and held a 22-18 halftime lead after a late Frontenac run. The Wildcats took an eight-point lead to start the third quarter and the Louisburg defense buckled down, holding Frontenac to just five points in the frame.

“We’ve really been stressing going through our sets, and through our secondary looks and when we did this, we got high quality, high percentage looks,” Nelson said. “When we came down, didn’t move the ball with the pass, and didn’t attack a rotating defense, our shot selection and percentage suffered. 

“Given that we only scored 49 points, I was overly critical of us after the game, however, I didn’t realize how good our defense was.”

The Wildcats also did a good job taking care of the ball as they finished with just six turnovers on the night. Frontenac had several mini-runs in the fourth quarter, but each time the Wildcats had an answer.

Junior forward T.J. Dover scored two big baskets to stop runs in the fourth quarter, while senior Mitchell McLellan scored most of his 11 points in the second half to spark the Louisburg offense.

Junior guard Sam Guetterman scored nine points in the first half as he was among the team’s scoring leaders. Sophomore Dalton Ribordy also gave Louisburg some good play underneath the basket with six points and six rebounds.

Louisburg, now on a two-game winning streak, will try for its third straight win Friday when it travels to De Soto. Tipoff is set for approximately 7:30 p.m.

LOUISBURG    13    9    10    17 – 49

FRONTENAC    7    11    5     18 – 41

LOUISBURG (5-3): Grant Harding 6-16 1-4 14; Mitchell McLellan 4-6 3-5 11; Sam Guetterman 3-6 3-4 9; Dalton Ribordy 3-4 0-0 6; T.J. Dover 2-3 0-1 4; Jacob Welsh 1-2 1-3 3; Jayce Geiman 0-7 2-2 2. Totals: 19-44 10-19 49. 3-point field goals: 1, (Harding).

Louisburg junior T.J. Dover drives to the basket for two points during the Wildcats’ game with Baldwin on Friday at Baldwin High School. Dover scored 13 points and pulled down seven rebounds in Louisburg’s 54-52 victory.

BALDWIN CITY – Just looking at the stats, the Louisburg boys basketball team probably should have lost Friday’s game with Baldwin.

The Wildcats committed 18 turnovers and converted just 8 of 30 free throws. Instead, they pulled out a 54-52 victory on the road at Baldwin High School because of something that didn’t show up in the stat sheet.

“It was heart, all heart,” Louisburg coach Jason Nelson said. “This is what I am proud about. This is the first time in three years that we didn’t have our best game, but we somehow had the wherewithal to win. It is what it is.

“We had 11 turnovers in the first half, which is not like us. We weren’t very good from the free-throw line, we are missing bunnies and it just wasn’t us. You saw glimpses of us pushing the ball and getting our secondary movements, but the kids battled. We have always had heart, but the heart is what won the game.”

The victory was big for the Wildcats as they moved their record (4-3) back above the .500 mark and they got contributions from everyone who saw the floor. Ten different players scored for Louisburg and it got some big free throws down the stretch.

Baldwin cut the Louisburg lead to two with a minute left in the game, but junior guard Sam Guetterman hit two free throws to keep the Bulldogs at bay.

Louisburg also had to overcome the shooting of Baldwin’s Jackson Barth who scored nine of his 17 points in the final quarter. Baldwin had one last shot to win or tie the game with four seconds left after a Guetterman free throw, but couldn’t get a good enough look.

Sophomore Ben Minster goes up for two points during the Wildcats’ game with Baldwin on Friday at Baldwin High School.

“We didn’t have our best game, but really everyone contributed to the win,” Nelson said. “When you look up and down the bench, that was as much of a team game as we can have.”

The Wildcats held the lead from the opening tip and actually got out to a fast start. Louisburg took a 15-5 lead in the first quarter thanks to several different players.

T.J. Dover, Grant Harding, Mitchell McLellan and Korbin Hankinson each scored baskets during the run and Guetterman converted a 3-point play.

Baldwin started to creep back into the game in the second quarter as it trimmed the Wildcat lead to 21-20 with two minutes left in the first half. Dover helped Louisburg expand its lead with a pair of baskets, along with scores from McLellan and Ben Minster to take a 29-20 halftime lead.

In the fourth quarter, Barth hit a basket for Baldwin to cut the Wildcat lead to one with five minutes left in the game, but Harding responded with a pair of free throws and Dover added a basket to push the lead back to five.

It was the second time the Wildcats defeated Baldwin this season, with the first time coming in the championship game of the Wildcat-Bulldog Classic in December. Louisburg won by 17 on that day, but Nelson is just happy to get a road win.

“This shows how far our team has come in the last few years,” Nelson said. “We didn’t play our best game by far, but we were able to win a league game on the road and that is big for us. We showed a lot of heart and I was proud we were able to pull out the win.”

Harding led the Wildcats in scoring with 14 points, four rebounds, three assists and two steals. Dover also finished in double figures with 13 points and had a team-high seven rebounds and three steals from the forward spot.

Louisburg will try for its second win a row tonight when it travels to Frontenac. Tipoff is set for approximately 7:30 p.m.

LOUISBURG                17           12           15           10 – 54

BALDWIN                    10           10           17           15 – 52

LOUISBURG (4-3): Grant Harding 5-11 4-7 14; T.J. Dover 6-8 1-5 13; Mitchell McLellan 3-5 0-2 6; Sam Guetterman 1-3 3-5 5; Jayce Geiman 2-3 0-2 4; Jacob Welsh 2-3 0-0 4; Alex Dunn 1-1 0-2 2; Ben Minster 1-1 0-1 2; Korbin Hankinson 1-2 0-2 2; Dalton Ribordy 1-1 0-4 2. Totals: 23-38 8-30 54. 3-point field goals: none

Louisburg junior Sam Guetterman rises up for a shot in the lane during Tuesday’s home contest against Ottawa. The Wildcats couldn’t keep up with Ottawa in the 65-50 loss as the Cyclones connected on 11 3-pointers.

Life in the Frontier League can be difficult at times, just ask the Louisburg boys basketball team.

The Wildcats faced one of the tougher teams in the league Tuesday when they hosted Ottawa, and despite staying with the Cyclones for a half, Louisburg couldn’t hold on in a 65-50 loss.

It was the second straight loss for Louisburg, which also fell to a talented Eudora squad right before the holiday break.

“It has to be one of the best leagues in any division in Kansas,” Louisburg coach Jason Nelson said. “Hopefully it will push us to work harder, and help them realize that there are good teams in this league, but we can be too. I think there is a fine line between a good team and a decent team. We are right there, we just have to cross that line. It is putting together 32 minutes.”

Louisburg (3-3) showed signs of crossing that line at different parts of the game, especially in the third quarter. The Wildcats trailed by 11 points at halftime, but rallied to cut the Ottawa lead to six points midway through the third, before the Cyclones caught fire.

Ottawa, which connected on 11 3-pointers for the game, hit six in the third to balloon its lead to 22 points going into the final quarter.

“Defensively I thought we played really well,” Nelson said. “We have been emphasizing limiting offensive rebounds in practice and I think we did a good job fixing that. We were good defensively, but some of those shots they hit, there wasn’t much we could do.”

Ottawa forward Isaac McCullough hit six of the 3-pointers for Ottawa and finished with a game-high 26 points. Cyclone guard Perry Carroll was also difficult to stop on the perimeter as he added 21 points, including four 3-pointers.

The Wildcats got off to a slow start and fell behind 13-3 in the first quarter, but they fought back to cut into the Ottawa lead. Louisburg went on a 7-1 run to end the quarter after baskets from Grant Harding and Jayce Geiman.

Sophomore Dalton Ribordy gets ready to drive the lane Tuesday against Ottawa.

Geiman then forced a turnover, which led to a basket from Jacob Welsh and the Wildcats trailed just 14-10.

Cyclones answered right back in the second quarter as they went on a 14-4 run to push their lead back to double digits.

“Our post defense was fantastic for the most part and gave up very few points,” Nelson said. “We knew they were going to be quick, and after the first quarter, for whatever reason our help defense just wasn’t there and they go on an (14-4) run. Once our help defense got better, the game evened up.”

Harding and Welsh were both bright spots throughout the game. Harding finished with a team-high 17 points and Welsh also scored in double figures with 11. Sophomore Dalton Ribordy led the Wildcats with five rebounds.

Louisburg came out strong to start the second half as it went on an 8-3 run after two baskets from Mitchell McLellan and four free throws from Harding. However, Ottawa would catch fire from behind-the-arch as they connected on those six 3-pointers – many of which were well defended.

The Wildcats didn’t give in as they cut the 22-point lead to 13 late in the fourth quarter thanks to a pair of buckets from T.J. Dover and a 3-pointer from Sam Guetterman.

“That is the intensity we are trying to get to and that is something I need to get better at,” Nelson said. “That intensity in the fourth quarter is the same intensity we have to have the entire game. Everyone knows that is what they need to do, it is just me getting them to the point where they are that way from minute one to minute 32. No one works harder than our kids, it is just putting all these pieces of the puzzle together and figuring it out.”

Louisburg will try to snap its losing skid Friday when it travels to Baldwin. The Wildcats will be on the road the rest of this month and won’t return home until their game against Paola on Feb. 2.

LOUISBURG                10           13           12           15 – 50

OTTAWA                     14           18           23           10 – 65

LOUISBURG (3-3): Grant Harding 6-17 5-8 17; Jacob Welsh 4-5 3-4 11; T.J. Dover 2-6 1-2 5; ; Mitchell McLellan 2-7 0-0 4; Ben Minster 1-1 2-2 4; Dalton Ribordy 2-3 0-0 4; Sam Guetterman 1-5 0-0 3; Jayce Geiman 1-3 0-0 2. Totals: 19-47 15-20 50. 3-point field goals: 1, (Guetterman)