BONNER SPRINGS — It has been a rough start to the season for the Louisburg girls basketball team and the schedule hasn’t done it many favors.

Going into Thursday’s game at Bonner Springs, the Wildcats had just played three straight ranked teams and were still looking for their first win of the season.

Despite getting off a to a good start, the Wildcats will be looking for that elusive win after the new year. Bonner Springs came to life offensively in the second half and pulled away to hand Louisburg a 49-37 loss.

“We gave Bonner a great fight,” Louisburg coach Adrianne Lane said. “We played even with them the first half, and the girls did a great job rebounding and running offense. The second half their size did hurt us on the defensive boards.”

The Wildcats (0-5) got out to a good start as they led 9-6 after the first quarter and the two teams were all tied up at 17-all at halftime.

Bonner Springs asserted itself in the second half as it scored 17 points in the third quarter. The Braves then went on a 15-6 run to begin the fourth quarter and never looked back.

Louisburg senior Sabra Brueggen led the Wildcats with eight points on the night and senior Sami Lane finished with seven. 

Junior Morgan Latham had five points and a team-high seven rebounds, while sophomore Kinley Scott provided the Wildcats with some solid minutes in the absence of McKenna Lohse ,who was out with an illness. Scott finished with five points.

“Kinley did a great job for us,” coach Lane said. “She played hard and was not afraid to go to the basket. She got fouled several times and she made several free throws. I was very proud of her effort.”

Seniors Ally Brown, Jillian Asher and sophomore Maddie Yoder each had a team-high three assists.

Louisburg will open the 2025 part of their schedule on the road when it travels to Harrisonville (Mo.) on Jan. 7.

LOU 9 8 11 9 — 37

BON 6 11 17 15 — 49

LOUISBURG (0-5): Sabra Brueggen 8, Sami Lane 7, Morgan Latham 5, Kinley Scott 5, Ashlyn Kuhlman 4, Maddie Yoder 3, Jillian Asher 3, Shylar Whiting 2. 

Louisburg fall to No. 8 Baldwin

Louisburg faced its third ranked team in as many games on Dec. 17, and unfortunately for the Wildcats, the results was the same as the other two.

The Wildcats hosted No. 8 Baldwin and fell short in a 52-41 loss in their final home game of 2024.

“Baldwin is a great team,” coach Lane said. “They are quick and do a great job getting to the basket. The girls battled with them. We did a good job getting the ball inside and finishing in the lane.”

Baldwin got out to a quick start as it scored 17 points in the first quarter, but the Wildcats were able to cut it to four midway through the second and trailed just 27-20 at halftime.

The Bulldogs built a 16-point lead in the third quarter and the Wildcats couldn’t muster enough offense to get back in it. 

Baldwin scored 13 points off 15 Louisburg turnovers and were able to get to the basket as it scored 26 of its 52 points in the paint.

Senior Jillian Asher kept the Wildcats in it offensively as she led Louisburg with 15 points on the night, including three 3-pointers. 

Junior Morgan Latham also did a lot of the work on the inside as she called eight points and a team-high nine rebounds. 

LOU 9 11 10 11 — 41

BAL 17 10 15 10 — 52

LOUISBURG: Jillian Asher 5-9 2-2 15; Morgan Latham 4-7 0-0 8; Ashlyn Kuhlman 2-8 1-4 5; McKenna Lohse 1-4 2-2 4; Ally Brown 2-5 0-0 4; Sami Lane 1-9 0-0 2; Addy Stohs 1-1 0-0 2; Sabra Brueggen 0-2 1-2 1. Totals: 16-46 6-10 41. 3-point field goals: 3, (Asher 3) 

The Louisburg girls basketball team has a tough early schedule and the Wildcats played their second ranked team in as many games Friday when they hosted No. 6 Wamego.

Louisburg stayed within striking distance in the first half, but the Wildcats couldn’t keep up as Wamego used a big second half to pull away and hand Louisburg a 61-37 loss.

“Wamego was a great team,” Louisburg coach Adrianne Lane said. “They play super aggressive and they do a great job going and getting loose balls and rebounds. I thought this was the best we had played as a team. We did a great job playing our roles and executing the new defense.”

The Wildcats’ new defense was to slow down Wamego’s all-state point guard, Lexi Hecht. For much of the game, seniors Shylar Whiting and Jillian Asher were assigned to shadow her at all times.

Although Hecht scored 11 points, she was 4-for-19 from the field and the two Wildcat defenders did their best to not give her open looks. The Wildcats also held Wamego to 32 percent from the floor.

“Shylar and Jill did a great job slowing down their point guard and the entire team did a great job running a new defense and executing,” Lane said. “They all helped on (Hecht) when Shylar and Jill were getting screened as well. Overall great defensive performance for the girls.”

Turnovers haunted the Wildcats as they committed 32 for the game and Wamego turned those into 24 points, which turned out to be a big difference in the game.

Louisburg (0-3) stayed with Wamego in the first half as it trailed by just five in the first quarter and 25-16 at halftime.

The second half, the Red Raiders were able to pull away as they outscored Louisburg, 36-21, in the second half and left the Wildcats still looking for that first win.

Junior Morgan Latham paced the Wildcats on the inside with a strong performance as she had a team-high 14 points and nine rebounds, just missing a double-double. 

Senior Ashlyn Kuhlman was right behind her with eight points and eight rebounds, while senior Sami Lane and junior McKenna Lohse had four rebounds. Senior Ally Brown had a team-high three assists and two steals. 

Louisburg will try for that first win today as the Wildcats host Baldwin in a Frontier League matchup. Tipoff is set for 6 p.m.

LOU 6 10 10 11 — 37

WAM 11 14 16 20 — 61

LOUISBURG (0-3): Morgan Latham 4-6 6-10 14; Ashlyn Kuhlman 3-14 0-0 8; McKenna Lohse 2-2 0-0 4; Shylar Whiting 2-5 0-2 4; Jillian Asher 1-3 0-0 3; Sami Lane 0-3 2-2 2; Kinley Scott 0-2 2-2 2. Totals: 12-36 10-16 37. 3-point field goals: 3, (Kuhlman 2, Asher)

OTTAWA — Going on the road against a ranked team is always a challenge, but the Louisburg girls basketball team more than held its own Tuesday in Ottawa. 

The Wildcats found themselves down just a point midway through the fourth quarter, but No. 8 Ottawa put together a big run late in the contest to hand Louisburg a 52-45 loss.

Ottawa went on a mini 9-3 run in the final four minutes of the contest to pull away from the Wildcats as it took advantage of some Louisburg mistakes. 

“Overall we played hard and battled against Ottawa,” Louisburg coach Adrianne Lane said. “They are a great team, fast, and they know the game of basketball. We fought to be in the game with them till the very end. Our defense played well, we gave them a couple different looks and I thought the girls did a good job running different defenses.”

Louisburg got out to a good start as it led 10-7 after the first quarter, but the Cyclones battled back to outscore Louisburg 16-11 in the second quarter to take a 2-point halftime lead.

Ottawa pushed its lead to six in the third quarter, but a 3-pointer from Ally Brown right before the end of the quarter cut the Cyclone lead to 3. 

The Cyclones pushed its lead back out to seven in the fourth, but the Wildcats came back again. Senior Ashlyn Kuhlman knocked in a 3-pointer to make it a 39-35 deficit for Louisburg.

Ottawa got the lead back to six, but Kuhlman hit a runner with just over three minutes left and junior McKenna Lohse converted a 3-point play to make it a 43-42 game with 2:50 remaining.

Unfortunately, the Cyclones took advantage of some offensive rebounds and Wildcat turnovers to finish with a 9-3 run.

Mistakes haunted the Wildcats as they committed 27 turnovers, which led to 22 Ottawa points. The Cyclones also pulled down 22 offensive rebounds.

Despite that, the Wildcats shot 46 percent from the floor, which was able to keep them in the game.

“Our turnovers and giving up second chances hurt us down the stretch,” Lane said. “We did a good job finishing in the lane when we did break the press.”

Lohse had a big night for the Wildcats inside as she recorded a double-double. The Louisburg junior finished with 11 points and 11 rebounds and also had two blocks.

Kuhlman led the Wildcat scoring with 12 points and also had two blocked shots. Senior Jillian Asher finished just short of double figures with nine points and three assists.

Senior Shylar Whiting paced Louisburg with five assists, while senior Sami Lane was second on the team with four rebounds. Junior Morgan Latham and Brown each finished with five points.

Louisburg will face off with its second ranked team in as many games tonight as the Wildcats host No. 6 Wamego. Tipoff is set for 6 p.m.

LOU 10 11 11 13 — 45

OTT 7 16 12 18 — 52

LOUISBURG (0-2): Ashlyn Kuhlman 5-11 0-0 12; McKenna Lohse 5-11 1-1 11; Jillian Asher 3-4 1-2 9; Morgan Latham 2-5 1-2 5; Ally Brown 2-3 0-0 5; Shylar Whiting 1-2 1-1 3. Totals: 18-39 4-6 45. 3-point field goals: 5, (Asher 2, Kuhlman 2, Brown)

The Louisburg girls basketball team found itself just minutes away from getting a win Friday in its season opener against Tonganoxie.

Louisburg had seven-point lead with just over three minutes left in the contest, but the Chieftains took advantage of some Wildcat turnovers and second-chance opportunities to hand Louisburg a 44-42 loss.

“That was a super tough loss,” Louisburg coach Adrianne Lane said. “The girls have been working so hard and they really wanted that win.”

The Chieftains went on an 13-4 run to end the game as it earned points at the free-throw line and on offensive rebounds to key the comeback.

A big part to that comeback to for Tonganoxie was its point guard, Alyssa Schoeneck. The Chieftain junior scored a game-high 16 points as she keyed the late game run.

“We needed to do a better job rebounding,” Lane said. “We allowed Tongie so many second chances and it really hurt us in the fourth quarter. Tongie’s point guard was super quick and she was hard for us to guard. The posts did a great job helping in the lane.”

It was a back and forth contest throughout as Tonganoxie took an early 12-6 after the first quarter, but the Wildcats responded in a big way as they outscored the Chieftains 12-4 in the second and took a 2-point halftime lead.

The Chieftains led by one after the third quarter, but the Wildcats went on a run to start the fourth. Ashlyn Kuhlman began by hitting a jumper, and then back-to-back layups by Jillian Asher put the Wildcats up five.

After a couple free throws by Tonganoxie, Louisburg senior Sami Lane knocked in a 3-pointer to put the Wildcats back up 37-31. McKenna Lohse knocked in a free throw to make it 38-31 with 3:29 left in the game.

Tonganoxie went on a 6-0 run to tie it and ended in a lay-in from Schoeneck. Louisburg senior Ally Brown gave the Wildcats the lead back on jumper with 1:30 left in the game, but Schoeneck responded with a 3-point play to put the Chieftains right back up and that is where they would stay.

Kuhlman led the Wildcats in scoring as she finished with 15 points to go along with eight rebounds and six blocked shots. Asher and senior Shylar Whiting each finished with six points for the Wildcats.

Lohse led Louisburg with nine rebounds to go along with a team-high four assists. Senior Sabra Brueggen finished with six rebounds.

It was a tough shooting night for the Wildcats as they were just 28 percent from the field and 6-for-14 from the free-throw line. However, the Wildcats were able to battle through that.

“Overall I felt like the girls played hard,” coach Lane said. “They did not quit and they fought back after getting behind in the first quarter. I also thought the girls did a great job playing together.”

Louisburg will try and bounce back tonight as the Wildcats travel to Ottawa for a Frontier League matchup. Tipoff is set for 6 p.m.

LOU 6 12 10 14 — 42

TONG 12 4 13 15 — 44

LOUISBURG (0-1): Ashlyn Kuhlman 6-19, 1-4 15; Jillian Asher 3-4 0-0 6; Shylar Whiting 1-6 3-4 6; Morgan Latham 2-5 0-0 4; McKenna Lohse 1-4 1-2 3; Sami Lane 1-2 0-0 3; Ally Brown 1-8 1-2 3; Addy Stohs 1-4 0-0 2. Totals: 16-50 6-14 42. 3-point field goals: 4, (Kuhlman 2, Whiting, Lane)

It was a learning year for the Louisburg girls basketball team last season.

With no returning varsity players and a roster with no seniors, the Wildcats were forced to grow up fast. After a tough start to the year, the Wildcats saw improvements in the final half.

Although Louisburg finished with six wins on the year, five of those came in the month of February .

Now for the 2024-25 campaign, the Wildcats all of sudden have a lot of varsity experience and a roster filled with seven seniors.

“It is very nice to have all the girls back from last year,” Louisburg coach Adrianne Lane said. “We had a great summer and off-season and I think they are very excited to get another opportunity this season.”

The Wildcats will have a good amount of depth this season as they bring back a pair of all-league honorees. 

Senior Ashlyn Kuhlman was an honorable mention player last season as she led Louisburg with eight points a game, including a team-high 29 3-pointers. The Wildcat guard also led the team in rebounds with 98 and blocked shots with 45.

Another senior, Sami Lane, also returns after being named to the All-Frontier League defensive team a year ago. 

Senior guards Jillian Asher, Shylar Whiting and Ally Brown will all see time on the wing, and Asher returns as the team’s primary ball-handler. Sophomore Maddie Yoder, who saw limited minutes a season ago as a freshman, could also see time on the varsity level.

Sabra Brueggen and Addy Stohs, a pair of senior forwards, will also see a lot of time underneath the baskets. They will be joined by juniors Morgan Latham and McKenna Lohse, who both saw a lot of varsity minutes as sophomores.

“I think our experience will be a strength this year and our depth,” coach Lane said. “We have several girls who will get minutes on the varsity team.

“I feel that we have a great balance of posts and guards, and we have been working really hard on our inside-outside game. The girls have been working great together and I do feel like we will have some success playing inside-outside.”

There will also be a little change to the schedule from a year ago. The Wildcats will play every Frontier League team twice, in a league that currently has two teams ranked in the top 10 of Class 4A in Ottawa and Eudora, along with a strong Class 5A program in Spring Hill.

It is a difficult slate of games for the Wildcats, including three in a row to begin the season — at Ottawa, home to No. 6 Wamego and home to Baldwin. Louisburg opens its season Friday at home against Tonganoxie.

“Our league will be super tough this season, but I do think we will be able to compete with all the teams,” coach Lane said. “I feel our game play has improved since last year and I am super excited to see how we play as a team.”

The Wildcats traveled to Piper on Monday for a preseason jamboree with Shawnee Mission West, and were able to shake some of the preseason rust off. Lane liked what she saw from her team during that and in practice.

“Practice has been going great this year,” Lane said. “The girls work very hard every day. We ask a lot out of them and I feel they have really stepped up this year and are giving their best each day.”

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)