Louisburg senior Megan Foote tries to call a timeout after diving on the floor for a loose ball Friday against Paola.

On a night where the offense wasn’t clicking on all cylinders, the Louisburg defense more than made up for it.

Louisburg, which hosted Paola on Senior Night, leaned on its defense as the Lady Cats held the Panthers to just three points in the fourth quarter and pulled away for a 44-26 victory over the Panthers.

It ended the Lady Cats’ regular season with a 16-4 record, which is their best finish since the 2014 season. Louisburg also has the No. 1 seed in sub-state action, but the Lady Cats wanted to make sure they ended on the right note.

“Winning Friday’s game was a goal for the girls,” Louisburg coach Adrianne Lane said. “They set this goal at the beginning of the season and they were very excited to reach that goal and finish the regular season with a win.”

It was also memorable night as the team honored seniors Brooklyn Diederich, Megan Foote, Madilyn Melton and Alyse Moore. Each of the four players played big roles in the victory.

Foote led the Lady Cats with 13 points and also had a team-high six steals to go along with five rebounds.

Melton also had a big performance for the Lady Cats as she recorded a double-double with 10 points and 12 rebounds, three assists and had two blocks.

Moore also scored in double figures with 11 points and had five rebounds and three steals, while Diederich had a team-high four assists and also had two steals.

“Seeing this group of seniors walk out on senior night was very emotional,” Lane said. “They have been big contributors to this program for several years, and they will be missed tremendously by all of us. The team’s grit and constant battle is what won the game for us on Friday, which was a great win for this group of seniors.”

Those 16 wins also have a special meaning for the four Lady Cat seniors. 

The last time they won that many games was when they were seventh-graders and finished with a perfect season, under-then coach Suzanne Reedy.

Reedy would eventually move on to become the principal at Louisburg Middle School, before her untimely passing a year ago.

So following the Lady Cats’ win, the four girls presented a framed picture of the seventh-grade team with Suzanne, to her husband, Jon. It made for an even more emotional evening.

Prior to all the ceremonies, the Lady Cats defended their home court in impressive fashion as they jumped out to a 24-13 halftime lead and never looked back.

Defensively, the Lady Cats never let Paola back in the game as they forced 27 turnovers and held the Panthers to just 22 percent shooting.

“The girls defense was great,” Lane said. “No matter what type of offensive game we are playing, our defense is always strong and the girls will battle and fight every possession. They did a great job pressing Paola and taking them out of their comfort zone.”

It is now postseason time for Louisburg as they Lady Cats are the No. 1 seed and will host No. 4 Ottawa at 7 p.m. tonight in the Class 4A sub-state semifinals.

“Our team is very excited for postseason as this is what we have been working towards all year,” Lane said. “I feel we do match up well against Ottawa and if we stay focused and play together as a team, I do think we can be successful.”

LOU 12 12 6 14 — 44

PAO 9 4 10 3 — 26

LOUISBURG (16-4): Megan Foote 2-6 7-10 13; Alyse Moore 5-7 1-2 11; Madilyn Melton 4-9 2-4 10; Jordan Mynsted 2-9 1-3 5; Delaney Wright 1-5 0-2 3; Brooklyn Diederich 0-6 1-2 1; Brianne Kuhlman 0-2 1-2 1. Totals: 14-45 13-25 44. 3-point field goals: 3, (Foote 2, Wright)

Here is the Louisburg Sports Zone Athlete of the Week for week eleven of the winter sports season, sponsored by Vohs Pharmacy.

Alyse Moore, Senior, Girls Basketball

Louisburg senior Alyse Moore put together an impressive week that also included a milestone achievement. Moore helped the Lady Cats to a 2-1 record last week as she combined for 35 points, 23 rebounds and six steals in those three games. Included in that was a 14 point and 10 rebound performance in a loss to Shawnee Mission South.

Also in that game, Moore joined an elite club in Louisburg history. She recorded her 500th career rebound against Shawnee Mission South. Moore has played a key role in helping the Lady Cats to the No. 5 ranking in Class 4A and to the No. 1 seed in sub-state.

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: Jordan Mynsted

Week 2: Julian Margrave

Week 3: Alec Younggren

Week 4: Megan Foote

Week 5: Madilyn Melton

Week 6: Michael Seuferling

Week 7: Cade Holtzen

Week 8: Ryan Owens

Week 9: Aiden Barker

Week 10: Weston Guetterman

Senior Brooklyn Diederich gets on the floor for a loose ball Thursday against Eudora.

When it came to the postseason standings, Thursday’s game with Eudora was meaningless for the Louisburg girls basketball team.

The sub-state brackets have already been set and the game was more of a formality than anything else.

But for the Lady Cats, they needed a win to get back on the winning track after losing two straight games. Louisburg had a battle on its hands with Eudora, but were able to hold on for a 41-38 victory over the Cardinals.

“We needed that big time,” Louisburg coach Adrianne Lane said. “We’ve had a couple rough losses lately and the girls really needed to get this win. Our teamwork was much better and I think you could tell in this one that we had worked on being a better team.”

Eudora showed early on just how much it wanted this game as they were on the floor for loose ball and were playing aggressive defense. The intensity seemed to catch the Lady Cats off-guard early on as the Cardinals jumped out to a 13-2 start.

Instead of backing down, the Lady Cats slowly but surely whittled away at the Eudora lead. In the second quarter, Louisburg buckled down defensively and outscored the Cardinals 11-4 and were down just one point at halftime.

Down five points going into the fourth quarter, Louisburg made one final run. Baskets from Delaney Wright and Madilyn Melton, along with free throws from Alyse Moore helped tie the game at 32-all.

Late in the fourth, Louisburg was down two until Wright drove to the basket, made the basket, was fouled and converted the old-fashioned 3-point play. 

Eudora responded with a basket of its own to take the lead back, but Moore put Louisburg up 39-38 with 1:45 left. A couple defensive stops later, Louisburg senior Megan Foote found herself at the free-throw line with 16 seconds left.

Foote converted both in the 1-in-1 opportunity to put Louisburg up three. Eudora’s Harper Schreiner hit a 3-pointer that would have tied the game, but it was after the buzzer sounded.

“I think we have matured this season and we are at the point where we can win games like this one,” Lane said. “Each person that was out there played an important role and battled every single minute they were out there. 

“I thought the rotation was good and we were able get to girls rest. It was just a battle. We are a physical team, so maybe we play better when it is that physical of a game, but I thought the girls did a great job.”

Louisburg was able to contain one of the state’s best point guards in Schriener as both Foote and Wright took turns guard the all-state guard. They held her to 3 of 19 shooting and she finished with just nine points.

“They did a great job on Harper, and I thought it kept our girls a little more fresh,” Lane said. “Once she got rid of the ball, I thought they did a good job of not letting her get it back and I think that was key for our win.”

Junior Jordan Mynsted led Louisburg in scoring with 10 points and pulled down six rebounds. Moore finished with eight points and eight rebounds, while senior Madilyn Melton and a team-high nine rebounds and two blocks.

Senior guard Brooklyn Diederich also did a good job finding opening teammates as she led the team with seven assists.

Louisburg is back in action tonight when it hosts Paola for its final regular season game, which is also Senior Night. The Lady Cats will honor their four seniors, Foote, Melton, Diederich and Moore.

“It will be emotional, but we know this will not be our last home game,” Lane said. “We are going to keep the emotions in check and remember that we still get to play more games at home this year. Those four have been playing in this program for a long time and have put a lot of minutes in on the varsity court, so I think it will be an emotional night for those girls, their parents and the rest of our team.”

LOU 7 11 7 16 — 41

EUD 15 4 11 8 — 38

LOUISBURG (15-4): Jordan Mynsted 5-9 0-0 10; Alyse Moore 4-6 0-0 8; Delaney Wright 2-6 2-3 6; Brianne Kuhlman 1-2 2-3 5; Brooklyn Diederich 2-7 0-0 5; Madilyn Melton 2-5 1-2 5; Megan Foote 0-8 2-2 2. Totals: 16-43 7-10 41. 3-point field goals: 2, (Kuhlman, Diederich)

Lady Cats lose close game to SM South

Louisburg couldn’t have asked for a better start on the road against a Class 6A program.

The Lady Cats jumped out with eight straight points to start Monday’s game at Shawnee Mission South. The rest of the contest didn’t go as smoothly.

Louisburg, which held a one-point at halftime thanks to a 3-pointer from Megan Foote at the buzzer, fell in a close game to the Raiders, 51-48.

“I thought the girls played hard and battled this entire game,” Lane said. “I felt that we did a good job running offense, but we had a hard time finishing some of our shots.”

Alyse Moore, who recorded her 500th career rebound in the first half, finished the game with a team-high 14 points and 10 rebounds. Foote also scored in double figures with 10 points.

Senior Madilyn Melton had six points, but also had 10 rebounds and a team-high three assists.

Louisburg also got a good defensive performance from junior Delaney Wright.

“I thought Delaney did a great job guarding South’s  best guard,” Lane said. “She played very hard and battled. Alyse was awesome on both sides of the ball, she was leading scorer and she did a great job rebounding and helping on defense.

LOU 10 15 10 13 — 48

SMS 8 15 13 15 — 51

LOUISBURG: Alyse Moore 6-16 2-3 14; Megan Foote 4-9 0-0 10; Madilyn Melton 3-11 0-0 6; Brianne Kuhlman 2-5 0-0 5; Brooklyn Diederich 2-8 0-2 5; Delaney Wright 1-3 2-2 4; Jordan Mynsted 1-11 2-2 4. Totals: 19-63 6-9 48. 3-point field goals: 4, (Foote 2, Kuhlman, Diederich)

Louisburg senior Alyse Moore grabbed her 500th career rebound Monday at Shawnee Mission South .

Shortly before halftime of Monday’s game at Shawnee Mission South, jogged to the huddle after a timeout was called.

Moore had just pulled down an offensive rebound and had a putback to pull Louisburg within one of the Raiders. She had no idea just how special that one rebound was.

But everyone else on the team did.

Louisburg coach Adrianne Lane called the timeout and the Shawnee Mission South announcer informed the crowd that Moore had just recorded her 500th career rebound.

“Honestly I had no clue that I was even close,” Moore said. “Brooklyn (Diederich) told me after it all happened that she had found out, but it was hard for her not to tell me. I remember my mom yelling at me to get a rebound and I was like, ‘I’m trying.’  I would have never gotten it if my teammates wouldn’t have been boxing out too, but it was a great feeling for sure.”

Moore, who had a team-high 10 rebounds in Monday’s loss to the Raiders, has been the Lady Cats’ leading rebounder this season. She is currently averaging close to nine rebounds a game and her teammates were happy to see her recognized for her hard work.

“When Alyse got her 500th rebound I called time out and I told her and she was very surprised and humbled,” Lane said. “The team was super excited for her. Alyse achieving this milestone is amazing, she works so hard and is such a great leader for our team.”

It is those rebounds, and work on the inside, that sometimes go overlooked. However, Moore has made a living underneath the basket as she has already eclipsed her rebounding total from last season with one regular season game and postseason remaining.

“For rebounding, the main thing is just giving it your 100 percent all the time and having a team back you up, knowing they are going to be boxing out as well,” Moore said. “I have had people ask me before why I don’t score as much, but honestly that is not my main focus. I would much rather score my points playing good defense and getting rebounds.”

It is not like she doesn’t score. Moore has recorded numerous double-doubles on the season, including a 14 point and 10 rebound effort in her milestone game Monday and is currently averaging seven points a game.

Although the record is nice, the Louisburg senior is more concerned with her team and knows she is fortunate she gets to play in her final year.

“I am just so thankful for this year,” Moore said. “I am definitely going to remember this year the most out of the four years I have played and I feel like this is the cherry on top. I am just thankful that I have gotten the opportunity to play.”

Louisburg junior Jordan Mynsted tries to get a shot up past the Piper defense Friday in the Lady Cats’ 48-35 loss.

With the Frontier League championship on the line, the Louisburg girls basketball team hosted Piper in one of its biggest games of the year. 

The two teams were tied atop the league standings with just one loss, and with just a couple games left on the schedule, one had a chance to be in the driver’s seat.

Unfortunately for the Lady Cats, that team was Piper. The Pirates held Louisburg to just five points in the fourth quarter and handed the Lady Cats a 48-35 loss, in a game that was closer than the score indicated.

“The girls were very sad after our loss to Piper,” Louisburg coach Adrianne Lane said. “I felt like the girls were playing not to lose rather than playing to win. I thought they played hard the entire game, and we will get better from playing a team that pressures like Piper did.”

It was a close game throughout, but the Pirate defense turned out to be the difference in the game. Piper pressured the Lady Cats the entire night and made it difficult for Louisburg to get in a rhythm offensively.

Piper finished the game with 13 steals and scored 13 points off those turnovers.

“Piper’s pressure was the most we had seen all year,” Lane said. “They pressed us pretty much the whole game and their pressure did throw us off of our normal game. We had a hard time setting up offense and getting offenses ran. They also did a great job of guarding our 3-point shooters.”

Louisburg played some of defense of its own as Piper struggled to score as it shot just 26 percent for the game. The Lady Cats played their best in the third quarter.

Trailing 27-21 at halftime, Louisburg held Piper to just three points in the third quarter and took a one point lead thanks to five straight points from Megan Foote, free throws from Alyse Moore and a basket by Jordan Mynsted.

The Pirates tied the game going into the fourth quarter, and with under three minutes left, Louisburg trailed by just three points. From there, Piper went on an 8-0 run to end the game and stayed atop the league standings.

“I thought in the fourth quarter we got down after Piper hit a couple of buckets, and we did not recover from that,” Lane said. 

Senior Madilyn Melton helped keep the Lady Cats in the game as she finished with a team-high 13 points and had eight rebounds.

Moore also had a strong game as she recorded a double-double with 10 points and 13 rebounds to go along with three assists.

LOU 12 9 9 5 — 35

PIP 12 15 3 18 — 48

LOUISBURG (14-3): Madilyn Melton 5-12 3-4 13; Alyse Moore 3-10 4-4 10; Megan Foote 2-9 0-1 5; Jordan Mynsted 2-10 0-0 4; Brooklyn Diederich 1-3 0-0 3. Totals: 13-50 7-9 35. 3-point field goals: 2, (Diederich, Foote)

Lady Cats roll Fort Scott

FORT SCOTT — It was one of those nights where Louisburg could do no wrong from behind the 3-point line.

The Lady Cats knocked down 11 3-point shots and helped them to a 58-24 rout of Fort Scott on Thursday at Fort Scott High School.

In fact, Louisburg made as many three’s as it did 2-point shots as the Lady Cats were able to effectively attack the Fort Scott zone all night.

“The girls’ teamwork was great, they played together and battled the entire game,” Louisburg coach Adrianne Lane said. “I was so proud of all the girls and how hard they played. I love the confidence the girls have. They are not afraid to shoot the 3 and it really paid off.”

After a close first quarter, the Lady Cats really took off as they outscored Fort Scott 20-2 in the second quarter and went into halftime with a 19-point lead.

Louisburg, which forced 18 turnovers, held the Tigers to just 10 second half points and were able to force a running clock in the fourth quarter.

Nine different players scored for the Lady Cats and they were led by 13 points from Megan Foote, who connected on four 3-pointers. Foote also handed out a team-high seven assists.

Junior Jordan Mynsted finished with 11 points, while senior Brooklyn Diederich knocked down three 3-pointers and finished with nine points.

Seniors Madilyn Melton and Alyse Moore led the team in rebounding with eight and seven, respectively.

LOU 13 20 14 11 — 58

FS 12 2 7 3 — 24

LOUISBURG: Megan Foote 4-8 1-2 13; Jordan Mynsted 5-10 1-2 11; Brooklyn Diederich 3-6 0-0 9; Brianne Kuhlman 3-5 0-2 8; Madilyn Melton 3-6 0-0 6; Alyse Moore 1-3 1-6 3; Delaney Wright 1-4 0-0 3; Emma Lohse 1-2 0-0 3; Adyson Ross 1-4 0-0 2. Totals: 22-53 3-12 58. 3-point field goals: 11, (Foote 4, Diederich 3, Kuhlman 2, Lohse, Wright)

Louisburg senior Brooklyn Diederich knocks down one of her three 3-pointers on the night Thursday as she helped the Lady Cats to an 18-point win over Spring Hill.

SPRING HILL — It has been a memorable season so far for the Louisburg girls basketball team.

The Lady Cats had just two losses through 14 games going into last week, but they had the opportunity to avenge one of those setbacks Thursday when they traveled to Spring Hill.

Louisburg fell by double digits to the Broncos earlier this season, but the Lady Cats returned the favor with one of their more complete performances of the season. 

They hit seven 3-pointers and took a nine-point halftime lead and the Lady Cats never looked back in a 61-43 victory over Spring Hill.

“The girls for sure wanted revenge from earlier in the season, and beating Spring Hill was one of our goals going into the season,” Louisburg coach Adrianne Lane said. “So beating them felt like a huge accomplishment.

“I felt like the girls played a complete game against Spring Hill. We have played a lot of good quarters throughout the season, but I thought this game was our most consistent game so far this year. They played so hard and battled the entire game.”

In the previous meeting, the Lady Cats (13-2) had trouble cracking the Spring Hill zone and the Broncos made it difficult on them to score.

That wasn’t a problem this time around as Louisburg knocked down seven 3-pointers to loosen up the Spring Hill defense and the Lady Cats were also able to score inside. 

Defense was also key for Louisburg as it limited Spring Hill’s looks at the basket and held the Broncos to just 19 second half points.

“Our defense was much better this game, and I thought it got better throughout the game as well,” Lane said. “We worked very hard as a team, helped each other, and communicated very well. Also being 7 of 11 from the 3-point line doesn’t hurt.

“Our outside shooting was fantastic, we got great looks because we moved the ball so well and we played inside-outside basketball. I felt like we did a great job of not forcing shots and knowing when we were open.”

Seniors Megan Foote and Brooklyn Diederich were accurate from the outside as Foote was 4-for-4 from the 3-point line, while Diederich was 3-for-5. Foote also finished with a game-high 19 points

The Lady Cats were able to get a lot from their inside game as well as senior Madilyn Melton was second on the team in scoring with 18 points and had seven rebounds, five blocks, four assists and two steals. Melton also had to guard Spring Hill’s top inside player in Ali Frank. 

“Megan and Brooklyn were on fire from the 3-point line,” Lane said. “They both have been working so hard in practice with their shooting, so I was so happy their hard work paid off against Spring Hill. Madilyn also played so great. She ran the floor and she guarded Ali Frank so well. She played great on both sides of the basketball.”

Senior Alyse Moore was big for the Lady Cats on the glass as she recorded a team-high 10 rebounds, while junior Jordan Mynsted had 11 points and five rebounds.

Louisburg got out to a fast start after jumping out to a 13-3 advantage to begin the game, but Spring Hill ended the first quarter with an 11-2 run to get back in it. 

The Lady Cats came right back with an 18-point second quarter and took a 33-24 halftime lead. It would be more than enough for the Lady Cats as they pulled away in the second half.

Weather has played a factor in the Lady Cats’ schedule this week as today’s game with Eudora was postponed and was rescheduled for Feb. 25.

As for the rest of this week, the Lady Cats will travel to Fort Scott on Thursday for a makeup game before hosting Piper on Friday in a Frontier League matchup.

LOU 15 18 12 16 — 61

SH 14 10 10 9 — 43

LOUISBURG (13-2): Megan Foote 6-7 3-4 19; Madilyn Melton 8-11 2-5 18; Jordan Mynsted 3-9 5-6 11; Brooklyn Diederich 3-6 0-0 9; Alyse Moore 1-2 0-2 2; Brianne Kuhlman 1-4 0-2 2. Totals: 22-39 10-21 61. 3-point field goals: 7, (Foote 4, Diederich 3)

Senior Alyse Moore goes up for a basket and was fouled Friday during the Lady Cats’ homecoming game against Ottawa.

It was starting to slip away.

Louisburg, which had as big as a 10-point lead over Ottawa on Friday, all of a sudden found itself behind it what was a physical contest between the two Frontier League schools.

Ottawa scored nine straight points in the fourth quarter to take a one-point lead midway through the period. The Lady Cats’ offense was in the middle of a rut – that was until Alyse Moore and Delaney Wright helped get them out of it.

Moore scored a basket, and then Wright nailed a 3-pointer with under three minutes left and that was all the Lady Cats needed to get them going again in a 47-39 victory on homecoming at Louisburg High School.

“Ottawa was super physical,” Louisburg coach Adrianne Lane said They got hands on several of our passes and shots that we put up. I felt like they took us out of our game because they were so physical. This win was big. I think it showed the girls that we can still win even though we are not playing our best.”

After Moore ended Ottawa’s 9-0 run with a basket midway through the fourth, Wright perhaps hit the biggest shot of the night on a 3-pointer from the corner to put Louisburg up four with 2 minutes and 50 seconds remaining. It was her first basket of the night.

That four-point lead seemed like a big mountain to climb for the Cyclones on a night in which both teams struggled to score.

“Delaney’s 3-point basket in the fourth quarter was huge,” Lane said. “I was super proud of Delaney and her fight. Hitting that three gave our team the confidence we needed to finish this game with a win.”

The Lady Cats (12-2) were able to end the game strong as they finished on a 13-4 run, including six makes at the free-throw line and a big offensive rebound and put back by junior Jordan Mynsted.

Senior Brooklyn Diederich helped loosen up the Ottawa defense early on in the game as she knocked down three 3-pointers and led Louisburg with nine points on the night.

Both teams were aggressive defensively, but the Lady Cats were effective as they forced 24 Cyclone turnovers and turned those into 26 points. Louisburg also recorded 22 steals.

“I cannot say enough about how tough the girls are on defense,” Lane said. “We played man to man, 1-3-1 (zone) and we pressed during this game and every defense we ran the girls played hard and battled every possession.”

Moore also finished with a team-high nine points for the Lady Cats, but also tied with a team-high six rebounds along with Wright. 

Senior Megan Foote finished with eight points, but also had a team-high five steals. Fellow senior Madilyn Melton finished with seven points and sophomore guard Brianne Kuhlman was second on the team with four steals.

The Lady Cats will now prepare to avenge one of their two losses on the season as they travel to Spring Hill on Thursday for a Frontier League matchup.

“I am very happy with where we are right now in the season,” Lane said. “I feel like we are getting better each game and I think we will continue to get better as we continue through the season. The girls work very hard in practice and they are focused on winning and becoming a better team. 

“Finishing the regular season strong will be super important to us for our team morale and confidence as we head into the postseason.”

LOU 9 7 13 18 — 47

OTT 12 3 9 15 — 39

LOUISBURG (12-2): Brooklyn Diederich 3-10 0-0 9; Alyse Moore 3-4 3-9 9; Megan Foote 1-6 6-8 8; Madilyn Melton 2-9 3-4 7; Jordan Mynsted 2-6 2-3 6; Delaney Wright 1-6 1-2 4; Brianne Kuhlman 1-5 2-2 4. Totals: 13-46 17-29 47. 3-point field goals: (Diederich 3, Wright)

Louisburg senior Madilyn Melton drives the lane during Tuesday’s contest at Paola High School. Melton finished with a game-high 18 points.

PAOLA — Defense was on full display for Louisburg during Tuesday’s rivalry game at Paola High School.

Louisburg, which was fresh off a frustrating loss to Nemaha Central in the championship game of the Top Gun Tournament, took its frustrations out on Paola. The Lady Cats smothered the Panthers from the start of the second quarter and never looked back.

The Lady Cats forced 33 Paola turnovers and used its defense to pull away for a 54-32 victory. Louisburg, the No. 5 team in Class 4A, is now 11-2 on the season.

“The girls were very excited to play Paola,” Louisburg coach Adrianne Lane said. “They wanted to win and I thought it showed in our play. Having all 3 teams (varsity, JV and freshman) beat Paola was very exciting for our program.”

The Lady Cats held a 10-6 lead after the end of the first quarter, but Paola got even worse news as it also lost starter Kate Ediger to an ankle injury that kept her out the rest of the game. 

With a thin Paola bench already, Louisburg took advantage as it pressed the Panthers the rest of the way, which led to the 33 turnovers. The Lady Cats then turned those Panther mistakes into 28 points and held Paola to a combined 14 points in the second and third quarters.

“Our defense against Paola was key,” Lane said. “We pressed pretty much the whole game, but I felt like it all came together at the end of the second quarter and beginning of the third quarter. We had several steals and easy baskets to put us ahead. I thought we did a great job playing as a team and trusting our teammates.”

Louisburg actually found itself down a point early in the second quarter, but the Lady Cats used their defense to go on a 16-0 run to end the first half and go into halftime with a 28-13 lead.

The third quarter was much of the same as the Lady Cats opened the second half on a 13-2 run to help put the game away.

Senior Madilyn Melton had a big game inside for Louisburg as she finished with a game-high 18 points and also had seven rebounds and two blocks.

Junior Jordan Mynsted had a big game on both sides of the ball as she finished in double figures with 12 points, but also had a team-high nine steals. 

Seniors Megan Foote and Alyse Moore added eight points each, while Foote added six rebounds, five assists and five steals to her line. Moore was also active with four steals of her own.

Louisburg was able to empty its bench at the same time and watched as sophomores Emma Lohse and Emma Prettyman both scored. Prettyman shot a long jumper toward the end that brought the Lady Cat bench out of their chairs.

“I love how excited the girls get for each other,” Lane said. “The definition of team really showed on Tuesday through our play and excitement on the bench.”

The Lady Cats will try and make it back-to-back wins tonight when they host Ottawa for homecoming. Tipoff is set for 6 p.m.

LOU 10 18 13 13 – 54

PAO 6 7 7 12 – 32 

LOUISBURG (11-2): Madilyn Melton 7-9 4-4 18; Jordan Mynsted 4-12 4-4 12; Alyse Moore 3-10 2-2 8; Megan Foote 3-8 1-1 8; Brianne Kuhlman 1-4 1-2 3; Emma Lohse 0-0 2-2 2; Emma Prettyman 1-3 0-0 2; Delaney Wright 0-3 1-4 1. Totals: 19-56 15-19 54. 3-point field goals: 1, (Foote)

This year’s 2021 Louisburg High School winter homecoming candidates are (from left) Sydney Thornton, Alec Younggren, Olivia Barber, Luke Faulkner, Brooklyn Diederich, Dawson Barnes, Madilyn Melton and Ben 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 2021 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 Ottawa. 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 if you can get your hands on tickets.

Olivia Barber

Olivia is the daughter of Adam and Angie Barber. Olivia has participated in soccer for four years, National Honor Society, Interact Club and forensics for two years and FBLA, cheerleading and FCCLA for one year. After graduation, Olivia plans to attend the University of Kansas and major in biology.

Luke Faulkner

Luke is the son of Brad Faulkner and Cindy Faulkner. Luke has participated in track for four years, soccer and yearbook for three years, FBLA for two years, and cross country and Interact Club for one year. Following graduation, Luke plans to attend Cowley Community College and pursue his track career.

Sydney Thornton

Sydney is the daughter of Shawn and Megan Thornton. Sydney has participated in choir and FFA for four years, been the boys basketball manager for three years, softball for two years and student council for one year. Following graduation, Sydney plans to attend the University of Central Missouri to major in nursing and then plans to attend medical school to become an OB/GYN.

Alec Younggren

Alec is the son of Jason and Monica Younggren. Alec has participated in football for four years and wrestling for four years. Following graduation, Alec will attend Fort Hays State University on a football scholarship and major in construction management.

Madilyn Melton

Madilyn is the daughter of Andy and Meghan Melton. Madilyn has participated in basketball for four years, volleyball for one year and band for one year. Following graduation, Madilyn will attend Benedictine College on a basketball scholarship with the goal of becoming a dermatologist.

Ben Guetterman

Ben is the son of Ted and Lisa Guetterman. Ben has played basketball for four years, been a member of FFA for four years and played football for two years. Ben is currently undecided on his post-high school plans.

Brooklyn Diederich

Brooklyn is the daughter of Derek and Jenny Diederich. Brooklyn has participated in basketball and softball for four years, FBLA for three years and Interact Club and FFA for one year. Following graduation, Brooklyn will attend Neosho County Community College on a basketball scholarship and major in occupational therapy.

Dawson Barnes

Dawson is the son of Rick and Cindy Barnes. Dawson has participated in basketball for four years, been a part of the football, volleyball and soccer student section for four years, baseball for one year and cross country for one year. Following graduation, Dawson plans to attend the University of Kansas and study psychology.

Louisburg senior Megan Foote recently signed her letter of intent to play basketball at Kansas Wesleyan.

When Megan Foote thinks back on her young life, there have been few constants that have been there like basketball.

Playing in her final season with the Louisburg High School program, Foote wasn’t ready to have that love leave her just yet.

On Jan. 20, in front of family of friends, Foote saw her dream of playing college basketball become a reality. She signed her letter of intent to join the Kansas Wesleyan program.

“I was extremely happy and relieved for the day to finally come that I could sign to Kansas Wesleyan,” Foote said. “The recruitment process is very stressful and I had many options to weigh. It means everything to me to be able to continue playing basketball, as it has been my dream for as long as I can remember.”

Picking a future home was tough for Foote to decide on, but once she made her visit to the Salina campus, Foote was wowed with what she saw and loved her conversation with head coach Ryan Showman.

“What stood out most to me at Kansas Wesleyan was the coaching staff and coaching style,” Foote said. “When I stepped on campus I immediately felt at home. Coach Showman and Jenkins made me feel welcomed right away.

“The community there is wonderful as well and in a wonderful place in Kansas. Their facilities were great as well. It was a pretty easy decision for me to make. The first time I visited campus, I wanted to call Coach Showman and verbally commit right away.”

Foote is joining a Coyote program that has experienced a lot of success in recent years.

Kansas Wesleyan, under Showman, captured the school’s first KCAC regular season league title last season, finishing with a 21-3 conference record. The Coyotes were 26-6 on the season and made their second straight NAIA National Championships. They won their first game of the tournament before it was halted due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Foote says Showman, who has coached the Coyotes since 2012, will give her an opportunity to compete for playing time when she arrives on campus.

“The Kansas Wesleyan program fits me perfectly,” Foote said. “Coach Showman is a very relaxed and family-oriented man. He knows how to coach girls basketball, as he never loses his cool and respects his players. Kansas Wesleyan is a program that builds through their JV program. Most of their players start on JV and work their way up to varsity, but if a player is ready for varsity their freshman year, Showman is not afraid to play them. 

“They like to play pressure defense and work the ball outstandingly well. They don’t have just one star player, they have girls all around that contribute. Showman is the type of coach that will change his system to adapt to his personal. He studies his players well and knows what will put them in a winning position. I am excited to get on campus and show that I belong.”

The Louisburg senior is off and running in her final year with the Lady Cats as she has helped them to an 11-2 start to the season.

Foote has averaged eight points a game through 13 contests to go along with five rebounds, four assists and three steals a game.

“We’re excited about Megan joining our program,” Showman said. “She is a smart defender who plays extremely hard every possession. I love her ability to score at all 3 levels on offense. What I like most though, is that Megan gets the job done in the classroom and is a leader who makes her teammates better. That will translate within our program. We’re excited to get Megan to campus to start working with her.”

Foote has spent 11 years playing the game she loves and she has had a lot of help along the way and she know she couldn’t have done it without them.

“It has always been a huge dream of mine to play basketball in college,” Foote said. “I can’t thank my coaches, Andy Melton, Jenny Diederich, Mario Washington, Jim Foote, Coach (Adrianne) Lane, John Ozier, and Suzanne Reedy enough for installing the love of the game in me. They have made me into the person and player I am today.”

As as excited as she is to get to college, Foote is looking forward to seeing what the rest of this season brings and she is hoping her Lady Cats, under head coach Adrianne Lane, can make a deep run.

“This season has been unreal,” Foote said. “From everything my team and I have endured the past couple of seasons, especially last, we have proved everyone wrong. No one except for us, our parents, and coaches believed we could do as well as we are right now. And the best part is that we aren’t nearly done yet. I can’t say enough about Coach Lane and everything she has done for me. She truly brought back the joy and happiness I once lost for basketball, while also making me into a more efficient player. 

“The Louisburg program has not only helped grow me into the player I am, but also the person I am. I have learned to stand up for myself and my teammates. I also learned that what matters most is that we as a team have each other’s backs and will always fight for each other no matter the score or cause. Basketball is much more than who can score the most, it’s a family atmosphere and the Louisburg program has taught me that.”