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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

LOU 20 9 24 15 — 68

COF 12 19 12 15 — 58

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Hickey added seven points and a team-high four assists

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

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

LOU 9 12 13 18 — 52

HAR 9 19 13 16 — 57

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

Wildcats roll Paola in final league contest

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

LOU 11 10 11 14 — 46

PAO 8 11 6 4 — 29

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

Louisburg had one of its better shooting nights of the season last Tuesday at home against Eudora.

The Wildcats shot nearly 50 percent from the floor, hit six 3-ponters and outrebounded the Cardinals on both ends of the floor. Louisburg had a lot of things in its favor.

Turnovers, on the other hand, was the one aspect that haunted the Wildcats as they committed 17 mistakes, which led to 28 Eudora points in what was a 52-49 loss to the Cardinals.

“We’ve had bad turnovers at the wrong time all season and we have just struggled to finish games and take care of the ball,” Louisburg coach Ben Doll said. “Throughout the game we didn’t do a good enough job on their best player and they got to the foul line. There were other times where we were too focused on him and another player was able to slip in for an easy basket. We are right there in almost every game against good teams, but the timing of these turnovers are just killing us.”

Along with the turnovers, the Wildcats had a tough time slowing Eudora’s Logan Sullivan. The Cardinal senior finished with a game-high 27 points, including going 9-for-10 from the free-throw line.

Eudora controlled the game for much of the first three quarters, but the Wildcats started to chip away at the Cardinal lead. With a minute remaining in the third, the Wildcats trailed 44-38 but Luke Schultz hit a basket inside to make it a four-point game.

Then to start the fourth, senior Brady Hickey drove to the basket for two more. After a Eudora basket, Louisburg senior Myles Vohs made it a two-point game again on a lay-up.

The Wildcats took the lead on a 3-pointer by senior Luke Hill and were up 47-46 with 4:45 left in the game. It stayed that way until the 1:50 mark, when Eudora scored on a back door play to grab the lead back.

Louisburg committed two turnovers on back-to-back possessions late and the Cardinals took care of business from the free-throw line to secure the win.

“We have had enough of these games where we get down and we almost always come back,” Louisburg coach Ben Doll said. “The heart is there and we do enough to get ourselves ready to win a game. We always battle back and that is just who we are right now and it is good to always see them fight.”

Senior Nathan Parker led the Wildcats in scoring with 12 points and was the lone player in double figures. Junior Conlee Hovey had nine points and a team-high eight rebounds, while Hickey also finished with nine.

Hill added eight in the loss to go along with the go-ahead 3-pointer in the fourth quarter.

“Luke did a good job, and hit a big shot there,” Doll said. “I think Nate, Luke and Brady all hit threes for us. We had some guys knock down some big shots for us. 

“I think teams are really focused on Conlee right now and I think that will open some shooters up on the perimeter and we took advantage of some of that. Conlee has earned himself enough respect that he is drawing a lot of attention and it was good to see our shooters knock some shots down.”

Louisburg has two games remaining in the regular season and the Wildcats will travel to Paola on Tuesday before returning home Thursday against Harrisonville on Senior Night.

LOU 10 14 16 9 — 49

EUD 15 12 17 8 — 52

LOUISBURG (7-11): Nathan Parker 3-6 3-3 12; Conlee Hovey 4-5 1-2 9; Brady Hickey 4-10 0-0 9; Luke Hill 3-7 0-0 8; Luke Schultz 2-3 2-2 6; Myles Vohs 1-3 0-0 2; Jaymes Melton 1-1 0-0 2; Gavin Lohse 0-1 1-2 1. Totals: 18-37 7-9 49. 3-point field goals: 6, (Parker 3, Hill 2, Hickey)

Louisburg senior Brock Vohs gets fouled going up for a shot Friday against Spring Hill.

The meetings between the Louisburg and Spring Hill boys basketball teams has had their fair share of drama this season.

It started last month when the Wildcats went on to road to beat Spring Hill in overtime. During the Wildcats’ homecoming game last Friday, there were more late game heroics.

Unfortunately for the Wildcats, those heroics came from the Spring Hill side.

Spring Hill’s Chase Bond knocked down a 3-pointer with 10 seconds left in the game and the Broncos handed Louisburg a 44-42 loss.

The Wildcats had one final attempt to tie it up. Louisburg senior Nathan Parker put up a 3-point shot with three seconds left, and appeared to be fouled, but no call was made and the game was over.

“The end of the game was pretty upsetting, especially when Nate got clobbered and they didn’t call a foul,” Louisburg coach Ben Doll said. “But every coach knows, and I know, that there was a lot of stuff earlier in the game that we could have done a better job at, like taking care of the basketball. Turnovers are always something we come back to and say this is why we lost because we turn the ball over too much and at the wrong time.”

Before those two plays, the Wildcats found themselves down a point, but with a minute left Luke Hill passed the ball inside to Conlee Hovey who scored to give the Wildcats the lead.

Hovey had a big night for the Wildcats inside as he finished with a team-high 12 points to go along with 11 rebounds and three blocked shots.

“The guys executed that play perfectly,” Doll said. “Conlee was so good and he should have had more touches and we are trying to get him the ball more. Got the bucket, got them to miss and then we just didn’t take care of the ball after that. But if we take care of business earlier in the game, it should have never been that tight.”

Turnovers hurt the Wildcats at different times as they committed 16 for the game, but they did the job on the glass as they outrebounded Spring Hill by 11.

Louisburg got out to a good start as it took an 11-8 lead at the end of the first quarter, but the Broncos went on a 13-6 run in the second half to take four-point lead at halftime.

The Wildcats trailed 28-22 in the third quarter, but went on a mini 9-2 run. It started on a basket by Hovey and was followed up by a 3-pointer from Hickey.

Hickey added with a pair of free throws to make it a one point game and then another Hovey basket put Louisburg in front. Spring Hill eventually held the lead until a minute left in the fourth.

Hickey was second on the team with nine points and four rebounds. Junior Myles Vohs had eight points and a pair of steals.

The Wildcats will try and get back on the winning track tonight as they host Eudora. Tipoff is set for 7:30 p.m.

“We beat (Spring Hill) earlier in the year and I feel that we are a better team than we were before,” Doll said. “We are at that point now where we are looking at sub-state standings. We move on to Eudora and hopefully we can play well.”

LOU 11 6 15 10 — 42

SH 8 13 13 10 — 44

LOUISBURG (7-10): Conlee Hovey 6-7 0-0 12; Brady Hickey 2-7 3-4 9; Myles Vohs 3-5 2-2 8; Nathan Parker 2-6 0-0 6; Jaymes Melton 2-2 0-0 4; Luke Hill 0-5 1-2 1; Luke Schultz 0-3 1-2 1; Brock Vohs 0-0 0-0 1. Totals: 15-35 8-12 42. 3-point field goals: 4, (Parker 2, Hickey 2)

Louisburg junior Luke Schultz pulls up for shot Tuesday on the road at Tonganoxie. The Wildcats got a 45-40 victory over the Chieftains.

TONGANOXIE — The Louisburg boys basketball team likes a little bit of a challenge.

In many of their wins this season, the Wildcats have found themselves playing catch-up. Not exactly the ideal place to be and they found themselves in that same spot early in Tuesday’s game at Tonganoxie.

“Coach (Barry) O’Brien said before the game that digging ourselves out of hole is seems to be all we know,” Louisburg head coach Ben Doll joked. “We just set ourselves up that way, we dig out and luckily this team keeps fighting and is good at doing that.”

The Wildcats did it once again against the Chieftains. Louisburg rallied from an early 10-point deficit and held on for a 45-40 victory, which snapped a two-game losing skid.

“It was a good win,” Doll said. “This league is just tough, especially when you go on the road. We knew it was going to be tough considering it was a two-point game the last time we played. We knew Tongie was going to play tough and we are in that part of the season where everyone is fighting for position and sub-state.”

Louisburg (7-9) found itself down 14-4 to start the game, before the Wildcats started to battle back. They cut the Chieftain lead to just one early in the the third quarter, only to see Tonganoxie stretch it back out to eight.

Down 28-20, the Wildcats put together one big run to take control of the game. Louisburg outscored Tonganoxie 19-4, which lasted into the fourth quarter and took a 39-32 advantage with three minutes left in the game.

To start the run, Myles Vohs got a layup in transition, Luke Schultz knocked in a free throw and then Schultz hit a 3-pointer to give them a 31-28 lead late in the third.

Senior Brady Hickey made it a 33-30 contest with a runner in the lane. After a Tongie basket made it a one point game, Schultz got an offensive rebound and put back to make it 35-32.

Senior Brock Vohs then added two straight baskets to push the Louisburg lead to 39-32. Tonganoxie cut the lead to one with one minute remaining, but Hickey drove in for a layup and was fouled with 13 seconds left.

Hickey missed the free throw, but Schultz tapped the miss out for an extra possession for Louisburg. Luke Hill went on to make two free throws to put the game away.

Hovey was big on the inside for Louisburg as he finished with a double-double. He led the Wildcats with 10 points and 14 rebounds, while Brock Vohs finished with nine points.

Schultz and Hickey each finished with seven points and Myles Vohs took on the point guard duties for most of the second half to help run the offense.

It was performances from several different players that helped the Wildcats leave with a big road win.

“We had big rebounds from Conlee throughout the game,” Doll said. “Luke Hill played really good defense on their guy that was shooting a lot, and shut him down late in the game. Then Luke Schultz got a big tap out for us that was just as huge as an offensive rebound. It wasn’t about scoring points, it was about doing the little things it took to win.

“Myles played some really good defense as well and did a good job running the offense. We are figuring people’s roles and they are figuring them out a lot better. Brady has been a consistent guys for us and hopefully we can get Gavin (Lohse) back on Friday. Understanding roles and being healthy is what you need with four games to go and March right around the corner.”

Louisburg will try for back-to-back wins tonight as the Wildcats host Spring Hill for homecoming. It is a rematch of what was a Louisburg overtime victory earlier in the season.

“It will be a tough one,” Doll said. “Just like Tongie, I think they will come in confident because of what happened last time. That was another game where we had to dig ourselves out of a hole. Nothing is easy down the stretch, but I think we are a much better team right now than when we played last.”

LOU 5 10 16 14 — 45

TON 14 5 11 10 — 40

LOUISBURG (7-9): Conlee Hovey 5-11 0-0 10; Brock Vohs 4-5 1-3 9; Brady Hickey 3-5 0-1 7; Luke Schultz 2-4 2-6 7; Nathan Parker 1-5 2-2 4; Myles Vohs 2-7 0-1 4; Luke Hill 1-4 2-2 4. Totals: 18-41 7-15 45. 3-point field goals: 2, (Hickey, Schultz)

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

BRADY HICKEY, SENIOR, BOYS BASKETBALL

Louisburg senior Brady Hickey helped lead the Wildcat boys basketball team in what was a busy 3-game week. Hickey scored 36 total points on the week, including a 15-point performance last Saturday against Lee’s Summit.

Hickey nearly recorded a double-double Friday against Ottawa as he finished with 12 points and added eight rebounds from the point guard spot. In a win over Paola on Jan. 30, Hickey scored nine points and had three assists to help lead the Wildcats.

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

Previous Winners:

Week 1: Myles Vohs

Week 2: Andrew Jamison

Week 3: Nathan Parker

Week 4: Elias Pugh

Week 5: Ashton Moore

Week 6: Colin Brown

Week 7: Ashlyn Kuhlman

Louisburg junior Conlee Hovey goes up for a shot Friday during the Wildcats’ game at Ottawa.

OTTAWA — The Louisburg boys basketball team ventured into Friday’s game at Ottawa on an upswing.

The Wildcats had won two straight and wanted nothing more than to get a big league road victory. Instead, a tough second quarter haunted Louisburg in a 62-52 loss to the Cyclones.

Louisburg found itself down by nine at halftime and the Wildcats were unable to get much closer in the second half.

“The second quarter was definitely a problem for us, but the third quarter we were scoring and getting the ball inside and finishing,” Louisburg coach Ben Doll said. “But we had three possessions there where they got offensive rebounds that turned into points. When you are trying to beat a really good team, you can’t give up offensive rebounds and not get loose balls. To me that was the difference in the game. We were scoring, we just weren’t getting stops and it was second chances for them.”

It was an up-and-down game to start as the Wildcats trailed Ottawa, 19-18, at the end of the first quarter.

The Cyclones outscored the Wildcats 18-10 in the second quarter to pull away for the halftime lead. Turnovers were the culprit for Louisburg as the Wildcats turned the ball over 15 times in the game, which led to 17 Ottawa points.

In what was an evenly-played second half, the Wildcats were able to trim the lead to seven, but couldn’t get any closer.

Junior Conlee Hovey led the Wildcats in scoring as he was effective underneath the basket with a team-high 13 points and five rebounds. 

Senior Brady Hickey made an impact in several different areas for the Wildcats. He finished with 12 points, but pulled down a team-high eight rebounds from the guard spot.

Senior Nathan Parker had a team-high three assists to go along with eight points

“To take the positives out of it, was that Ottawa is a really good team,” Doll said. “Where we were a few weeks ago, where we lost four in a row, we lost to teams that weren’t anywhere as close to as good as Ottawa. I really like the way we competed against Ottawa and how hard the guys played. Ottawa beat a really good Baldwin team the night before, so there were some positives to take away.”

Louisburg will try and get back on the winning track today when the Wildcats travel to Tonganoxie for another Frontier League matchup. Tipoff is set for 7:30 p.m.

LOU 18 10 14 10 — 52

OTT 19 18 16 9 — 62

LOUISBURG (6-9): Conlee Hovey 6-7 1-3 13; Brady Hickey 5-10 1-2 12; Nathan Parker 3-13 2-2 8; Luke Hill 2-7 0-0 6; Brock Vohs 3-4 0-0 6; Luke Schultz 2-5 1-3 5; Jaymes Melton 0-1 2-2 2. Totals: 21-49 7-12 52. 3-point field goals: 3, (Hill 2, Hickey)

Wildcats fall in 810 Showcase to Lee’s Summit

LEE’S SUMMIT, Mo. — In what was late addition to the schedule, Louisburg squared off with Lee’s Summit High School during the 810 Varsity Showcase on Saturday at Lee’s Summit West High School.

Louisburg head coach Ben Doll wanted his team to get an opportunity to go up against a larger school in a classic that featured some of the top teams in the Kansas City metro area.

For one half, the Wildcats were able to stay with Lee’s Summit, but the Tigers pulled away in the second half and handed Louisburg a 71-46 setback.

“In the first half we were definitely holding our own,” Doll said. “We followed the game plan, we knew they were a driving team so we did a good job playing gaps and played really good defense. We just made some silly turnovers, which turned out to be the difference in the first half. In the second half, our defense let down and our turnovers continued. I think the whole season it has been turnovers that has been the difference between us winning and losing.”

Louisburg trailed 28-20 at halftime, but the Wildcats were able to say with the Tigers. Turnovers, unfortunately haunted the Wildcats as they committed 23 for the game and it turned into 21 points on the other end.

Lee’s Summit outscored Louisburg 24-13 in the third quarter to pull away.

Senior Brady Hickey paced the Wildcats offensively as he scored a team-high 15 points, including seven points in the first quarter to keep his team in it.

Senior Nathan Parker finished in double figures with 10 points, while Myles Vohs and Luke Schultz each added six. 

Junior Conlee Hovey had a team-high 11 rebounds,  while seniors Jaymes Melton, Brock Vohs and Parker each added six rebounds. Parker also had four assists.

“Brady is getting more confident in being able to create his own shot,” Doll said. “In the second half, he did some good things too and did a good job driving to the basket. Conlee did a good job rebounding, which he has been doing a lot lately.

“The thing for us was the opportunity to go up against a bigger school to prepare us for the postseason and atmosphere that it brings. That is where we need to be thinking right now, which is good, I just wish our second half had been a little better. Playing back to back nights is hard and we played really good teams on both nights.”

LOU 12 8 13 13 — 46

LEE 18 10 24 19 — 71

LOUISBURG: Brady Hickey 5-8 4-6 15; Nathan Parker 4-14 1-1 10; Myles Vohs 3-6 0-2 6; Luke Schultz 2-6 2-4 6; Conlee Hovey 1-6 2-2 4; Bristol Barbour 1-1 0-0 2; Brock Vohs 1-3 0-1 2; Jaymes Melton 0-2 1-2 1. Totals: 17-47 10-18 46. 3-point field goals: 2, (Parker, Hickey)

Louisburg seniors (from left) Brock Vohs and Brady Hickey team up to double team a Paola player Tuesday in Louisburg.

Ben Doll has coached basketball for more than two decades, but what he, and the rest of the Louisburg team, experienced Tuesday was something of a first.

The Wildcats hosted rival Paola and put together a defensive performance to remember. Louisburg jumped out to a big lead at halftime and cruised to a 47-16 victory over the Panthers.

Louisburg never let the Panthers get going as they held them scoreless in the second half and the Wildcats picked up their second straight win.

“It was interesting and wasn’t something we really realized until we got into the fourth quarter,” Doll said. “I’ve spent 25 years coaching high school basketball, and I don’t think I have ever seen something like that on the varsity level for an entire half.”

The Wildcats (5-7) controlled the game from start to finish as they took a 17-7 after one quarter and led 33-16 at halftime. 

It was the type of effort Doll was looking for as the Wildcats put together a complete game performance.

“They played really good,” he said. “The second half we were just trying to keep up with what we did in the first half. I thought they played great in the first half and scored 33 points, which is good for us. We just spent most of the second half trying to work clock and work on our offense. We could have scored more, but that wasn’t the goal and it was to work on other stuff and play good defense. Our defense was great in the first half too.”

Louisburg had a balanced scoring performance from up and down its lineup.

Senior Brady Hickey led the Wildcats in scoring with nine points and three assists. Junior Myles Vohs and senior Nathan Parker each finished with eight points and Vohs had a team-high four assists.

Senior Brock Vohs, along with juniors Gavin Lohse and Luke Schultz, each finished with six points. Schultz and senior Jaymes Melton each tallied five rebounds to lead Louisburg.

After an upset win against Bonner Springs last Friday, Doll sees confidence building in his group as they hit the final stretch of games this month.

“There is confidence for sure,” Doll said. “The win against Bonner was as big one for us and we were able to keep that going against Paola. The key in basketball is to play your best at the end of the season and that is what we are trying to do.”

Louisburg will try to keep its winning streak going this Friday when it travels to Ottawa. The Wildcats then turn around and play Saturday against Lee’s Summit at Lee’s Summit West High School in the 810 Varsity Showcase.

“Ottawa is really good,” Doll said. “It will be a great test for us. They really like to run and it is going to be similar to what we saw against Bonner, so we are going to have to do a good job of getting back on defense.”

LOU 17 16 12 2 — 47

PAO 7 9 0 0 — 16

LOUISBURG (5-7): Brady Hickey 3-5 0-0 9; Nathan Parker 2-7 3-3 8; Myles Vohs 3-5 0-0 8; Gavin Lohse 3-5 0-0 6; Luke Schultz 2-6 2-2 6; Brock Vohs 3-6 0-0 6; Conlee Hovey 1-2 0-0 2; Jaymes Melton 1-1 0-1 2. Totals: 18-42 5-6 47. 3-point field goals: 6, (Hickey 3, M. Vohs 2, Parker)

Louisburg’s Brock Vohs slaps hands with head coach Ben Doll after the Wildcats’ 53-45 victory over Bonner Springs on Friday at home.

Throughout the first half of the season, the Louisburg and Bonner Springs boys basketball teams have gone in two different directions.

Going into Friday’s game at Louisburg, the Wildcats had lost four in a row and were in the midst of a slump. As for Bonner Springs, the Braves had won nine of their first 12 games to start the year and were toward atop the Frontier League standings.

At least for a night anyway, those roles were reversed.

The Wildcats put together one of their better performances of the season and upset the Braves in a 53-45 victory. The win snapped a losing streak that saw a pair of overtime setbacks and a road loss at Wamego.

“That is a really big win because that is a really good team,” Louisburg coach Ben Doll said. “They are a 5A team and are toward the top of their sub-state right now. It was a win that we absolutely needed and it couldn’t have come at a better time after losing four in a row.”

In what was an intense, back-and-forth contest — the Wildcats and Braves were all tied at halftime. Louisburg used a big third quarter to go up five and increased its lead to as much as nine.

However, Bonner Springs battled back to cut the Wildcat lead to just two with two minutes left in the contest. The Braves missed a layup just seconds later that would have tied the game.

Instead the Wildcats took advantage as Conlee Hovey scored to make it a four-point lead, and then after a defensive stop, senior Nathan Parker was fouled on a 3-point attempt.

Parker converted on all three, and would hit two more with under a minute left to help ice the game.

Louisburg also turned the tide by dominating the rebounding department. The Wildcats out-rebounded the Braves 51-21 and pulled down 22 offensive boards that led to 13 second chance points.

“We had a lot of really big rebounds from a lot of guys,” Doll said. “Jaymes (Melton), Conlee, Gavin (Lohse) and Luke (Schultz) had some big rebounds for us. Down the stretch, when the game got tight, we hit some big free throws as well. Nate is not the guy to foul if you are the other team and he was big in the fourth quarter there from the line.”

Parker once again led the Wildcats in scoring with with 17 points, including three 3-pointers. Hovey was also big underneath the basket for Louisburg as he posted a double-double with 11 points and 11 rebounds. He also had a team-high three assists with Parker.

Senior Brady Hickey also hit some big shots down the stretch with eight points to go along with seven rebounds. Gavin Lohse added nine rebounds in the win, while senior Brock Vohs had five points and five rebounds. 

“Our guys were ready to go,” Doll said. “Our players, from things they thought and heard, was that Bonner didn’t respect us and was planning to just notch a win and get out of here. I think that had an impact on the game. It was nice to see that enthusiasm and effort from our guys.”

Louisburg will try for back-to-back wins tonight as the Wildcats host rival Paola. Tipoff is set for 7:30 p.m.

LOU 13 11 13 16 — 53

BON 11 13 8 13 — 45

LOUISBURG (5-7): Nathan Parker 4-10 6-7 17; Conlee Hovey 5-10 1-3 11; Brady Hickey 2-8 3-6 8; Brock Vohs 2-4 1-2 5; Luke Hill 1-3 2-4 4; Myles Vohs 2-3 0-0 4; Luke Schultz 1-3 1-3 3; Gavin Lohse 0-7 1-2 1. Totals: 17-50 15-27 53. 3-point field goals: 4, (Parker 3, Hickey)

Wildcats fall on road to Wamego

WAMEGO — After what was a close first half, one bad quarter doomed Louisburg on the road last Tuesday at Wamego.

The Red Raiders outscored Louisburg by 11 points in the third quarter and it turned out to be the different in a 56-45 loss.

Louisburg also didn’t help themselves in the turnover department with 19, which led to 19 points for Wamego.

“It was a long ways to go for a game on a Tuesday, but I felt that we could have definitely won the game,” Doll said. “We ended the game with 19 turnovers and I told the guys that no matter who you play, you aren’t going to win many games with that many mistakes.”

Nathan Parker led the Wildcats in scoring with 11 points on the night, while senior Luke Hill also scored in double figures with 10. Brady Hickey added nine points, four rebounds and three assists in the loss.

LOU 5 13 9 18 — 45

WAM 12 5 20 19 — 56

LOUISBURG: Nathan Parker 4-17 2-2 11; Luke Hill 4-12 0-0 10; Brady Hickey 4-7 0-0 9; Brock Vohs 2-5 2-4 6; Luke Schultz 0-1 3-4 3; Conlee Hovey 1-1 0-0 2; Myles Vohs 1-2 0-0 2; Jaymes Melton 1-3 0-0 2. Totals: 17-48 7-10 45. 3-point field goals: 4, (Hill 2, Parker, Hickey)

Louisburg senior Brady Hickey drives to the basket Friday during the final game of the Louisburg Invitational.

Louisburg had already suffered an overtime heartbreaker in the first game of its home tournament, but unfortunately for the Wildcats, the hurt continued Friday.

Against Girard in the final game of the Louisburg Invitational, the Trojans knocked in the game-winner with three seconds left and handed Louisburg a 58-56 double overtime setback.

Two close overtime losses ended up being the difference between winning the tournament and finishing 0-2 for the Wildcats.

Despite the loss, Louisburg showed a lot of positives, including battling back from a nine-point deficit in the second half.

“I thought we did a lot of good things against a good team,” Louisburg coach Ben Doll said. “It was a good matchup for us and they are a decent team. The fact was we had chances to win in regulation and both overtimes showed we were doing some positive things. We just couldn’t get it done defensively when we needed to.

Louisburg junior Luke Schultz went 1 of 2 from the free-throw line to tie the game at 56-all with 35 seconds left in the second overtime, but the Trojans had one final chance and held for the last shot.

Girard’s Scott Moore got a pass from Aiden Troike right underneath the basket with just seconds left on the clock to record the game-winner.

The Wildcats (4-6) found themselves down 33-24 early in the third quarter, but engineered a way to battle back. Louisburg went on a 10-0 run that eventually gave them a 34-33 lead.

Louisburg senior Nathan Parker was the spark for the Wildcats offensively as he started the run with a 3-pointer and fellow senior Luke Hill followed with one of his own.

Junior Conlee Hovey and senior Brady Hickey followed with back-to-back buckets to compete the run.

“We did a better job of getting some good shots that were in rhythm and we took care of the ball better,” Doll said. “There was a stretch in the first half where it was turnover city. We didn’t have good ball security. Our defense was decent, but it was very good to battle back and not roll over.”

The game remained close and the Wildcats took a 48-46 lead late in the fourth quarter on a back door from pass Parker than found an open Hickey for a layup.

Troike then tied it for Girard with 45 seconds left and Louisburg had an opportunity to win the game in regulation but the Wildcats couldn’t convert.

In the first overtime, Parker opened with a 3-pointer, and after a Girard rebound and put back, Parker knocked in another three to take a 54-50 lead with 2:49 left.

On the Trojans’ next possession, they converted a 3-point play and the game was eventually tied again at 54-all. The Wildcats had one last opportunity as Hickey recorded a steal and a breakaway but his floater was just offline at the buzzer.

Parker provided a bulk of the offense for the Wildcats as he scored a game-high 23 points, including four 3-pointers. Louisburg knocked in eight 3-pointers a team.

“He is a scorer, and since coming back from break he has been up and down,” Doll said. “He has been focused on good shot selection and was good on Friday. He does a good job of getting other guys involved as well. When Nate is on and does well, that is better for the rest of us.”

Hill and Hickey were second on the team in scoring with eight points each, while Hovey led the Wildcats with five rebounds. Junior Gavin Lohse had a team-high three steals, including one that led to a breakaway dunk to begin the third quarter.

Louisburg will try and get back on the winning track Wednesday as the Wildcats travel to Wamego. Tipoff is set for 7:30 p.m.

LOU 6 16 15 11 6 2 — 56

GIR 11 16 13 8 6 4 — 58

LOUISBURG (4-6): Nathan Parker 8-19 3-3 23; Luke Hill 3-8 0-0 8; Brady Hickey 3-6 1-2 8; Luke Schultz 1-3 3-6 6; Gavin Lohse 2-3 0-0 4; Conlee Hofe 2-3 0-0 4; Myles Vohs 1-3 0-0 2; Brock Vohs 0-2 1-2 1. Totals: 20-47 8-13 56. 3-point field goals: 8, (Parker 4, Hill 2, Hickey, Schultz)