Louisburg sophomore Michael Seuferling puts up a runner in the lane Friday during the Wildcats’ loss to Bonner Springs in Louisburg.

The Louisburg boys basketball team had a chance to close its home schedule with a pair of games last week, but the Wildcats didn’t get a chance to go out on the note they would have liked.

Louisburg lost both games last week, including a 72-52 setback to Bonner Springs on Friday. 

The losses were exactly memorable, however, the Wildcats still had a chance to honor its seniors — Isaac Guetterman, Carson Kern, Maverick Rockers, Hunter Rogers and Michael Seuferling — on Senior Night last Tuesday against Eudora.

It is a group that certainly left its mark on a Wildcat program as some of them were a part of last year’s state runner-up team.

“This is a great group of kids,” Louisburg coach Ty Pfannenstiel said. “I know we all would have liked to win more games, but they have really battled this year. The Frontier League is a beast night in and night out, and with the mid-season tournament and Shawnee Mission South on the schedule, they’ve really played some great competition this year. 

“This group has put in a lot of hours to make themselves the best basketball players they could be. People show up and watch on game nights, but they have no idea how much time and commitment these kids have put in when the bright lights weren’t on. I’m proud of this group and I’m always proud of their effort.”

The Wildcats (4-14) battled against Bonner Springs, but had problems with the Braves’ athleticism. Bonner Springs was able to score 25 points off of Louisburg turnovers.

Louisburg also found itself down 17-6 at the end of the first quarter and the Wildcats couldn’t get enough offensive consistency to get back in it.

Rockers and Guetterman each scored 10 points to lead the Wildcats, while Seuferling and junior Colyer Wingfield each finished with eight. Newell led the way with a team-high 11 rebounds, while Seuferling had seven and four assists.

“We struggled to find consistency,” Pfannenstiel said. “We got down early which made it tough on us.  Bonner was athletic and really does a good job of getting out in transition. We just turned the ball over too many times early and gave up way too many offensive rebounds. We have to do a better job in those phases of the game.”

Louisburg will try to end the regular season with a win as the Wildcats travel to rival Paola for a 7:30 p.m. tipoff.

LOU 6 15 9 22 — 52

BON 17 19 15 21 — 72

LOUISBURG (4-14): Maverick Rockers 4-12 1-1 10; Isaac Guetterman 4-6 0-3 10; Michael Seuferling 3-11 2-3 8; Colyer Wingfield 4-8 0-1 8; Carson Kern 2-4 0-0 6; Mack Newell 2-5 1-4 5; Hunter Rogers 1-3 0-0 3; Nathan Parker 0-0 2-2 2. Totals: 20-53 6-14 52. 3-point field goals: 6, (Kern 2, Guetterman 2, Rockers, Rogers)

Wildcats fall on Senior Night to No. 1 Eudora

Louisburg faced one of its more difficult tests of the season last Tuesday when it hosted No. 1 Eudora on Senior Night.

The Wildcats played Eudora even for three quarters, but the other ended up being Louisburg’s undoing.

Eudora held the Wildcats to six points in the second quarter and used that to hand Louisburg a 60-42 loss.

Despite being down 16 at halftime, the Wildcats battled back to cut the Cardinal lead to nine on a couple different occasions, but could get no closer.

“I thought we played pretty tough,” Louisburg coach Ty Pfannenstiel said. “We played well in the 1st quarter, but then struggled to score in the 2nd which allowed Eudora to stretch out their lead.I was proud of how we came out in the second half. We had it to single digits, but had a tough last couple minutes of the 3rd quarter which hurt us.  

“Eudora is a good team. There is very little margin for error when playing them, so we just needed to be a little more consistent. Overall though, I thought we played hard and shot the ball well from the perimeter.”

The Wildcats, despite only making six two-point baskets, knocked in nine 3-pointers on the night, including four from Maverick Rockers.

Rockers finished with a team-high 15 points and junior Colyer Wingfield had nine. Michael Seuferling had a team-high six rebounds and six assists.

LOU 10 6 16 10 — 42

EUD 13 19 18 10 — 60

LOUISBURG: Maverick Rockers 5-11 1-1 15; Colyer Wingfield 3-8 1-2 9; Michael Seuferling 2-12 1-4 5; Carson Kern 2-3 0-0 5; Isaac Guetterman 1-4 0-0 3; Hunter Rogers 1-3 0-0 3; Mack Newell 1-3 0-0 2. Totals: 15-44 3-7 42. 3-point field goals: 9, (Rockers 4, Wingfield 2, Kern, Guetterman, Rogers)

Louisburg senior Carson Kern puts up a runner in the lane Friday against Spring Hill at Louisburg High School.

There became a point in Friday’s game with Spring Hill, more specifically the third quarter, where the Louisburg boys knew it wasn’t going to be their night.

Spring Hill scored 26 points in the third quarter and knocked down 10 3-pointers for the game in a 71-50 victory over the Wildcats on homecoming. The Broncos just couldn’t seem to miss.

“We obviously struggled to get stops defensively, Louisburg coach Ty Pfannenstiel said. “We have to be better as a team in that regard. We have to do a better job of keeping guys out of the middle of the floor where they can kick out to shooters. We also have to be better with our defensive rotations. 

“Spring Hill had one of those nights, where things were pretty easy for them offensively. We have to do a better job of making them uncomfortable on that end of the floor. That definitely didn’t happen.”

Spring Hill shot nearly 60 percent from the floor as the Broncos broke open a 3-point game at halftime. They outscored the Wildcats 26-9 in the third quarter, took a 20-point lead and the Broncos never looked back.

Louisburg senior Michael Seuferling was the lone Wildcat in double figures with a team-high 16 points, while junior Colyer Wingfield and senior Carson Kern had eight and seven points, respectively.

Senior Isaac Guetterman led the Wildcats in rebounds from his guard spot with six.

“Spring Hill got hot,” Pfannenstiel said of the third quarter. “They knocked down some shots early and then it just kind of snowballed on us. We just didn’t have enough production offensively to keep pace with them.” 

The Wildcats will try and snap their two-game losing streak tonight as they host Eudora for Senior Night. Tipoff is set for 7:30 p.m.

It is the first of a four-game stretch that will end the Wildcats’ regular season and Pfannenstiel hopes his team can get some momentum going into the postseason.

“These last four games are huge for us,” he said. “Not only from a confidence standpoint, but our season is winding down. It’s crazy how fast the season goes.  We have some really tough opponents to close out the season. We have to go out there and continue to play with great effort, and hopefully put together some good offensive and defensive efforts in these next four.”

LOU 11 17 9 13 — 50

SH 18 13 26 14 — 71

LOUISBURG (4-12): Michael Seuferling 7-15 2-4 16; Colyer Wingfield 3-10 1-4 8; Carson Kern 2-8 1-2 7; Mack Newell 3-4 0-0 6; Maverick Rockers 2-6 0-0 6; Hunter Rogers 2-5 0-0 5; Isaac Guetterman 1-5 0-0 2. Totals: 20-53 4-10 50. 3-point field goals: 6, (Kern 2, Rockers 2, Rogers, Wingfield)

Offense goes cold in Wildcats’ loss to Fort Scott

As far as basketball goes, last Tuesday was just “one of those nights” for Louisburg against Fort Scott. 

Nothing wanted to go in the basket for the Wildcats and that allowed the Tigers to hand Louisburg a 44-30 setback on its home floor. Louisburg shot just 24 percent from the floor and could never get any traction offensively.

“That game reminded me a lot of our Frontenac game a couple years ago,” Louisburg coach Ty Pfannenstiel said. “We packed in a zone against them, and they had a rough shooting night. So I’ve seen it (shooting night) happen, but it’s way more fun to be on the winning side of it. “

Louisburg managed just seven points in the first half, before getting something going with 17 points in the final quarter. However, the damage was already done and the Wildcats weren’t able to recover from a 15-point deficit.

Junior Colyer Wingfield accounted for half of the Wildcats’ points with 15 and also had a team-high seven rebounds. Senior Michael Seuferling finished with nine.

LOU 5 2 6 17 — 30

FS 11 7 10 16 — 44

LOUISBURG: Colyer Wingfield 7-13 1-1 15; Michael Seuferling 3-12 2-2 9; Maverick Rockers 1-12 0-0 3; Isaac Guetterman 1-6 0-0 3. Totals: 12-50 3-5 30. 3-point field goals: 3, (Seuferling, Rockers, Guetterman)

Members of the 2022 Louisburg High School winter homecoming court are (from left) Aubryn Berck, Aiden Barker, Chase Kallevig, A.J. Arriola, Corinna McMullen, Carson Kern, Reese Johnson and Isaac Guetterman.

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. All of it is, of course, centered around the crowning of the 2022 winter king and queen. Eight students were selected as nominees and here are their names and profiles.

The crowning will take place on Friday during halftime of the Wildcat boys’ basketball game with Spring Hill. Tipoff for that game is set for approximately 7:30 p.m. Good luck to all the participants and make sure to come out on Friday to support both the Wildcat girls and boys basketball teams.

Aubryn Berck and Aiden Barker

Aubryn is the daughter of Dave and Amanda Berck. Aubryn has been involved with high school volleyball for three years, member of National Honor Society for two years, FCA for two years. She has been a part of FCCLA for one year, track for one year and volleyball manager for one year. Aubryn has played club volleyball for eight years, shown horses for 10 years and a leader in Life Church’s youth classroom for two years. Following graduation, Aubryn is planning to study nutrition sciences to become a registered dietician. She is undecided on her school at this time.

Aiden is the son of David and Gail Barker. Aiden has participated in football for four years, wrestling for four years and National Honor Society for two years. He is currently undecided on his plans following graduation.

Chase Kallevig and A.J. Arriola

Chase is the daughter of Eric and Kara Kallevig. Chase has participated in volleyball for four years, FFA for three year, National Honor Society for two years, FBLA for two years and basketball for one year. Chase is currently undecided on her plans following graduation.

A.J. is the son of Juan Arriola and Shelly Gibson. A.J. has participated in golf for four years, FCA for two years, musical for two years, choir for two years and FBLA for one year. A.J. plans to major in accounting in college, but is undecided on his destination.

Corinna McMullen and Carson Kern

Corinna is the daughter of Scott and Sarah McMullen. Corinna has participated in volleyball for four years, National Honor Society for two years, Interact Club for one year and FBLA for one year. After graduation, Corinna will attend Washburn University on a volleyball scholarship and major in nursing with a specialization in pediatrics.

Carson is the son of Matthew and Veronica Kern. Carson has participated in basketball for three years and golf for two years. After graduation, Carson plans to attend Pittsburg State University.

Reese Johnson and Isaac Guetterman

Reese is the daughter of Matthew and Tiffany Johnson. Reese has participated in soccer for four years, cross country for four years, National Honor Society for two years, band for two years and FFA for one year. Reese plans to attend the University of Central Missouri after graduation, but is undecided on a major.

Isaac is the son of Ted and Lisa Guetterman. Isaac has participated in FFA for four years, soccer for four years and basketball for four years. He has been a part of National Honor Society for two years and participated in track for one. Following graduation, Isaac plans to attend Iowa State University and major in Agricultural Engineering.

The Louisburg bench celebrates just as the buzzer sounded in the Wildcats’ 57-54 come-from-behind victory over Ottawa on Friday at Ottawa High School.

OTTAWA — At least when it came to shooting, it appeared that Friday just wasn’t going to be Maverick Rockers’ night.

The Louisburg senior missed his first eight shots and had just one point against Ottawa going into the game’s final seconds.

However, with the game on the line, the Wildcats looked Rockers’ direction — and it paid off in a big way.

Rockers hit a 3-pointer with 10 seconds remaining to put Louisburg up one. Louisburg senior Carson Kern then stole the Cyclone inbounds pass and scored to ice the Wildcats’ 57-54 win at Ottawa.

“We had that play called and we have a lot of confidence in Maverick,” Louisburg coach Ty Pfannenstiel said. “We wanted to keep with it, the kids ran the play, executed well and the shot went in. It was a big shot and just a great win for the guys. We really needed it.”

The game also snapped a six-game losing skid for the Wildcats. It also marked the first victory for Louisburg in Ottawa in at least two decades.

Louisburg (4-10) had to rally to make that a reality. The Wildcats found themselves down six with a minute remaining, but Michael Seuferling drove the lane, was fouled and converted the 3-point play.

After an Isaac Guetterman free throw cut the Cyclone lead to two, Ottawa made two free throws to go back up four. Then with 30 seconds remaining, Mack Newell knocked down a 3-pointer to make it a one-point contest.

The Cyclones knocked down two more free throws to make it 53-50 with 27 seconds left, but the Wildcats stayed close when Colyer Wingfield had an offensive rebound and put back to keep it a one point game with 19 seconds remaining.

With a pair of fouls by Louisburg within seconds of themselves, Ottawa had a chance to put the game away, but the Cyclones made just one of four free throws.

That all set up Rockers’ heroics and gave the Wildcats the victory they were looking for. Seuferling pushed the ball to the corner and then threw a cross-court pass to Rockers in the opposite corner and the Louisburg senior knocked down the shot.

“Our guys always give good effort and have done so all year,” Pfannenstiel said. “It just comes down to making plays, making some shots and getting some stops. At the end, we got the ones that we needed and things went our way. It was great shots by Mack and Mav to get us there, also a nice putback by Colyer and steal by Carson that made the difference in the end.”

Following Rockers’ 3-pointer, Kern quickly stole the inbound pass as the clock was running down and took it in for the uncontested layup to put the Wildcats up three and sealed the win.

It was quite the victory for the Wildcats, who were coming off some heartbreak of their own last week when they lost at the buzzer to Paola. This time, Louisburg found itself on the winning side.

“I told Coach (Drew) Harding after the game that I didn’t even know what happened there at the end,” Pfannenstiel said. “It was just like a whirlwind. The kids made plays and I am proud of them. They needed this win and they have worked hard. We have played a good schedule, lost a tough one the other night to Paola. We were able to make the plays this time and it was good to see.”

The Wildcats turned up the pressure defensively in the game’s final minute, which helped the rally from seven points down with a 1:21 left in the contest. 

Louisburg scored 13 points off 16 Cyclone turnovers on the night and the Wildcats also found success inside as they outscored Ottawa 34-20 in the paint. Seuferling was a big part of that as he finished with a team-high 22 points and a team-best four assists. 

Wingfield and Newell were also key for Louisburg. Wingfield scored 15 points and Newell added 13, while both finished with a team-high eight rebounds.

“A lot of those points were late, but with Michael you couldn’t tell by his reaction if we were down by 30 or up by 30,” Pfannenstiel said. “He is going to keep playing and he was big for us. Mack had another nice game for us, Colyer was good on the boards and it was just a good team win. The guys did the little things to get us the win.”

The Wildcats will try for back-to-back wins tonight as they host Fort Scott. Pfannenstiel hopes this win can get the Wildcats going in the right direction.

“I told the guys that it is time to go on another run here,” he said. “This was a big momentum builder for us and a great win in a place where we haven’t won in a number of years. That is big for us and something that these kids will always remember.”

LOU 8 10 13 26 — 57

OTT 6 16 10 22 — 54

LOUISBURG (4-10): Michael Seuferling 7-20 7-10 22; Colyer Wingfield 6-7 3-6 15; Mack Newell 6-8 0-0 13; Maverick Rockers 1-9 1-2 4; Carson Kern 1-2 0-1 2; Isaac Guetterman 0-3 1-2 1. Totals: 21-49 12-21 57. 3-point field goals: 3, (Newell, Seuferling, Rockers)

Louisburg senior Michael Seuferling is trying to wrestle the ball away from two Paola players Tuesday at Louisburg High School.

The Louisburg boys basketball put together the defensive performance it was looking for Tuesday against No. 5 ranked Paola.

The game was tied with a minute left and Paola had the opportunity to escape Louisburg with a victory. Everyone’s eyes focused on Trey Moala, one of the top players in the Frontier League.

Moala had the ball in his hands with five seconds and drove the lane. However, instead of shooting it, he found an open teammate in Logan Newkirk and Newkirk drained the 3-pointer from the corner to give Paola a 42-39 win at the buzzer.

In a game where the Wildcats did most everything right to stay with the state-ranked Panthers, they came up just short.

“We knew Moala was going to try to get downhill,” Louisburg coach Ty Pfannenstiel said. “Our goal all night was to keep him from getting into the lane and make them hit shots from the perimeter. We did a good job of cutting him off, but he was able to find the open man and hats off to that kid (Newkirk) for hitting the big shot.

“I thought it was a great game. Paola is tough. They have great size and athleticism to go along with the best player in our league, so for us to play as well as we did defensively, I was really proud.”

Senior Michael Seuferling led the defensive charge for the Wildcats as his assignment was to follow Moala the entire night. Seuferling, who is also the team’s leading scorer on the season, held Moala to just two field goals the entire game and made things difficult for the Paola forward.

“Sci Fi is one of the best on ball defenders in our league,” Pfannenstiel said. “He was great in that role last year. We knew we could always put him on the other team’s best player and he’d make things tough on him. Even with Michael being asked to score more for us this year, he still draws the other team’s best player. 

“With Moala’s size (6-6) and Mike at 5-10, that’s a lot to ask of him, but he did a great job. To hold Trey to 2 field goals was an incredible job by him and our guys there in the paint.”

Louisburg got out to a good start and played from in front to begin the second quarter. The Wildcats took an 11-7 lead, but the Panthers flipped the game in the second as they outscored Louisburg 15-4 to take a seven-point halftime lead.

After an even third quarter, the Wildcats didn’t back down as they chipped away at the Panther lead.

Back-to-back three point plays from Maverick Rockers and Seuferling cut the Paola lead to one, then a Seuferling jumper in the lane put Louisburg in front.

Junior Mack Newell then converted three shots in the paint to give the Wildcats a 3-point lead late in the game.

Ayden Morris hit a pair of free throws for Paola to cut the lead to one. Louisburg then missed on a 3-pointer with under two minutes remaining.

The Wildcats wouldn’t see the ball again as Moala hit a free-throw to tie it, then Louisburg tipped a missed free throw out of bounds. The Panthers would hold the ball the rest of the way and eventually get the game-winning shot.

“When we had the lead and the ball with a minute left, I probably should have called a timeout to regroup our guys, but I have a lot of trust in our guys,” Pfannenstiel said. “The smart thing to do would have been to talk things over. I take full blame for that. We had an empty possession, which lead to Paola getting the ball back.”

Newell led the Wildcats on the inside as he scored a career-high 17 points and grabbed six rebounds, while Seuferling finished with nine. Junior Colyer Wingfield had a team-high seven rebounds and also had three assists.

Although the loss was a difficult one, especially against a rival, Pfannenstiel saw a lot of great play from this team.

“Overall, I know the last minute didn’t turn out how we wanted it, but our kids did a great job of executing our game plan,” Pfannenstiel said. “We ran some good sets on offense and did exactly what we were wanting to do on defense. We just didn’t quite make enough plays there at the end.  

“We will build off of this. Paola is a team that will likely be a 1 seed in sub-state. We’ve really played tough against the top teams in our league in Paola and Eudora. If we can be a little more consistent offensively, I think we have a chance to be a dangerous team. I was really proud of our boys’ effort.”

LOU 11 4 10 14 — 39

PAO 7 15 10 10 — 42

LOUISBURG (3-10): Mack Newell 8-14 1-2 17; Michael Seuferling 3-8 3-3 9; Maverick Rockers 3-9 1-1 7; Colyer Wingfield 1-3 2-2 4; Isaac Guetterman 1-1 0-0 2. Totals: 16-31 7-8 39. 3-point field goals: none

Louisburg junior Colyer Wingfield drives to the basket Friday at Spring Hill. The Wildcats fell 54-42 to the Broncos.

SPRING HILL — The Louisburg boys basketball team has had a difficult last couple of weeks as the Wildcats have gone up against bigger schools and better competition.

Going into Friday’s road game with Spring Hill, the Wildcats had gone up against programs 5A or above in the last four games. Louisburg made it five in a row against Class 5A Spring Hill, but the Wildcats got the chance to get back into Frontier League play.

Despite a good start, the Wildcats couldn’t get that victory they were looking for as they fell to the Broncos, 54-42, and have now lost five in a row.

“Our kids battled,” Louisburg coach Ty Pfannenstiel said. “They played with great effort all night.  It was definitely not an effort thing or coming out flat, we just have to be better offensively. We’ve had a tough stretch here, but our kids have remained positive. I love their attitudes. They are doing everything they can to get a win.”

Louisburg (3-9) put together a strong start offensively as it took a 27-22 lead into halftime and had slowed down the Bronco offense. The second half, however, was a different story.

The Wildcats scored just 15 points in the second half, and Spring Hill doubled that output in the final two quarters. 

Turnovers were also a problem for the Wildcats as they committed 14 on the night, but Spring Hill scored 16 points off those mistakes. The Broncos also took advantage of opportunities at the free-throw line as they were 14 for 18.

“Only scoring 15 in the second half really put a lot of pressure on our defense,” Pfannenstiel said. “Our defense played well enough to win, but we have to be better on the offensive end of the floor. I think we forced some things. We were forcing some shots which didn’t help. I think if we can be a little more patient on the offensive end, we can become more efficient. Bottom line is that we have to shoot the ball better and when we get to the free throw line, we have to step up and knock them down.

“Overall, we played pretty well defensively.  We turned the ball over way too much early in the game.  We have to do a better job of valuing each possession.  Turnovers are automatic empty possessions.”

Louisburg only had four players score in the contest and senior Michael Seuferling led the way with a team-high 18 points and had three steals. Junior Colyer Wingfield was also in double figures with 11 points and six rebounds. 

Junior Mack Newell had a team-high seven rebounds to go along with eight points as he was forced to sit a lot of the game with foul trouble. Senior guard Isaac Guetterman also had six rebounds.

Louisburg will try and get back on the winning track Tuesday when it hosts rival Paola. Tipoff is set for 7:30 p.m.

LOU 11 16 7 8 — 42

SH 15 7 16 16 — 54

LOUISBURG (3-9): Michael Seuferling 7-13 3-4 18; Colyer Wingfield 5-10 1-4 11; Mack Newell 3-9 2-4 8; Maverick Rockers 2-8 0-2 5. Totals: 17-44 6-14 42. 3-point field goals: 2, (Seuferling, Rockers)

Wildcats fall on the road to Shawnee Mission South

Louisburg put together a good offensive performance as it shot better than 50 percent from the field and knocked down 10 3-pointers.

Despite those good numbers, the Wildcats didn’t have enough to slow down Shawnee Mission South in a 79-51 loss on the road. The Raiders, who are the No. 6 team in Class 6A, outscored Louisburg 23-5 in the first quarter.

Senior Maverick Rockers had a good shooting night from behind the arch as he knocked down six 3-pointers and had a team-high 20 points. Michael Seuferling had 18 points and three 3-pointers as the two players combined for 38 of the team’s 51 points.

LOU 5 19 17 10 — 51

SMS 23 22 27 7 — 79

LOUISBURG: Maverick Rockers 7-10 0-0 20; Michael Seuferling 6-15 3-4 18; Colyer Wingfield 1-5 2-6 4; Carson Kern 1-1 0-0 3; Mack Newell 1-2 0-0 2; Isaac Guetterman 1-3 0-0 2; Hunter Rogers 1-2 0-0 2. Totals: 18-38 5-10 51. 3-point field goals: 10, (Rockers 6, Seuferling 3, Kern)

Louisburg senior Hunter Rogers puts up a shot near the rim Friday against Olathe West in the Bobcat Invitational at Basehor-Linwood High School.

BASEHOR — Last week was the most challenging part of Louisburg’s schedule and for good reason.

The Wildcats took part in the Bobcat Invitational in which they were smallest program going up against a bunch of Class 5 and 6A competition. Despite the uphill climb, the Wildcats battled.

After losses to Basehor-Linwood and Olathe West to open tournament play, the Wildcats faced off with St. Joe (Mo.) Central in the seventh place game Saturday and lost a close, 48-44, contest.

“We definitely faced some great competition this past week.,” Louisburg coach Ty Pfannenstiel said. “You know, win or lose, we are always looking to take a step forward as a program each game that we play. 

“We always stress doing the little things right, and when you don’t, good teams are going to expose you. It was definitely eye opening for us on how quick the game can get away when you turn the ball over or don’t rebound as a team.”

The two teams were tied at 41-all midway through the fourth quarter, but Central went on a 7-3 run to end the game and steal a win away from the Wildcats. Before that, Louisburg went on a 10-2 run to tie it up.

Louisburg had three players score in double figures. Colyer Wingfield led the Wildcats with 11 points and eight rebounds, while Mack Newell and Maverick Rockers also finished with 11 points each.

The Wildcats shot 43 percent from the floor and held Central to just 27 percent. Unfortunately for the Wildcats, they committed 14 turnovers and the Indians turned several of those into points.

On Friday, Louisburg found itself in the consolation semifinals against Olathe West and lost a 72-43 matchup. The Owls outscored the Wildcats 42-22 in the second half to pull away.

Senior Michael Seuferling led the Wildcats in scoring with 13 points, while Rockers finished with nine.

It was a tough opening game last Tuesday against Basehor-Linwood as the Wildcats left with a 88-42 setback.

Rockers led Louisburg in scoring with 11 points, while Seuferling and Wingfield each finished with 10 points in the loss.

“We don’t really look at it as a loss, but more of a learning opportunity to focus on areas where we need to improve,” Pfannenstiel said. “I’m proud of our boys for stepping up to the challenge of playing some bigger schools and representing our community the right way. We are always happy for the opportunity to play and we know that we are now a better team because of the competition that we have played.”

Louisburg will face off against a pair of bigger schools again this week. The Wildcats travel to Shawnee Mission South tonight, before going to Spring Hill for a Frontier League matchup on Friday. 

LOU 8 9 12 15 — 44

CEN 14 7 18 9 — 48

LOUISBURG (3-7): Mack Newell 5-7 0-0 11; Maverick Rockers 4-10 2-2 11; Colyer Wingfield 5-11 1-2 11; Michael Seuferling 3-10 2-2 8; Carson Kern 1-2 0-0 2; Hunter Rogers 0-1 1-3 1. Totals: 18-42 6-9 44. 3-point field goals: 2, (Newell, Rockers)

LOU 9 12 6 16 — 43

OW 13 17 16 26 — 72

LOUISBURG: Michael Seuferling 6-13 0-0 13; Maverick Rockers 4-13 0-0 9; Colyer Wingfield 3-7 1-2 7; Carson Kern 1-3 2-2 5; Isaac Guetterman 1-4 0-0 3; Hunter Heinrich 0-0 2-2 2; Layne Ryals 1-1 0-0 2. Totals: 16-46 5-6 43. 3-point field goals: 4, (Seuferling, Kern, Rockers, Guetterman)

LOU 6 13 12 11 — 42

BL 18 26 28 16 — 88

LOUISBURG: Maverick Rockers 4-7 3-5 11; Michael Seuferling 2-11 5-6 10; Colyer Wingfield 4-10 2-3 10; Mack Newell 2-3 3-4 7; Cade Gassman 2-3 0-0 4. Totals: 14-36 13-18 42. 3-point field goals: 1, (Seuferling)

Here is the Louisburg Sports Zone Athlete of the Week for week five of the winter sports season, sponsored by Louisburg Family Dental.

MICHAEL SEUFERLING, SENIOR, BASKETBALL

Louisburg senior Michael Seuferling helped guide the Wildcats to their first victory since Dec. 10 last Friday when they knocked off Baldwin at home, 75-64. Seuferling had a career night as he finished with a game-high 29 points to go along with four rebounds and four assists.

Seuferling had been one of the team’s go-to scorers this season as he leads the Wildcats with more than 15 points a game and also averages three 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: Elijah Eslinger

Week 2: Maverick Rockers

Week 3: Aiden Barker

Week 4: Kaven Bartlett

Louisburg senior Maverick Rockers scored 21 points and knocked down four 3-pointers in the Wildcats’ 75-64 win over Baldwin on Friday in Louisburg.

Just hours before Louisburg and Baldwin were scheduled to tipoff Friday, the Wildcats found out they would be without their head coach, Ty Pfannenstiel, who had to sit out with an illness.

It wasn’t exactly the most welcome news as the Wildcats were aiming for a revenge win over Bulldogs after losing to them back in December.

Despite the adversity, Louisburg responded with its best offensive performance of the season. 

Senior Michael Seuferling scored a game-high 29 points, while fellow senior Maverick Rockers had 21 in Louisburg’s 75-64 victory over Baldwin to give the Wildcats their first win since Dec. 10.

“I thought we played well,” Louisburg assistant coach Drew Harding said. “Offensively our ball movement was good and we moved well without the ball. That’s something we have focused on in practice so it was nice to see it happening during the game.  It was good to beat Baldwin after they beat us pretty good the last time we played them. Coach Pfannenstiel did a great job preparing the team and the boys executed well.”

Harding took over the head coaching reins for one night but didn’t have much notice as he found out mid-afternoon that Pfannenstiel wouldn’t be available. 

“I found out that I would be coaching around 2 o’clock that day,” Harding said. “I had a few nerves in between the JV game and the start of the varsity game but I knew Coach Pfannenstiel prepared them well and the team was ready to go.  Coach (Pete) Skakal was also a big time help on the bench throughout the game.”

Those nerves quickly went away for Harding as he watched the Wildcats score at will against Baldwin. Louisburg shot 60 percent from the floor, led by a pair of seniors.

Seuferling had a career-best 29 points to go along with four rebounds and four assists, while Rockers knocked in four 3-pointers to aid his 21-point performance and he also finished with four assists.

Junior forward Mack Newell also provided an inside presence for the Wildcats as he was a perfect 7-for-7 from the field to finish with 14 points and had a team-high seven rebounds.

“Sci Fi (Seuferling) and Mav were great,” Harding said. “Sci Fi has been playing under control more lately and utilizing his pull up jumper more. Mav really controlled the game well and shot the ball really well when the opportunity was there.  

“Mack had a big game coming off the bench. He played to his strengths and was a big time help on the boards when he was in there.”

The match-up was a one possession game for much of the night, that was until the fourth quarter. Louisburg, which led just 39-37 at halftime, put together a 23-point final frame got enough from its defense to seal the win.

Rockers provided the spark in that final quarter with 11 of his 21 points, including three 3-pointers. The Wildcats also held Baldwin’s leading scorer Cole Mahaffey to 14 points on the night.

“I think we played much better defensively in the second half,” Harding said. “First half I think we gave up 37, which is far more than we would like. We knew we had to slow Mahaffey down and try to keep him out of the paint because he is tough when he gets in there. Second half, we really focused on a few keys and slowed him down compared to the first half.”

Louisburg will try and build on its momentum tonight as the Wildcats travel to Basehor to take part in the Bobcat Invitational. The Wildcats will face off with the host school, Basehor-Linwood, at 7:30 p.m.

LOU 16 23 13 23 — 75

BAL 14 23 12 15 — 64

LOUISBURG (3-4): Michael Seuferling 12-18 3-5 29; Maverick Rockers 8-13 1-1 21; Mack Newell 7-7 0-0 14; Isaac Guetterman 3-6 0-0 7; Luke Hill 0-0 2-2 2; Hunter Rogers 0-0 2-2 2. Totals: 30-50 8-13 75. 3-point field goals: 7, (Rockers 4, Seuferling 2, Guetterman)

Louisburg junior Colyer Wingfield pulls up for a shot Friday during the Wildcats’ game at Eudora High School. Wingfield finished the game with 14 points and four 3-pointers.

EUDORA — The Louisburg boys basketball team put together one of its best offensive performances of the season Friday, but as luck would have it, it wasn’t enough.

The Wildcats traveled to Eudora and faced off with the Cardinals, who is currently the No. 1 team in Class 4A. Despite getting out to a good start, the Wildcats had a tough time slowing the Cardinals in a 68-57 setback.

Louisburg took the lead going into the second quarter, but Eudora scored a combined 49 points in the next two quarters to pull away from the Wildcats.

“I thought we played pretty well,” Louisburg coach Ty Pfannenstiel said. “It was one of our better outputs offensively, which should give us a little more confidence. Eudora has a really nice team this year.  Our kids showed a lot of poise and toughness. We just have to limit our mistakes.”

Mistakes haunted the Wildcats as Eudora forced 18 Louisburg turnovers. The Cardinals took advantage as they outscored the Wildcats, 17-2, in points off turnovers and also pulled down nine more offensive rebounds.

The Cardinals had three players in double figures and were led by a 15-point performance from Conor Dunback as eight different players scored for Eudora. They made it a difficult defensive task for Louisburg.

“I told our boys before the game that it was important that we came out aggressive and started off well,” Pfannenstiel said. “I really had no concerns with that because our kids play pretty fearlessly.  They don’t get caught up in the emotions of the game — they just play.  

“Eudora is a tough team to guard because they have so many options offensively.  They have good size inside, they have shooters, and they have a lot of guards that can handle the ball and create.”

Louisburg (2-4) jumped out to a quick 7-0 lead to begin the game and led 10-6 going into the second quarter. From there, the Eudora offense took over.

The Cardinals scored 21 points in the second quarter to take a 27-23 halftime lead. Eudora put the pressure on even more with a 28-point third quarter to help put the game away, even with a 19-point third quarter from the Wildcats.

The Wildcats had three players score in double figures and senior Michael Seuferling led the way with a team-high 16 points and five rebounds.

Junior Colyer Wingfield finished with 14 points, including a season-high four 3-pointers and also had eight boards. Senior Maverick Rockers added 11 points and eight assists in the loss, while junior Mack Newell had a team-high nine rebounds to go along with eight points.

“I thought we played smarter,” Pfannenstiel said. “I talked to some of our guys over the break about taking smarter shots. I wanted guys like Michael and Colyer to hit those mid-range shots. Sometimes I think we just play into the hands of the defense by driving it all the way to the basket and instead I wanted to see them get some good mid range looks. 

“Mike and Colyer executed pretty well and we shot the ball pretty well. Hopefully seeing the ball go through the hoop gives us more confidence moving forward.”

Louisburg will try and get back on the winning track Friday when it hosts Baldwin. The Wildcats’ game with Bonner Springs, that was scheduled for today, was postponed due to covid problems within the Bonner Springs program.

“It was good to be back on the court,” Pfannenstiel said. “That break seemed extra long this year for some reason. Our kids are excited to get back and play on our home court. Each night in the Frontier League is always tough, but our kids are excited for the opportunity.”

LOU 10 13 19 15 — 57

EUD 6 21 28 13 — 68

LOUISBURG (2-4): Michael Seuferling 7-12 2-3 16; Colyer Wingfield 5-8 0-0 14; Maverick Rockers 2-6 6-8 11; Mack Newell 4-7 0-0 8; Isaac Guetterman 1-4 0-0 3; Cade Gassman 1-2 0-0 2; Hunter Rogers 1-1 0-0 2; Carson Kern 0-2 1-4 1. Totals: 21-42 9-15 57. 3-point field goals: 6, (Wingfield 4, Rockers, Guetterman)