KANSAS STATE HIGH SCHOOL ACTIVITIES ASSOCIATION PRESS RELEASE

TOPEKA – Changes to postseason formats and championship sites for basketball, football, wrestling and track and field highlight actions approved at the June 12-13 KSHSAA Executive Board Meeting. The postseason formats are set by the KSHSAA Executive Board each year.

Basketball – Beginning in March of 2026, the state basketball tournaments will be moving to four total sites. Four facilities will play host to the seven classifications, 14 championships. By honoring the KSHSAA membership voted in the fall of 2023 to qualify eight boys teams and eight girls teams involved at the final site, modifications to the daily schedule will be developed. The schedule and other event details, including classification designations for each site and venue selection will be determined and announced following the 2024-25 basketball season.

Another basketball postseason change effective with the 2024-25 season will come at the 3A, 2A, 1A DI and 1A DII classifications. Each class will be divided into four regions and then seeded into two sub-states within the region: Substate A: 1, 4, 5, 8, 9, 12, 13, 16; Substate B: 2, 3, 6, 7, 10, 11, 14, 15. The winner of each substate will advance to the state basketball tournament. Further format details and dates will be sent to member schools.

Football – As announced in January, the state football championships will be moving to three sites with three games being played at each site. The executive board approved the following sites and schedule for 2024:

Emporia State University:

Class 6A = Friday, November 29 at 2:00pm

Class 4A = Saturday, November 30 at 1:00pm

Class 5A = Saturday, November 30 at 7:00pm

Hutchinson Community College:

Class 2A = Friday, November 29 at 6:00pm

Class 3A = Saturday, November 30 at 12:00pm

Class 1A = Saturday, November 30 at 5:00pm

Kiowa County High School, Greensburg:

Class 8-player DII = Saturday, November 30 at 11:00am

Class 6-Player = Saturday, November 30 at 3:00pm

Class 8-Player DI = Saturday, November 30 at 7:00pm

Wrestling – Girl’s wrestling will now include four classes to mirror the boy’s classification designations. The addition of another class for girl’s wrestling necessitates the addition of another championship site. 6A, 5A, 4A and 3-1A will each have their own site to determine a champion. 3-1A state wrestling will be in Hays and 4A will be in Salina. Park City Arena and one other facility to be named later will house either 6A or 5A. State sites and regional dates will be determined at the September KSHSAA Executive Board meeting. The state wrestling tournament will take place February 28 – March 1, 2025.

Track and Field – Qualification for the state meet was adjusted to now be the top 3 plus the next four best regional performance in each event.

Two committees will be formed to gather input from membership school leaders. One to discuss the details behind the implementation of Esports prior to the possible adoption as a KSHSAA sanctioned activity. The second committee will review the KSHSAA calendar to consider possible alternatives to dates of postseason activities.

The Louisburg girls basketball had a strong finish to its season in 2024 and a pair of Lady Cats were recognized for their efforts.

Junior Ashlyn Kuhlman was named to the All-Frontier League team that was released on Saturday as she was selected to the honorable mention squad.

Another junior, Sami Lane, was named to the all-defensive team as one player from each league school was recognized for their efforts on the defensive side of the ball.

Ottawa, which earned a spot at the state tournament last week, had two players named to the first team in freshman Leah Adkins-Dieterich and senior Foster Nichols. Baldwin senior Alyssa Reichard, Eudora freshman Brynn Deterding and Spring Hill junior Sydney Buscher rounded out the first team.

As for Kuhlman, she led the Lady Cats in three different statistical categories. She led Louisburg in scoring with eight points a game, 5.5 rebounds and also had 45 blocked shots.

Kuhlman was also second in the team in steals with 16 and paced the Lady Cats with 29 3-pointers on the season.

“The Frontier League was tough this year, so I was so happy to see Ashlyn receive honorable mention,” Louisburg coach Adrianne Lane said. “She definitely deserved this honor. Ashlyn was the offensive leader on our team this year and her being recognized by the Frontier coaches is very meaningful.”

Lane was one of eight selections on the all-defensive team as she finished the year with eight steals to go along with 15 deflections. She also pulled down 68 rebounds on the season.

“Sami being chosen by the coaches as all defensive team was nice to see as well,” coach Lane said. “Sami did a great job on the defensive side of the ball. She played great team defense this season.”

ALL-FRONTIER LEAGUE

FIRST TEAM

Alyssa Reichard, Baldwin, senior

Brynn Deterding, Eudora, freshman

Foster Nichols, Ottawa, senior

Leah Askins-Dieterich, Ottawa, freshman

Sydney Buscher, Spring Hill, junior

SECOND TEAM

Isla Herman, Spring Hill, sophomore

Pirsten Leslie, Bonner Springs, senior

Alyssa Schoeneck, Tonganoxie, sophomore

Peyton Wright, Baldwin, freshman

Kenzie Yoder, Eudora, senior

HONORABLE MENTION

Bailey Smith, Baldwin, senior

Nya Anderson, Bonner Springs, sophomore

Chasitee Sambol, Bonner Springs, sophomore

Ashlyn Kuhlman, Louisburg, junior

Emery Keebaugh, Ottawa, senior

Dylan Nichols, Ottawa, sophomore

Audra Downum, Paola, sophomore

ALL-DEFENSIVE TEAM

Bailey Smith, Baldwin, senior

Nya Anderson, Bonner Springs, sophomore

Jayla Erpelding, Eudora, senior

Sami Lane, Louisburg, junior

Emery Keebaugh, Ottawa, senior

Abby Ediger, Paola, junior

Sydney Buscher, Spring Hill, junior

Emerson Maslak, Tonganoxie, sophomore

OTTAWA — The Louisburg girls basketball had a strong finish to its regular season and the Lady Cats were playing their best basketball of the season.

In the postseason, however, Louisburg couldn’t slow down No. 3 seed Ottawa in the Class 4A sub-state semifinals Tuesday at Ottawa High School.

The Cyclones nearly shot 50 percent from the field and ended the Lady Cats’ season with a 55-28 loss. Ottawa qualified for the state tournament a few days later with a victory over Baldwin in the sub-state championship game.

“Ottawa is a great team,” Louisburg coach Adrianne Lane said. “They are very well rounded, they are fast, great at defense and they rebound very well. They started off hot against us, but we never quit and I felt like we did a good job hanging with them in the second half. I wish Ottawa the best of the luck this postseason.”

Ottawa jumped out to a big lead on the Lady Cats as they took a 20-7 lead after the first quarter. The Cyclones went up 37-15 at halftime and the Lady Cats couldn’t get closer.

Louisburg (6-15) did put together a good second half as it outscored Ottawa in the third quarter.

Junior Ashlyn Kuhlman led the Lady Cats in scoring with eight points and also had a team high four rebounds and two blocks. Junior Sami Lane was next with five points, four rebounds and two assists.

Sophomore McKenna Lohse also had four rebounds, while junior Ally Brown had two assists. Junior Sabra Brueggen had a team-best two steals.

It may have not been the ending the Lady Cats were hoping for, but coach Lane saw improvements from her team as the season went along.

“This season has been a roller coaster,” she said. “We started off pretty slow, but once we got some experience I felt like we did a great job competing in every game. Towards the end of the season we were playing together and playing to win. 

“February was a great month for our team. We went 5-3 the second half of the season and two of those losses were to Spring Hill by 7 and Eudora by 6, and I thought we held our own against them. I am so proud of how far the girls came, they worked hard every day and they ended the season playing together and playing to win.”

LOU 7 5 10 6 — 28

OTT 20 17 9 9 — 55

LOUISBURG (6-15): Ashlyn Kuhlman 3-14 0-0 8; Sami Lane 2-7 0-0 5; Morgan Latham 2-4 0-0 4; Jillian Asher 1-6 0-0 3; McKenna Lohse 0-2 2-2 2; Zyleigh Melton 1-2 0-0 2; Shylar Whiting 1-6 0-0 2; Addy Stohs 1-1 0-0 2. Totals: 11-46 2-2 28. 3-point field goals: 4, (Kuhlman 2, Asher, Lane)

Here is the Louisburg Sports Zone Athlete of the Week for week 11 of the winter sports season, sponsored by Dr. Laura’s Orthodontics.

MCKENNA LOHSE, SOPHOMORE, BASKETBALL

Louisburg sophomore McKenna Lohse had a big week for the Lady Cat basketball team in their two victories over Paola and Harrisonville last week. Against Paola, Lohse came off the bench and nearly recorded a double-double with eight points and nine rebounds in a 39-35 victory over the Panthers.

Two days later against Harrisonville, Lohse got the start and dominated the glass for the Lady Cats. She finished with a team-high 11 rebounds in a 40-33 victory. She also had four points, two assists and two steals in the win.

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

Week 8: Brady Hickey

Week 9: Leola Eslinger

Week 10: Colton Prettyman

In what began as a rough start for the Louisburg girls basketball team, Thursday’s final regular season game ended what was a winning stretch for the Lady Cats.

Louisburg outlasted Harrisonville, 40-33, at home to finish 5-3 in its final eight games after starting the season with eight straight losses.

The victory over Harrisonville, and Paola earlier in the week, gave the Lady Cats the momentum they need as they head into postseason play this Tuesday.

“Finishing the season with a win at home was a great way to end,” Louisburg coach Adrianne Lane said. “Winning both games last week was a great way to end our season. This was the first week all season we did win 2 games and I know that this will help the girls confidence going into substate week. 

“I am so proud of the girls and their efforts in the second half of the season. We ended 5-3 the last eight games of the season and I think the girls have improved a lot since the first game.”

The Lady Cats were able to get the win without having to score a field goal in the fourth quarter. Louisburg was able to do its damage from the free-throw line. 

All eight of its points in the fourth quarter came at the line as Louisburg was able to ice the game away after taking an eight point lead going into the final frame.

For the game, the Lady Cats were 15 of 21 from the free-throw line and were able to keep Harrisonville at arm’s length. 

“Our free-throw shooting on Thursday was a huge positive,” Lane said. “We only scored free throws in the fourth quarter, which won the game for us. I also felt like every girl contributed to that win.”

Louisburg junior Ashlyn Kuhlman led the Lady Cats in scoring with 12 points on the night, including three 3-pointers. She also tallied a team-high five blocked shots and three steals. 

Jillian Asher added nine points in the win, with seven of those coming from the free-throw line. Zyleigh Melton, Sami Lane and Ally Brown each finished with five.

Sophomore McKenna Lohse had a big night on the boards for Louisburg as she pulled down a team-high 11 rebounds. Sabra Brueggen and Lane each pulled down five rebounds, while Brueggen also had three steals.

“I honestly think this was the best we had done all season with handling pressure,” coach Lane said. “The girls did a good job taking care of the basketball and not throwing it away in pressure situations. 

“The posts did a great job rebounding and holding their position against a very physical Harrisonville team. The posts also did a great job on offense and holding their position to get the ball inside. When we get the ball inside and kick it back out, we have a higher shooting percentage.”

Louisburg will begin postseason play on Feb. 27 as the No. 14 seed in sub-state. The Lady Cats will travel to No. 3 Ottawa for the sub-state semifinals. Tipoff is set for 7 p.m.

LOU 8 13 11 8 — 40

HAR 2 9 13 9 — 33

LOUISBURG (6-14): Ashlyn Kuhlman 4-14 1-2 12; Jillian Asher 1-5 7-8 9; Zyleigh Melton 1-1 2-2 5; Sami Lane 1-7 2-2 5; Ally Brown 1-3 3-4 5; McKenna Lohse 2-6 0-3 4. Totals: 10-43 15-21 40. 3-point field goals: 5, (Kuhlman 3, Melton, Lane)

Lady Cats get road win at Paola

PAOLA — In a lot of cases, free throws can decide the difference between and win a loss.

It was certainly the difference for Louisburg last Tuesday in Paola. The Lady Cats made 12 of 14 free-throw attempts in the second half, many of those coming in the fourth quarter, as they were able to hold on for a 39-35 victory over the Panthers.

“Free throws were big for us,” Louisburg coach Adrianne Lane said. “We had several players come up and hit them late in the game. They were huge and accounted for a lot of our points the second half.”

Juniors Jillian Asher and Sabra Brueggen each hit jumpers to begin the fourth quarter to give Louisburg a four-point lead. The Lady Cats kept the advantage the rest of the way as they went 8-for-10 from the line, including makes from Ashlyn Kuhlman, Shylar Whiting, Asher and Brueggen.

Louisburg jumped out to an early 11-3 lead to start the game, but the Panthers rallied back to eventually take the lead in both the second and third quarters.

Kuhlman led the Lady Cats in scoring with 10 points to go along with four rebounds and three blocks. Whiting also finished with eight points, including 6 of 7 from the free-throw line. 

Sophomore McKenna Lohse gave the Lady Cats a spark the needed off the bench. Lohse nearly had double-double with eight points and nine rebounds and gave Louisburg some crucial minutes on the inside.

“It was good win and it was great to get that win on the road,” Lane said. “I don’t think it was our best appearance of the year, but we had some girls come off the bench that did really well. 

“I thought Kenna had a great game and she definitely kept us in it,” Lane said. “She hasn’t played a ton this year, but she really stepped up and made a difference.”

LOU 11 6 10 12 — 39

PAO 9 7 9 10 — 35

LOUISBURG: Ashlyn Kuhlman 2-6 4-4 10; Shylar Whiting 1-4 6-7 8; McKenna Lohse 4-9 0-0 8; Jillian Asher 2-9 1-2 5; Sabra Brueggen 2-6 1-1 5; Sami Lane 1-4 0-0 3. Totals: 12-48 12-14 39. 3-point field goals: 3, (Kuhlman 2, Lane)

Louisburg sophomore Zyleigh Melton puts up a shot in the lane last Tuesday at home against Eudora.

The Louisburg girls basketball team put together a strong second half against Eudora last Tuesday at home.

Unfortunately, the Lady Cats didn’t quite have enough to overcome a rough first half. Eudora handed Louisburg a 38-30 loss after the Lady Cats held the Cardinals to just 14 second half points.

Louisburg outscored Eudora 19-14 in the second half, but scored just 11 first half points and committed 25 turnovers for the game.

“We played good in the second half for sure, and if we could figure out the first half I think we would be winning more basketball games,” Louisburg coach Adrianne Lane said. “We beat them in the second half so that was good and I think the girls did fine. It took us a minute to get going, but the girls played hard.”

The Lady Cats were without two players due to illness, so they were playing short-handed, but battled to the end. Louisburg found itself down 15 points midway through the third quarter, but the Lady Cats were to trim the deficit to just five at one point.

Eudora had a 30-15 lead with under three minutes left in the third, but the Lady Cats went on a 10-1 run that went into the fourth quarter.

Addy Stohs started it with a free throw, Zyleigh Melton knocked down a 3-pointer and Ashlyn Kuhlman made a basket and was fouled that ended the third. 

In the fourth, Kuhlman hit a pair of free throws and Sabra Brueggen knocked in a basket to make it a 6-point game. After a 3-pointer by Eudora, the Lady Cats followed with four straight points from Melton, that included her second 3-pointer to cut it to five.

Louisburg could get no closer as it scored just one point in the final four minutes and the Cardinals were able to hold on for the win.

“We obviously cut the turnovers down a little in the second half, but we also started going to the basket more,” Lane said. “I think that opens up more shots for everybody and we were able to hit some shots from the outside. 

“Our defense is getting better and that is why we are getting better. We are playing solid defense, we are rebounding pretty well, but we just need to find some offense somewhere.”

Melton led the Lady Cat offense with nine points on the night. Kuhlman added seven points to go along with seven rebounds and three assists.

Brueggen paced Louisburg on the glass with a team-high 11 rebounds.

Louisburg will try and bounce back Tuesday as the Lady Cats travel to rival Paola. Tipoff is set for 6 p.m.

LOU 6 5 10 9 — 30

EUD 13 11 6 8 — 38

LOUISBURG (4-14): Zyleigh Melton 3-7 1-2 9; Ashlyn Kuhlman 1-9 5-7 7; Sabra Brueggen 1-4 3-6 5; Shylar Whiting 2-3 0-0 4; Sami Lane 2-6 0-0 4; Addy Stohs 0-0 1-2 1. Totals: 9-36 10-17 30. 3-point field goals: 2, (Melton 2)

Louisburg junior Jillian Asher drives to the basket and puts up a shot Friday during the Lady Cats’ home game against Spring Hill.

The first half wasn’t exactly what the Louisburg girls basketball team was hoping for Friday against Spring Hill.

Turnovers haunted the Lady Cats as Spring Hill took a double digit lead into halftime. That all changed for Louisburg in the second half.

Louisburg cut down the mistakes and outscored Spring Hill in the final two quarters, but it wasn’t quite enough in a 43-37 loss to the Broncos.

“I thought we played good in the second half, but we just had way too many turnovers in the first half,” Louisburg coach Adrianne Lane said. “We probably had 15-plus going into halftime and we took better care of the basketball in the second half. We also ran some different stuff and the girls handled that well.”

It was a much a different scenario than when the teams met a month ago. Spring Hill won the game by double digits, but the Lady Cats made it more difficult this time around.

“We are a better team than when we played them last, but I think Spring Hill is a better team as well,” Lane said. “Both teams have gotten better, but we played them closer this time around. I think the girls see these things and they know they are getting better.”

Spring Hill led Louisburg by just four going into the the second quarter, but the Broncos went on a 15-5 run to take a 14-point lead. Louisburg junior Shylar Whiting hit a 3-pointer in the final seconds of the first half to give the Lady Cats a little momentum going into halftime.

Louisburg (4-13) was better defensively in the second half and took care of the ball. Although the Lady Cats had 23 turnovers for the game, many of those came in the first two quarters.

They outscored the Broncos 20-15 in the second half, but could never get closer than six. A pair of 3-pointers from Sami Lane helped close the gap in the fourth quarter.

Spring Hill’s Sydney Buscher and Isla Herman had big nights last time around, but the Lady Cats tried to focus more on slowing the Broncos’ two players down. Buscher still had 16 points to lead all scorers, but limited Herman to just nine.

“We guarded Buscher differently,” Lane said. “We wanted to be more physical and keep her away from the basket as much as possible. I thought the girls did a good job with that. We did foul her more, but she didn’t make her free throws so that worked for us. We face-guarded Herman and were able to get couple offensive fouls on her as well. They are fast though and we had a hard time getting back sometimes, especially when we are face guarding a couple different players.”

Louisburg sophomore Morgan Latham had a good night in the post as she finished with a team-high 10 points to go along with five rebounds. Sami Lane and Ashlyn Kuhlman each had eight points, while Kuhlman pulled down five rebounds.

Junior Sabra Brueggen had a team-high seven rebounds to lead Louisburg.

The Lady Cats will try and bounce back tonight as they host Eudora. Tipoff is set for 7:30 p.m.

LOU 9 8 8 12 — 37

SH 13 15 6 9 — 43

LOUISBURG (4-13): Morgan Latham 5-8 0-0 10; Ashlyn Kuhlman 2-6 2-2 8; Sami Lane 3-5 0-0 8; Jillian Asher 1-2 2-2 4; Sabra Brueggen 1-4 2-4 4; Shylar Whiting 1-8 0-0 3. Totals: 13-35 4-6 37. 3-point field goals: 5, (Kuhlman 2, Lane 2, Whiting)

Louisburg junior Shylar Whiting puts up a shot in the lane Tuesday at Tonganoxie. Whiting finished with eight points, with six of those coming in the final quarter.

TONGANOXIE — It wasn’t the best shooting night of the year for Louisburg.

Shots weren’t falling, free throws rimmed out and the Lady Cats lost the turnover battle Tuesday against Tonganoxie. Despite all that going against them, Louisburg found a way a win — on the road.

Against a Tonganoxie team they lost to by double digits in the season opener, the Lady Cats traveled to Tonganoxie and left with a gritty 40-39 victory over the Chieftains.

“They have no quit in them and I think that is the theme for the season,” Louisburg coach Adrianne Lane said. “Our fourth quarters have been awesome, so if we can put together a complete game like we play in the fourth then we would be hard to beat. But the girls hung in there despite a tough shooting night. We couldn’t make anything around the basket. They just did a great job.”

It was looking like a tough road loss with under a minute left and the Lady Cats down by two points. However, junior Ashlyn Kuhlman got a wide open look from 3-point range with 16 seconds left and knocked it down to put Louisburg up one.

Tonganoxie had two different opportunities to try and take the lead in the final seconds, but the Lady Cat defense came up big and Kuhlman’s shot was the game-winner.

“That was a huge shot,” Lane said. “Ash hadn’t had a great shooting night until then and I was very proud of her to have the confidence to shoot it. That would have been a hard spot for anyone and she didn’t hesitate. Shooters have to keep shooting and I am glad that she did. When she shot it I knew it was going in.”

Louisburg did have a difficult shooting night as the Lady Cats converted just 25 percent of their shots and were under 50 percent from the free-throw line. Mix that in with 15 turnovers and it was a recipe for loss.

Instead, the Lady Cats found a way to get an important win that helps them in the postseason standings and to try and get a playoff spot with four games remaining.

It didn’t look promising for Louisburg as it found itself down six points late in the third quarter. With the offense struggling, juniors Jillian Asher and Shylar Whiting gave it a jump start.

Asher hit a 3-pointer at the end of the third quarter to cut the lead to three, then Whiting hit a pair of jumpers to start the fourth quarter to give Louisburg a 34-33 advantage.

After a Tonganoxie basket that put the Chieftains in front, the Lady Cats answered right back when Asher found Whiting for a layup and Louisburg had a 36-35 lead midway through the fourth.

Tonganoxie had an 39-37 lead late in the contest, but Kuhlman had a wide open look at the top of the key and knocked down what turned out to the be the game-winning 3-pointer with 16 seconds remaining.

It was a victory the Lady Cats (4-12) needed and were able to avenge a loss from earlier in the season at the same time.

“Our defense was just a lot better than the last time we played them,” Lane said. “We contained a lot better than we did the first time. The first game it seemed like they were just kicking it out and shooting 3s and I don’t even know that they did a lot of that. Our goal was to contain and not let them kick out and shoot wide open 3-pointers.”

Asher was big offensively for Louisburg as she scored a game-high 13 points, including three 3-pointers and was 4-for-4 from the free-throw line.

Kuhlman finished with eight points, but was active on the glass as she recorded a team-high 15 rebounds. Whiting also had eight points and two steals.

Junior Sabra Brueggen and sophomore Zyleigh Melton each had five rebounds, while Brueggen had a team-high three assists.

Louisburg will try for back-to-back wins tonight as the Lady Cats host Spring Hill. Tipoff is set for 6 p.m.

LOU 5 15 10 10 — 40

TON 7 12 14 6 — 39

LOUISBURG (4-12): Jillian Asher 3-4 4-4 13; Ashlyn Kuhlman 3-16 1-2 8; Shylar Whiting 4-14 0-0 8; Morgan Latham 2-7 0-2 4; Sami Lane 1-6 0-0 3; Ally Brown 1-2 1-1 3; Zyleigh Melton 0-2 1-4 1. Totals: 14-56 7-15 40. 3-point field goals: 5, (Asher 3, Kuhlman, Lane)

Louisburg sophomore Zyleigh Melton goes up for a shot Friday during the Lady Cats’ game at Ottawa.

OTTAWA — The Louisburg girls basketball team was riding a mini 2-game winning streak heading into Friday’s contest at Ottawa. 

However, the Cyclones are one of the top teams in the Frontier League and were poised to end that streak. Ottawa used a big second quarter and pulled away to hand Louisburg a 45-29 loss.

Ottawa outscored Louisburg, 18-5, in the second quarter and made it difficult for the Lady Cats to get back in the game.

“Ottawa is a very talented team and playing at Ottawa is always a hard environment to play in,” Louisburg coach Adrianne Lane said. “I thought we played hard and did a good job defending them with different defenses.”

Louisburg trailed by just seven after the first quarter, but an Ottawa run pushed the Cyclones’ lead to 20 points at halftime.

The Lady Cats didn’t give in, however. Louisburg held Ottawa to just 14 points in the second half and outscored the Cyclones, 14-4, in the final quarter.

“This team does not give up,” Lane said. “I love their heart and their grit. They battled the fourth quarter and did a great job running offense and not quitting.”

Louisburg got the opportunities on offense it wanted at times, but couldn’t get the shots to fall as the Lady Cats shot 23 percent from the field. Combined with 23 turnovers, that made it difficult to get the road win.

Junior Sami Lane led Louisburg in scoring with six points on a pair of 3-pointers, while junior Ashlyn Kuhlman had a team-high eight rebonds and three assists.

Jillian Asher and Zyleigh Melton each chipped in five points in the loss, while Sabra Brueggen had five rebounds and two assists.

Louisburg will go on the road tonight as the Lady Cats travel to Tonganoxie for a Frontier League contest. It will be a rematch of the Lady Cats’ season opening loss from back in December.

“The game at Tongie is a big game,” coach Lane said. “We need to get this win to help us get a spot in the postseason. I also think if we could play with Tongie it will show how much we have improved throughout the season.”

LOU 6 5 4 14 — 29

OTT 13 18 10 4 — 45

LOUISBURG (3-12): Sami Lane 2-7 0-0 6; Jillian Asher 2-2 0-0 5; Zyleigh Melton 1-5 3-3 5; Ashlyn Kuhlman 2-12 0-0 4; Sabra Brueggen 2-7 0-0 4; Ally Brown 1-3 0-0 3; Morgan Latham 1-4 0-0 2. Totals: 11-47 3-5 29. 3-point field goals: (Lane 2, Asher, Brown)

Louisburg sophomore Zyleigh Melton gets on the floor for a loose ball during Tuesday’s home victory over Paola.

For the first time this season, the Louisburg girls basketball team has found itself in the midst of a winning streak.

The Lady Cats hosted rival Paola on Tuesday and came away with a 42-38 victory over the Panthers to record their second straight win on the season.

It may not have been the cleanest or smoothest game on either side, but Louisburg battled through adversity and made the plays it needed to down the stretch.

“It was a very strange game,” Louisburg coach Adrianne Lane said. “I didn’t feel like we could get much going on offense and Paola was a pretty physical team. It made it hard for us to get going. I thought we did a great job holding on and hitting some big free throws there at the end.”

Nine of the 13 points Louisburg scored in the final quarter came at the free-throw line. Sophomore Zyleigh Melton, along with juniors Sabra Brueggen, Ashlyn Kuhlman and Jillian Asher all knocked down crucial free throws in what was a close game throughout.

As a team, the Lady Cats were 17-for-24 from the line. Brueggen was 8-for-8 for the game, as she hit several in the first half, while Melton and Kuhlman combined for seven points from the line in the fourth quarter.

“Those were big for us, even ones that we hit early,” Lane said. “I know Sabra had like four or so early in the game and then hit some late too that were key. It is great that we can make those when we need to. 

“We have definitely been working on them, but when they can do that in a pressure situation it says a lot of them as a basketball player. Those were the difference in the game for sure. They kept putting us at the line and we couldn’t get much going offensively other than those, so they were key.”

Paola jumped out to a 10-4 lead early on, but the Lady Cats were able to battle back and take a 15-14 lead on a 3-pointer from Ally Brown midway through the second quarter.

It was tied at 18-all at halftime before the Lady Cats went on a mini 7-3 run to put them up 29-25 at end of the third quarter thanks to baskets from Kuhlman and Brown.

Louisburg extended its lead to six early in the fourth on a basket from sophomore McKenna Lohse, but Paola went on a mini 5-0 run to make it a one-point game.

The Lady Cats earned their living at the free throw line as two Melton free throws pushed the lead out to three. Kuhlman followed with two more and Melton added another with under 10 seconds left to seal the win.

Brueggen led the Lady Cats in scoring with 10 points, while Latham and Melton each finished with six. Kuhlman led Louisburg with five rebounds and Lohse added four in the win.

It was Melton’s play that Lane said was a difference maker for her team.

“Zyleigh played really hard out there,” Lane said. “I told her after the game that if I had a game ball she would be the one to get it. She played hard, played good defense and made some free throws at the end.”

Louisburg will try and make it three in a row Friday when it travels to Ottawa for a Frontier League matchup. Tipoff is set for 6 p.m.

LOU 8 10 11 13 — 42

PAO 10 8 7 13 — 38

LOUISBURG (3-11): Sabra Brueggen 1-5 8-8 10; Morgan Latham 3-3 0-0 6; Zyleigh Melton 1-4 4-8 6; Jillian Asher 2-5 1-2 5; Ashlyn Kuhlman 1-5 3-4 5; Ally Brown 2-2 0-0 5; McKenna Lohse 1-1 0-0 2; Shylar Whiting 1-4 0-0 2; Addy Stohs 0-1 1-2 1. Totals: 12-35 17-24 42. 3-point field goals: 1, (Brown)