Louisburg senior Colyer Wingfield goes up for a shot Tuesday during the Wildcats’ game at Paola. Wingfield scored a team-high 17 points.

PAOLA — The Louisburg boys made several plays down the stretch Tuesday to put them in position to leave Paola with a win.

Unfortunately for the Wildcats, Paola made one more than they did.

With three seconds remaining in a tie game, Paola ran an out of bounds play and Panther senior Landon Taylor scored close to the basket with .8 seconds left and handed Louisburg a 43-41 setback.

“That was a tough way to lose for sure,” Louisburg coach Ty Pfannenstiel said. “It was a back and forth game all night. In the end, they made one more play than we did. And it wasn’t just the last play, that’s the one that gets magnified because it was the final play, but there are so many possessions in the game that are equally as important as the last one.”

The two teams stayed within striking distance of one another through the entire game and Paola held a one point lead over Louisburg at the end of each of the first three quarters.

Louisburg (7-7) made a run to start the fourth quarter and took the upper-hand. The Wildcats went on a mini 6-0 run to take a five-point advantage thanks to free throws from Colyer Wingfield and Conlee Hovey, along with a 3-pointer from Cade Gassman.

Paola then had an answer of its own. The Panthers went on a 9-0 run to take a 40-36 lead with under a minute left. The Wildcats went close to six minutes without scoring during that stretch.

“Going on a drought like that makes it tough,” Pfannenstiel said. “Our effort was good all night, but in the end it wasn’t enough.”

Wingfield hit a pair of free throws to cut the deficit to two, and the Wildcats fouled Taylor with 34 seconds left to keep their hopes alive. Taylor hit 1 of 2 and left the door open for Louisburg.

Louisburg junior Nathan Parker took advantage of the opportunity. Parker, who hadn’t hit a 3-pointer all night, knocked it down from the corner to tie the game with 20 seconds left.

“Nathan didn’t have a good night shooting, but he has that shooter’s mentality and hit another big one to tie it up for us, much like the Frontenac game,” Pfannenstiel said. “He’s a good shooter, so we lean on him to make shots from the perimeter.”

That set up Taylor’s late-game heroics with .8 seconds left. The Wildcats tried a full-court pass to get a shot off, but the Panthers intercepted it. Taylor scored nearly half of his team’s points as he finished with 18.

The Wildcats lost by two, but they gave the Panthers plenty of chances on what was an off-shooting night. Paola pulled down 22 offensive rebounds and got up 17 more shots than the Wildcats.

On offense, Louisburg had a tough time scoring on Paola’s zone defense and struggled getting good shots. 

Wingfield led Louisburg in scoring with 17 points — nine of which came from the free-throw line. He also added six rebounds and four assists.

“We were down a couple of our best shooters so it was hard to stretch out their zone,” Pfannenstiel said. “Finally in the second half we started getting some better movement, but struggled to be consistent.  

“Colyer was solid again. He’s been pretty consistent with his scoring all year. We definitely need to find a couple more scoring options to open things up for us.”

Gassman was second on the team in scoring with six points and Hovey finished with five. Senior Mason Dobbins pulled down a team-high eight rebounds.

Louisburg will try and bounce back today as the Wildcats host Ottawa for homecoming. Tipoff is set for 7:30 p.m.

LOU 10 11 9 11 — 41

PAO 11 11 9 12 — 43

LOUISBURG (7-7): Colyer Wingfield 4-9 9-13 17; Cade Gassman 2-4 0-0 6; Conlee Hovey 1-2 3-4 5; Nathan Parker 1-8 0-0 3; Isaiah Whitley 1-7 0-0 3; Mason Dobbins 1-4 1-2 3; Myles Vohs 1-1 0-0 2; Gavin Lohse 0-0 1-2 1; Brock Vohs 0-0 1-2 1. Totals: 11-36 15-23 41. 3-point field goals: 4, (Gassman 2, Parker, Whitley)

Louisburg junior Brock Vohs goes up for a shot between two Bonner Springs defenders Friday at Bonner Springs High School.

BONNER SPRINGS — In its first game in a week, the Louisburg boys basketball team squared off with Bonner Springs on Friday in hopes of building on its 3-game winning streak.

The Braves had other ideas.

Bonner Springs scored the game’s first 14 points and the Braves never looked back as they handed Louisburg a 72-45 loss at Bonner Springs High School.

“Bonner is a top 2 or 3 team in the Frontier League,” Louisburg coach Ty Pfannenstiel said. “They have a lot of athleticism on the floor and have a lot of scoring options, which makes them tough to stop.  They were hot from 3 early and our struggles offensively got us down to start the game. 

“I told our guys at half that if we can get some of our shots to fall, and they come back to reality with their shooting, then we will be ok. We never did get into any kind of rhythm to make a run.”

The Braves pushed the pace early and often as it was an up and down game and they took advantage of their fast break opportunities. Bonner Springs forced 19 turnovers and turned those into 26 points.

Bonner Springs also got hot from the outside with 10 3-pointers and took a 40-23 halftime advantage.

As for Louisburg, the Wildcats (7-6) couldn’t get much to fall as it shot 30 percent for the game and connected on just one 3-pointer.

“Against a team like that, you can’t bring your C or D game, you have to bring your A game,” Pfannenstiel said. “We definitely didn’t have that tonight and that’s why the score was so lopsided. Basketball is a long season, so you have to learn from games like that, correct the mistakes, and continue to make improvements. Our guys will be excited to get back on the floor.”

Senior Colyer Wingfield led the Wildcats in scoring with 19 points to go along with six rebounds and three assists. Senior Mason Dobbins and sophomore Conlee Hovey each added six points in the loss.

The Wildcats will try and bounce back tonight as they travel to Paola for a Frontier League matchup. Tipoff is set for 7:30 p.m.

LOU 9 14 12 10 — 45

BON 17 23 24 8 — 72

LOUISBURG (7-6): Colyer Wingfield 4-19 10-16 19; Conlee Hovey 3-3 0-0 6; Mason Dobbins 1-3 4-10 6; Nathan Parker 0-3 3-4 3; Cade Gassman 1-4 0-0 2; Myles Vohs 1-3 0-0 2; Gavin Lohse 1-1 0-1 2; Luke Schultz 1-1 0-0 2; Brock Vohs 1-3 0-0 2. Totals: 13-44 17-31 45. 3-point field goals: 1, (Wingfield)

Members of the Louisburg boys basketball team, who won the Pleasanton Tournament title are (front row, from left) Luke Hill, Myles Vohs, Brady Hickey, Cade Gassman, Nathan Parker, Josh Holtzen, Isaiah Whitley; (back row) Brock Vohs, Gavin Lohse, Luke Schultz, Conlee Hovey, Mason Dobbins, Trey Myers, Jaymes Melton and Colyer Wingfield.

PLEASANTON — Down 10 in the championship game of the Pleasanton Tournament on Friday, Louisburg needed a spark.

The Wildcats got it from some of the unlikeliest of places — their bench. Rarely used players Gavin Lohse and Luke Schultz, along with guard Nathan Parker, combined for 32 points and helped Louisburg to a 69-53 win over Northeast Kansas of Topeka.

Louisburg outscored the Nighthawks 46-20 in the second half and left with a tournament title and three straight wins.

“That is why you play for four quarters,” Louisburg coach Ty Pfannenstiel said. “We just kind of seemed flat to start. We had nine turnovers in the first half and shots just weren’t falling. In the second half, we said we were going to bring energy. Defense is what really sparked us and there was definitely a different body language and energy in that second half.

“Sometimes as a coach that is concerning because it shouldn’t be that way, but our kids responded well. All our kids contributed and we got some good production off the bench. All weekend was really good and all our kids contributed to this tournament win.”

Parker, who didn’t play in the first half, came off the bench to score 12 points in the second half to give the Wildcats the scoring spark they were looking for. 

Lohse and Schultz, a sophomore and freshman, respectively, also were big in the rally. Schultz scored in double figures with 11 points and had four rebounds, while Lohse added nine points.

“This week has been tricky as we had a JV tournament as well, so the kids only get 20 games in a year we were trying to work around that where they can play in both tournaments,” Pfannenstiel said. “We had like 3 or 4 guys designated each night and Nathan wasn’t supposed to play in this one. He was a big difference for us and he really stretches the floor and he shot the ball well. He played really good defense as well and took a couple charges. 

“Gavin and Luke hadn’t seen a lot of varsity time yet and they were huge for us. They were both close to double figures and they just played hard and pretty smart. They brought a lot of energy out there, and hats off to those guys for taking advantage of their opportunity.”

Senior Colyer Wingfield was the steady hand for the Wildcats as he led all scorers with 17 points to go along with a team-high seven assists and six rebounds.

Sophomore Conlee Hovey also played strong down low as the Wildcat forward finished with a double-double — 12 points and 11 rebounds.

Down 33-23 at halftime, the Wildcats used their defense to help get them back in it. For the game, Louisburg forced 21 turnovers and scored 16 points off those mistakes.

The Wildcats improved their record to 7-5 on the season as they prepare to get back into Frontier League play. Louisburg will travel to Bonner Springs this Friday for a league matchup.

“We talked going into this tournament that we needed to get our confidence back,” Pfannenstiel said. “We have played good basketball this year, but we kind of went through a stretch where we were struggling offensively. This was a good week for us to get that confidence and swagger going. A win is a win and to win three in a row is a good accomplishment.”

LOU 13 10 22 24 — 69

NEK 14 19 10 10 — 53

LOUISBURG (7-5): Colyer Wingfield 6-15 4-6 17; Conlee Hovey 5-11 2-2 12; Nathan Parker 4-5 2-2 12; Luke Schultz 3-3 4-4 11; Gavin Lohse 4-9 1-2 9; Mason Dobbins 2-4 1-3 5; Cade Gassman 0-3 3-4 3. Totals: 24-57 17-23 69. 3-point field goals: 4, (Parker 2, Schultz, Wingfield)

Wildcats get out to quick start in win over Pleasanton

In its journey to the championship, Louisburg first had to get by Pleasanton on Thursday in the second round of tournament play.

The Wildcats jumped out to an 18-point halftime lead and never looked back in a 74-39 win over the Blu-Jays.

Louisburg built on that halftime lead as it outscored Pleasanton 25-10 in the third period to seal the win for the Wildcats.

Colyer Wingfield led the Wildcats in scoring with a game-high 21 points to go along with nine rebounds and four assists. He also finished with five steals.

Senior Trey Myers scored well from the outside as he finished with 15 points, including three 3-pointers. Sophomore Conlee Hovey just missed a double-double with 13 points and nine boards.

Senior Mason Dobbins had a big day on the glass with a team-high 13 rebounds to go along with nine points and three blocks. Senior Isaiah Whitley had eight points and six boards, while junior Jaymes Melton came off the bench to score six points and he also pulled down 10 rebounds.

“Against Pleasanton, our defense was good and I think our length gave them some problems,” Pfannenstiel said. “Our kids definitely played well this week and was good to see them play a little more consistent. Hopefully this is the momentum we need as we get back into the Frontier League.”

LOU 18 22 25 9 — 74

PLE 8 14 10 7 — 39

LOUISBURG: Colyer Wingfield 6-15 6-8 21; Trey Myers 6-8 0-0 15; Conlee Hovey 6-9 1-2 13; Mason Dobbins 4-10 1-5 9; Isaiah Whitley 3-4 2-4 8; Jaymes Melton 2-4 2-4 6; Myles Vohs 1-5 0-0 2. Totals: 28-59 12-23 79. 3-point field goals: 6, (Myers 3, Wingfield 3)

Louisburg junior Nathan Parker (1) celebrates with teammate Brady Hickey after a made 3-pointer Tuesday against Osawatomie at Pleasanton High School. The Wildcats made 13 3-pointers in the 55-point win over the Trojans to begin the Pleasanton Tournament.

PLEASANTON — For the last few games, it seemed there was a lid on the basket for the Louisburg boys basketball team.

That lid finally came off, Tuesday.

After some recent shooting struggles, the Wildcats caught fire against Osawatomie in their first game of the Pleasanton Mid-Season Tournament. Louisburg shot 48 percent from the field and knocked down 13 3-pointers.

All that turned into a 77-22 victory over the Trojans as the Wildcats evened their record to 5-5 on the season. It also ended a four-game losing streak in the process.

“That is what we told our kids is that we just need to get some confidence back,” Louisburg coach Ty Pfannenstiel said. “I know our kids can shoot the ball, but we just went through a little rough patch there for awhile, but I guess coming to the Pleasanton gym made a difference. 

“The ball was definitely going through the hoop and that is how games can really get away. I was proud of the way we played.”

The 55-point victory and 13 made 3-pointers were the highest totals of the season by far for Louisburg and it couldn’t have come at a better time. 

Four different players knocked down threes, but it was junior Nathan Parker that had the biggest impact from behind the arc. Parker knocked down six 3-pointers and finished with 18 points on the night.

His production came at a good time as starter Luke Hill, one of the team’s top shooters, is currently out for several games with an injury.

“(Nathan) can really shoot it,” Pfannenstiel said. “He is a kid that is definitely a confident shooter and that is what is great about him. Even if he’s missed a bunch in a row, he still has that shooter’s mentality. We are going to need him to spread some teams out, especially with Luke being injured. Hopefully he will be able to help do that for us.”

Louisburg got out to a fast start and put the game away early. The Wildcats took a 20-point lead after the first quarter and led 53-17 at the half.

Senior Colyer Wingfield had another big game for the Wildcats as he finished with a team-high 20 points to go along with seven rebounds, four assists and four steals.

Junior Brady Hickey knocked down three 3-pointers and finished with nine points. Senior Trey Myers added eight with a pair of 3-pointers.

Senior Mason Dobbins was active under the basket with a team-high nine rebounds and had three assists. Sophomore Conlee Hovey had seven points and seven rebounds.

Sophomore Josh Holtzen also got his first varsity time of the season and made the most of it as he scored four points.

Louisburg will try for its second straight win of the tournament tonight as the Wildcats will face off with Pleasanton. Tipoff is set for 5 p.m. at Pleasanton High School.

The Wildcats will end the tournament Friday with a matchup against the NEK Nighthawks, a homeschool team out of Topeka, as they try for a tournament title.

“We tell our kids to always play with effort, no matter whether you are down or up, you always have to play with effort,” Pfannenstiel said. “If you don’t, things can get really sloppy. We still have a lot that we need to work on. Obviously we looked good out there this time, but we still made mistakes out there defensively, where that has cost us games in the past. It is important that we key on those little things and do them the right way.”

LOU 28 25 17 7 — 77

OSA 8 9 5 0 — 22

LOUISBURG (5-5): Colyer Wingfield 9-14 0-0 20; Nathan Parker 6-11 0-0 18; Brady Hickey 3-3 0-0 9; Trey Myers 3-10 0-0 8; Conlee Hovey 3-5 1-2 7; Mason Dobbins 2-7 0-0 4; Josh Holtzen 2-3 0-0 4; Brock Vohs 1-4 1-2 3; Cade Gassman 1-3 0-0 2; Isaiah Whitley 1-4 0-0 2. Totals: 31-64 2-4 77. 3-point field goals: 13, (Parker 6, Hickey 3, Myers 2, Wingfield 2)

Louisburg Mason Dobbins gets to the basket for two points Friday against Baldwin. Dobbins finished with six points and seven rebounds on the night.

BALDWIN CITY — Friday the 13th couldn’t have been more prevalent for the Louisburg boys basketball team.

The Wildcats traveled to Baldwin last Friday in hopes of avoiding some terrible luck.

Unfortunately, Louisburg experienced all that fateful day had to offer as the Wildcats struggled offensively to get anything going in a 66-31 loss to the Bulldogs.

Baldwin, which is ranked No. 9 in Class 4A, had the opposite effect. The Bulldogs blew the game open with a 34-point third quarter, and couldn’t seem to miss, as they handed the Wildcats their fourth straight setback.

“We needed to get off to a good start and we missed some good looks early on in the first quarter,” Louisburg coach Ty Pfannenstiel said. “I think if we could’ve seen the ball go through the net, that would have given us some confidence and momentum. We just never got anything going offensively. Baldwin played well. They knocked down a lot of big shots and really opened things up in the 3rd quarter.”

Louisburg (4-5) did its best to slow down the Bulldogs in the first half as the Wildcats limited them to just 22 points at halftime. Louisburg, however, had a tough time seeing the ball go through the hoop as it had just 11.

Baldwin put the game away in the third quarter with its big run. The Bulldogs shot 53 percent for the game and knocked down 11 3-pointers.

Louisburg senior Colyer Wingfield led the team in scoring (14 points), rebounds (7) and assists (3). Senior Mason Dobbins also pulled down seven rebounds for the Wildcats and was second on the team in scoring with six points.

The Wildcats will try and snap their losing skid starting today when they travel to the Pleasanton Mid-Season Tournament. Louisburg will face Osawatomie at 5 p.m. to begin round-robin play.

They will then square off with Pleasanton on Thursday and Northeast Kansas Homeschool out of Topeka on Friday.

“This is a big week for us,” Pfannenstiel said. “I told our guys that we need to get our confidence back.  We need to lock in on doing the little things right that make the difference. Hopefully our defense comes out strong and we can get into some rhythm offensively this week. We have to take a big jump forward mentally this week.”

LOU 6 5 11 9 — 31

BAL 10 12 34 10 — 66

LOUISBURG (4-5): Colyer Wingfield 5-18 4-4 14; Mason Dobbins 3-6 0-2 6; Conlee Hovey 1-3 1-2 3; Trey Myers 0-4 2-4 2; Myles Vohs 1-3 0-0 2; Gavin Lohse 1-1 0-1 2; Jaymes Melton 1-3 0-0 2. Totals: 12-50 7-13 31. 3-point field goals, none

Louisburg senior Colyer Wingfield goes up for two points Tuesday during the Wildcats’ home contest against Spring Hill. Wingfield finished with 23 points and 10 rebounds in the loss.

When it came to shots inside the arc, the Louisburg boys lived well.

However, it was those attempts beyond it that hurt the Wildcats the most Tuesday in their home contest with Spring Hill. Louisburg missed all 15 attempts from the outside, which made a comeback difficult in its 48-42 loss to the Broncos

Mistakes also haunted the Wildcats as they turned the ball over 19 times, which led to 12 Spring Hill points.

“I told our guys that it’s going to be hard to win in the Frontier League with 19 turnovers and going 0-15 from the 3-point line,” Louisburg coach Ty Pfannenstiel said. “Those two stats were glaringly bad. We have to do a better job of taking care of the ball and being more efficient on offense.”

The Wildcats trailed by just one after the first quarter and found themselves down just 24-17 at halftime.

Both teams played even in the second half and the Wildcats trimmed a double-digit Spring Hill lead to four with under a minute remaining, but couldn’t get closer.

Louisburg got a big game from senior Colyer Wingfield who finished with a double-double. Wingfield had a team-high 23 points and pulled down 10 rebounds.

Junior Luke Hill finished with six points, while sophomore Myles Vohs came off the bench to give the Wildcats a lift with five points. It was his first varsity points of the season.

“I thought we had some guys come in and provide a lot of energy,” Pfannenstiel said. “Myles Vohs came in and sparked us with his effort and toughness. His effort showed that he deserves some more varsity court time.”

Louisburg will try and snap its 3-game losing skid tonight when the Wildcats travel to No. 9-ranked Baldwin. The Bulldogs handed the Wildcats their only loss prior to the holiday break last month.

“We play a really good Baldwin team (tonight), so this game is going to demand our best effort and execution,” Pfannenstiel said.

LOU 10 7 12 13 — 42

SH 11 13 11 13 — 48

LOUISBURG (4-4): Colyer Wingfield 8-14 7-10 23; Luke Hill 2-7 2-3 6; Myles Vohs 2-4 1-2 5; Conlee Hovey 2-3 0-2 4; Nathan Parker 1-5 0-0 2; Mason Dobbins 0-4 2-2 2. Totals: 15-40 12-19 42. 3-point field goals, none

Louisburg junior Luke Hill goes up for a shot Thursday against Ottawa in the Wildcats’ contest at Ottawa High School.

It wasn’t the start to 2023 that the Louisburg boys basketball team wanted.

The Wildcats dropped their first two games from break with the second one coming Thursday on the road at Ottawa. Despite a fourth quarter rally, the Wildcats couldn’t quite get over the hump in a 51-44 loss to the Cyclones.

Louisburg (4-3), which found itself down 12 points early in the fourth quarter, eventually cut the deficit to just three points, but couldn’t get any closer.

“I was proud of how we battled back,” Louisburg coach Ty Pfannenstiel said. “We cut it to three and really gave us a shot at the end. My biggest concern was that we seemed to play with more energy in that fourth quarter. We have to get where we play with that energy for all four quarters.”

The Wildcats were down 12 points with 5 minutes left in the game, when senior Mason Dobbins stole the ball and drove the length of the floor for a steal and score. Senior Colyer Wingfield then hit a pair of free throws to cut it to eight.

With two minutes remaining, Louisburg was still down eight, but Luke Hill knocked down a 3-pointer to make it a five-point game.

Senior Isaiah Whitley stole an inbounds pass and found Wingfield cutting to the basket for two points to make it a one possession contest.

Ottawa drove the length of the court and scored on the ensuing possession to all but ice the game for the Cyclones.

Louisburg struggled to slow the Cyclones down in the second and third quarters as they built a 12-point lead. The Wildcats also turned the ball over 15 times and Ottawa scored 19 points off those mistakes.

“We are still struggling offensively,” Pfannenstiel said. “We didn’t have very many possessions where I would say that we ran good offense. Our defense is still keeping us in games but need to pick it up on the offensive end.”

Hill led the Wildcats on the offensive end with 11 points, including three 3-pointers. Wingfield also finished in double figures with 10 points and a team-high three assists.

Senior Mason Dobbins also did a lot of work underneath the basket with eight points to go along with team-highs in rebounds (9) and steals (3).

Louisburg had a tough time slowing Ottawa’s Caleb Hepner down as he scored a game-high 25 points, which included five 3-pointers. The Cyclones knocked down eight 3-pointers on the night.

“Hepner had a heck of a game,” Pfannenstiel said. “He got some open looks and converted on them. He’s a good, young player. Overall, Ottawa shot it pretty well from the perimeter and that made a big difference compared to how we shot it.”

Louisburg will try and bounce back Tuesday when it hosts Spring Hill. Tipoff is set for 7 p.m.

LOU 10 10 8 16 — 44

OTT 8 15 17 11 — 51

LOUISBURG (4-3): Luke Hill 4-11 0-0 11; Colyer Wingfield 2-9 6-6 10; Mason Dobbins 4-5 0-2 8; Trey Myers 3-8 1-4 7; Cade Gassman 2-4 0-0 4; Conlee Hovey 1-3 0-2 2; Isaiah Whitley 1-1 0-0 2. Totals: 17-42 6-10 44. 3-point field goals: 4, (Hill 3, Myers)

Wildcats drop home contest to Eudora

On Jan. 3, Louisburg hosted Eudora in its first game back from the holiday break and the Wildcats didn’t have the warmest welcome.

Eudora jumped out to a seven-point lead after one quarter and extended that lead to 13 later in the contest. And while their defense got the Wildcats back in it, the offense struggled in a 41-34 loss to the No. 6 team in Class 4A.

Louisburg shot 3-for-19 from 3-point range and were just 7-for-16 from the free-throw line.

“Overall, I thought we played ok for our first game out after a long break,” Pfannenstiel said. “Eudora is really good defensively so we struggled to get going on that end of the floor. We obviously needed some shots to fall. If we want to beat one of the best teams in the state, we can’t go 3-19 from 3 and 7-16 from the free throw line. We have to be better offensively.”

The Cardinals got a bulk of their scoring from two players. Logan Sullivan torched the nets for Eudora with a game-high 27 points and seven 3-pointers, while Cole Parker finished with 12. The two combined for 39 of the team’s 41 points.

“Those two players are tough,” Pfannenstiel said. “They actually have a really good group of guards, so even though we struggled to stop those two, overall we held them to 41. We should be able to win games when we hold a team in the 40s. That was Sullivan’s first game back from injury. He was injured in the first game of the year, so he hadn’t been in their lineup since week one. He really changes the dynamic of their team. He can score in bunches.  

“We have to do a better job of playing team defense to contain a player like that. We definitely struggled early hedging the handoffs and switching screens.  We just have to do a better job of communicating and all being on the same page. It wasn’t a 1 on 1 matchup issue, we all have to take responsibility for getting the ball out of his hands.”

Wingfield did a bulk of the scoring for Louisburg as he finished with 16 points, while senior Trey Myers finished with seven, including a pair of 3-pointers. Senior Mason Dobbins had a team-high eight rebounds and senior Isaiah Whitley finished with seven.

LOU 8 9 6 11 — 34

EUD 15 8 8 10 — 41

LOUISBURG: Colyer Wingfield 6-11 4-8 16; Trey Myers 2-6 1-4 7; Mason Dobbins 3-5 0-0 6; Luke Hill 1-7 0-0 3; Conlee Hovey 0-0 2-2 2. Totals: 12-36 7-16 34. 3-point field goals: 3, (Myers 2, Hill)

Here is the Louisburg Sports Zone Athlete of the Week for week three of the winter sports season, sponsored by Edward Jones-Craig Holtzen.

COLYER WINGFIELD, SENIOR, BOYS BASKETBALL

Louisburg senior Colyer Wingfield came up big for the Wildcat boys basketball team this past Thursday. Wingfield hit the game-winning shot with .2 seconds left to give Louisburg a 64-63 victory over Frontenac. It also improved the Wildcats’ record to 4-1 on the season.

Against Frontenac, Wingfield scored a team-high 30 points and pulled down 10 rebounds. He also handed out three assists and had three steals. He also finished with 12 points in a loss to Baldwin earlier in the week. Wingfield is the team’s leading scorer on the year as he averages 18.4 points a game to go along with nearly seven rebounds a contest.

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: Adyson Ross

Week 2: Colin Brown

Louisburg senior Colyer Wingfield (left) celebrates with teammates Luke Hill, Brock Vohs (22) and Mason Dobbins (34) following his game-winning shot Thursday at home against Frontenac.

Christmas came early for the Louisburg boys basketball team and Colyer Wingfield had no problem playing the role of Santa Claus. 

Wingfield gave the Wildcats one of the best gifts they could have asked for, as his drive to the basket with .2 seconds left gave Louisburg a 64-63 victory over Frontenac in double overtime. 

In what looked like was going a tough time for the Wildcats going into the holidays, turned into a Christmas miracle of sorts.

“We always want Colyer going to the goal,” Louisburg coach Ty Pfannenstiel said. “So for him to make that play was big time, especially since the team was really keying on him. What a play it was.”

Wingfield was big for the Wildcats all night as he finished with a game-high 30 points to go along with 10 rebounds, three steals and three assists.

It was a perfect ending to what appeared to be a disastrous loss for the Wildcats.

Louisburg saw at 13-point fourth quarter lead fade away as Frontenac outscored the Wildcats, 19-6, in the fourth to force overtime.

The Raiders continued that momentum as they scored the first seven points of overtime. A 26-6 run that started in the fourth quarter, put the Wildcats in a deep hole and not much time left.

“We didn’t have great energy by any means, but they were still confident,” Pfannenstiel said. “It was a calm huddle, but they knew they had to be better. They all trusted each other and battled for 40 minutes. I was really proud of how they responded.”

Junior Brock Vohs got the rally started with an offensive rebound and put back. Wingfield then drove the length of the floor for a layup.

On the Wildcats’ next possession, Wingfield found junior Nathan Parker for a big 3-pointer to tie the game late in the first overtime. A Frontenac 3-pointer at the buzzer rimmed out to force a second extra period.

“He is our best shooter,” Pfannenstiel said of Parker. “He is a confident kid and we wanted him in there to take that shot. Colyer made the right play to kick it out to him and I was really happy for him when he made it.”

Frontenac opened the second overtime with a basket, but Vohs tied it with a pair of free throws. The Raiders would take a one-point lead on a free throw with 34 seconds remaining.

That set up Wingfield’s dramatics.

Louisburg had the ball at mid-court with five seconds remaining and the Wildcats inbounded the ball to Wingfield. The Louisburg senior used a screen from Vohs to drive to the basket and score with .2 seconds and was fouled.

Wingfield intentionally missed the free throw and the Wildcats won their fourth game of the season.

“It really didn’t look good there at the start of the first overtime,” Pfannenstiel said. “It takes a lot to battle back like they did. Our kids believed and they executed well down the stretch and stepped up and made some plays. It was a good team win.

“We didn’t know if they were going to go zone or man on that last play, so we kind of had two plays drawn up. They went man and Brock set a good screen to allow Colyer to get to the goal. He had the choice to take it all the way to the rim or kick it out to one of our shooters. He made the right choice.”

Junior Luke Hill also provided the Wildcats with a big boost off the bench. Hill was second on the team in scoring with 14 points, including four 3-pointers.

Senior Mason Dobbins was big around the basket with a team-high 11 rebounds, while sophomore Gavin Lohse came off the bench to get seven rebounds to go along with his first varsity basket.

Now the Wildcats head into the holiday break with just one loss and are off to their best start under Pfannenstiel. Louisburg will look to use that momentum as the Wildcats host Eudora on Jan. 3 in its first action of the new year.

“I told the guys before the game that I haven been here six years and we have never been 4-1 going into the break,” Pfannenstiel said. “That was our goal was to do something we haven’t done in a long time. I don’t think anything could give us more momentum than this win did right there. It was a great win.”

LOU 20 10 17 6 7 4 — 64

FRON 7 12 15 19 7 3 — 63

LOUISBURG (4-1): Colyer Wingfield 10-21 9-12 30; Luke Hill 5-9 0-0 14; Mason Dobbins 3-6 0-0 6; Nathan Parker 2-3 1-2 5; Brock Vohs 1-1 2-2 4; Trey Myers 1-5 0-0 3; Gavin Lohse 1-2 0-2 2. Totals: 23-52 11-16 64. 3-point field goals: 7, (Hill 4, Parker, Myers, Wingfield)

Louisburg junior Luke Hill connects on one of his four 3-pointers Tuesday at home against Baldwin. Hill finished with a team-high 14 points.

For the first three quarters, everything was going how the Louisburg boys basketball team had hoped.

The Wildcats led the Bulldogs going into the final quarter and were aiming for their fourth straight win to start the season. 

Baldwin quickly dashed those hopes once the fourth quarter began.

The Bulldogs scored 10 straight points to open the final period and handed Louisburg its first loss of the year, 56-45. The Wildcats held the Bulldogs to 35 points through three quarter, but Baldwin exploded for 21 in the last frame.

“Well we played pretty well defensively again,” Louisburg coach Ty Pfannenstiel said. “Baldwin had been scoring in the 70s all season so we were able to slow them down a bit. We never did get into any type of rhythm offensively. We struggled on that end of the floor. We have to do better.”

Louisburg (3-1) trailed 14-11 after the first quarter, but used a strong second quarter to take the lead at halftime. The Wildcats outscored the Bulldogs 11-5, thanks to three 3-pointers off the bench from junior Luke Hill.

Hill gave the Wildcats a lift offensively. He led the team with 14 points on the night to go along with four 3s.

“Luke played really well and gave us a great spark,” Pfannenstiel said. “I’m hoping that jump starts him and he starts playing more consistently. We could really use that type of offensive production. He can really shoot the ball, so he needs to look to get his feet set and put the ball in the hole. It was a big night for Luke.”

After an even third quarter between both teams, Baldwin took off to start the fourth. The Bulldogs went on a 10-0 run to grab the lead and the Wildcats didn’t have an answer offensively.

For the game, Louisburg shot 35 percent from the field and turned the ball over 17 times. Baldwin was also able to score 16 points in transition.

“We can’t have those kind of stretches,” Pfannenstiel said.

Along with Hill’s 14 points, senior Colyer Wingfield also finished in double figures with 12 and had a team-best four assists. Senior Mason Dobbins recorded a team-high eight rebounds.

Baldwin’s Cooper and Caleb Carr gave the Wildcats fits at times as both scored in double figures. The two combined for 28 points and Cooper led all scorers with 17.

The good news is the Wildcats will get a chance to bounce back today as they host Frontenac in their final game for the holidays. Tipoff is set for 7:30 p.m.

“I’m excited to see how our team responds,” Pfannenstiel said. “Hopefully we can learn from our loss, get things corrected, and play a complete game against Frontenac.”

LOU 11 11 15 8 — 45

BAL 14 5 16 21 — 56

LOUISBURG (3-1): Luke Hill 5-10 0-1 14; Colyer Wingfield 5-17 2-4 12; Conlee Hovey 2-2 2-2 6; Trey Myers 2-4 0-0 4; Nathan Parker 1-2 0-0 3; Cade Gassman 1-7 0-0 2; Isaiah Whitley 1-2 0-0 2; Mason Dobbins 1-4 0-0 2. Totals: 18-51 4-7 45. 3-point field goals: 5, (Hill 4, Parker)