Louisburg junior Ashley Branine leaps through the air to save a ball from going out of bounds Tuesday at home against Eudora.

It wasn’t the prettiest game for Louisburg on Tuesday, but the end result was exactly what the Lady Cats were looking for.

Louisburg overcame a tough shooting night, but the Lady Cats held off Eudora for a 38-35 victory over the Cardinals at Louisburg High School. The win moves the Lady Cats, who are currently ranked No. 6 in Class 4A, to 6-0 on the season.

“I am very proud of them,” Louisburg coach Adrianne Lane said of her team. “This one was a hard one for us. I feel that we struggled with matchups all night, who we were guarding and weak side help. For them to pull this out, they did a really good job.”

It was the first game back from the holiday break for both teams and the Lady Cats had to shake off a little rust. Louisburg shot 35 percent from the field, but just 2-for-17 from 3-point range.

Those two 3-point makes were big ones, however.

Eudora opened the second half on a 12-4 run, before senior Adyson Ross knocked down a 3-pointer at the buzzer to give Louisburg a 29-28 lead going into the fourth quarter.

Senior Delanie Tally provided the Lady Cats with another big basket late in the fourth. Tally hit a 3-pointer from the corner to put Louisburg up 36-33 with 1:45 left in the game.

“They didn’t give up and that was a great thing to see,” Lane said. “We have to keep shooting and I encourage the girls to keep doing so, even if they are missing. We came up with some big shots there in the second half and it was nice to see those go in.”

Eudora cut the Louisburg lead to one on the next possession and had the opportunity to take the lead with under 20 seconds left in the game. Louisburg’s Ashley Branine and Ava Baker trapped Eudora’s Sawyer Schreiner and forced a travel with three seconds left.

Ross would then get fouled and converted both free throws to ice the game for the Lady Cats.

“They did exactly like I asked them to do,” Lane said. “They stood there with their hands up. The last few times down the floor we got called for fouls, so we did a great job there to force that travel.”

It was a close game throughout as Louisburg held a 10-9 lead after the first quarter, and it extended it to 22-16 at halftime. Eudora then opened the third on an 8-0 run and it went back-and-forth the rest of the way.

Ross led the Lady Cats in scoring with 13 points and also had a team-high eight rebounds. Senior Emma Lohse also finished in double figures with 10 points and three assists.

Senior Emma Prettyman finished with seven rebounds and also had a team-best four steals and two blocks. Senior point guard Brianne Kuhlman had a team-high four assists.

Louisburg will try and make it seven in a row tonight as the Lady Cats travel to Ottawa for a Frontier League matchup. Tipoff is set for 6 p.m.

LOU 10 12 7 9 — 38

EUD 9 7 12 7 — 35

LOUISBURG (6-0): Adyson Ross 5-9 2-3 13; Emma Lohse 5-6 0-2 10; Ava Baker 3-6 0-0 6; Ashley Branine 2-6 0-0 4; Delanie Tally 1-11 0-0 3; Emma Prettyman 1-5 0-0 2. Totals: 17-48 2-5 38. 3-point field goals: 2, (Ross, Tally)

Louisburg senior Emma Prettyman battles for a rebound Thursday during the Lady Cats’ game with Frontenac.

Two days after hitting 10 3-pointers and racking up 72 points, those points didn’t come quite as easy Thursday for the Louisburg girls basketball team.

The Lady Cats hosted Frontenac in their final game before the holidays and had to work for every basket. In the end, it was free throws that saved the day for Louisburg. 

Frontenac trimmed the Louisburg lead to one on couple different occasions in the final three minutes, but free throws from Adyson Ross and Emma Prettyman helped secure the 42-39 win.

For the game, the Lady Cats knocked down 11 of 15 free throw attempts.

“We were able to hit our free throws when we needed to,” Louisburg coach Adrianne Lane said. “One of the big things that we work on is hitting our free throws, and if we can do that, we are going to win games. They were super huge free throws to keep us ahead. I know they are so tired right now mentally and physically, so it was good to see the girls come through in some big moments.”

Down the stretch, both Ross and Prettyman made key plays. Prettyman knocked down a jumper with under two minutes left to extend the Louisburg lead to three and hit a pair of free throws.

Ross hit four straight free throws, including two with under a minute left to once again extend Louisburg’s lead to three points.

Frontenac had a chance to tie in the final seconds, but missed three straight shots and the Lady Cats were able to hold on for the win.

“They found a way to win and that was the most important thing,” Lane said. “It was a very different game than our last one, but I really thought we ran good offense though even though our shots weren’t going in.

“Emma (Prettyman) did a great job scoring for us and also rebounding as well. I thought it was one of her best games of the season so far.”

Prettyman led the Lady Cats in scoring with 12 points to go along with nine rebounds. Ross also scored in double figures with 11 points and five rebounds.

Emma Lohse, one of Louisburg’s smallest players, was active around the basket as she was second on the team with eight rebounds and also had three assists. Junior Ashley Branine led the Lady Cats with three steals on defense.

Senior Brianne Kuhlman provided the Lady Cats with strong play throughout the game with eight points and two assists. Kuhlman connected on a pair of 3-pointers — one in each half — to give her team a little boost offensively.

“Brianne is awesome and is the vocal captain for this team,” Lane said. “She really holds us together and does all the little things right that we need her to do. She hit a couple big 3s for us in this one and has in some other games as well. Super proud of her for looking to score and she is great rebounder too.”

The Lady Cats had a difficult challenge of trying to slow down Frontenac’s Hattie Pyle — the team’s leading scorer. Pyle, who finished with 16 points and 10 rebounds, was a factor for the Raiders all night.

“Pyle is very good player and probably one of the better players I have seen since I started coaching in Louisburg,” Lane said. “She is going to get her points and she was tough to guard. She posted us up some too and we lacked in some help defense, but did a good job overall.”

Now the Lady Cats head into the holidays with a 5-0 record and have a lot of momentum when they resume play again on Jan. 3 agains Eudora.

“We are very excited about that,” Lane said. “Our entire program is 15-0 as freshman and junior varsity haven’t lost yet either, so that is all very exciting. These girls have earned every win we have gotten. They have worked hard in practice and haven’t gotten better everyday. It is a huge start for our program and it is super exciting going into Christmas break.”

LOU 10 8 13 11 — 42

FRON 5 4 13 17 — 39

LOUISBURG (5-0): Emma Prettyman 5-7 2-3 12; Adyson Ross 3-10 5-6 11; Brianne Kuhlman 3-4 0-0 8; Ava Baker 2-8 1-2 5; Delanie Tally 1-8 0-0 3; Ashley Branine 0-4 2-2 2; Emma Lohse 0-3 1-2 1. Totals: 14-44 11-15 42. 3-point field goals: 3, (Kuhlman 2, Tally)

Louisburg senior Delanie Tally scored 18 of her game-high 20 points in the second half Tuesday and led the Lady Cats to a 72-44 win over No. 8-ranked Baldwin.

It may have been just its fourth game of the season, but the Louisburg girls basketball team looked like its was in midseason form.

The Lady Cats picked a good opponent to do it against Tuesday.

Louisburg hosted No. 8 Baldwin and put together a 72-44 victory thanks to its best shooting performance of the season. The Lady Cats knocked down 10 3-pointers and shot better than 50 percent for the game.

It was the second half where the Lady Cats shined the most as they scored 45 points in the final two quarters. Louisburg took its eight-point halftime lead and ran with it.

“I was so proud of them,” Louisburg coach Adrianne Lane said. “At halftime, I told them that we cannot come out and let them get back in the ballgame. They definitely put on a show. Everyone was making shots and we weren’t just settling either. We were passing the ball around and getting layups or wide open looks. They were working together and was great to see.”

The instigator of that second half for Louisburg was Delanie Tally. She entered the locker room with just two points and found herself a little frustrated.

The Lady Cat senior guard was a different person in the second half as Tally scored 18 of her game-high 20 points in the final two quarters and knocked down four of the team’s 10 3-pointers. She also finished with a team-high in steals (3) and assists (3).

“Delanie was very upset at halftime,” Lane said. “I told her that we don’t need her to score a lot, but that she needed to keep playing like she was and that it would eventually come. Then she went off and it was great to see. She plays more confident when she make some shots. It was awesome.”

Tally was one of three Wildcats to score in double figures and one of those players made her season debut.

Senior Ava Baker played in her first game back from injury and certainly left her mark. Baker finished with 11 points and knocked down three 3-pointers in what was a memorable opening game for her.

“It was very nice to have Ava back,” Lane said. “She is so excited when she gets out on the court and she brings a spark out there. The girls just love her and they are happy to see her back out there playing. She made a basket right away, hit a couple 3s and it was fun to watch her have success.”

Another senior, Adyson Ross, was a focus of the Bulldog defense, but that didn’t stop her from getting on the scoreboard. Ross was second on the team with 15 points and had team-highs in rebounds (7), assists (3) and steals (3).

Senior point guard Brianne Kuhlman also had a good outing with eight points and also tallied three assists to go along with six rebounds.

“When all the girls contribute like that, we are going to be really hard to guard,” Lane said. “They were all making baskets, making good back door cuts and were all driving to the basket. It is very hard for teams to pick who they want to guard. They started to face guard Adyson, but I thought she did a good job getting easy baskets as well, and posting her defender up. She learned and scored a lot too.”

Defensively, the Lady Cats held Baldwin to 40 percent shooting and wanted to try to take away the team leading scorer — Karly Neufeld. Although she scored 14 points, the Washburn signee had most of her points from the free-throw line. 

Louisburg senior Emma Lohse was given the job of shadowing Neufeld and helped limit her to only six shots.

“We wanted to face guard Karly as much as possible and Emma Lohse did a great job on her,” Lane said. “Eight of those points she got were from the free-throw line so Emma did a good job on her and Tally did great as well when she was guarding her.”

The Lady Cats took a 27-19 lead into halftime before exploding for 23 third quarter points. Louisburg put the game away as it outscored Baldwin 22-10 in the final period.

Lane was able to empty her bench and sophomore Ally Brown put the icing on the cake as she knocked down a 3-pointer late in the fourth to score her first varsity basket.

Louisburg will try and stay undefeated as it hosts Frontenac tonight in its final game before the holiday break. Tipoff is set for 6 p.m.

LOU 17 10 23 22 — 72

BAL 11 8 15 10 — 44

LOUISBURG (4-0): Delanie Tally 6-13 4-6 20; Adyson Ross 6-9 3-7 15; Ava Baker 4-5 0-1 11; Brianne Kuhlman 3-6 1-3 8; Ashley Branine 3-4 0-0 6; Emma Lohse 2-9 0-0 5; Emma Prettyman 0-1 3-3 3; Ally Brown 1-2 0-0 3; Mackenzie Rooney 0-0 1-2 1. Totals: 25-49 12-22 72. 3-point field goals: 10, (Tally 4, Baker 3, Lohse, Kuhlman, Brown)

Louisburg senior Adyson Ross pulls up for a shot Friday against Anderson County. Ross finished with 12 points on the night.

GARNETT — It shot under 30 percent and Anderson County outscored Louisburg in two of the four quarters during Friday’s contest in Garnett.

Despite those things, the Lady Cats found a way to win thanks to their defense. Louisburg forced 15 turnovers and held Anderson County to just 29 percent shooting as the Lady Cats left with a 38-31 victory.

“Our defense was big on Friday,” Louisburg coach Adrianne Lane said. “With the height on the other team, our girls had to fight and be physical the entire game. Their fight and hard work paid off.”

It certainly did. 

The Lady Cats (3-0) turned those 15 turnovers into 14 points and it was one of the biggest differences in the game.

Seniors Adyson Ross and Delanie Tally gave the Lady Cats the spark they needed offensively at the start of each half. Ross scored seven points in the first quarter to help Louisburg to a 12-4 lead.

After Anderson County outscored Louisburg in the second quarter, and cut the Lady Cat lead to just two at halftime, it was Tally’s turn to shine.

Tally scored nine points in the third quarter, including three 3-pointers. She finished with a team-high 15 points, four 3-pointers and four steals.

As for Ross, she added 12 points, seven rebounds, three assists and two steals. 

“Adyson and Delanie did a great job getting us going on offense,” Lane said. “Adyson hit a couple shots early to get the scoring going and Delanie did the same in the third quarter. Delanie had three huge 3’s in the third quarter that gave us the edge over Anderson County.”

Another senior came up big late for the Lady Cats. Louisburg led just 32-29 with 2:20 left in the game when Brianne Kuhlman knocked down a 3-pointer to give the Lady Cats some breathing room.

Louisburg senior Emma Prettyman also did some work on the boards as she finished with a team-high eight rebounds, while junior Ashley Branine had five.

The Lady Cats had to deal with a pair of Anderson County post players that kept the Bulldogs in the game. Caitlyn Foltz led Anderson County with 15 points and 10 rebounds, while Kylie Disbrow added 12 points and 10 boards.

It was a team effort for the Lady Cats as they got good production from their bench on the defensive end. Sophomores Shylar Whiting, Mackenzie Rooney, Sami Lane and Jillian Asher all gave their team crucial minutes as the Lady Cats were down two players to injury and another was out sick.

“The bench did a great job on Friday, they came in and fulfilled their roles,” Lane said. “They rebounded, pressured the ball and played great help in the lane. The sophomores getting experience is only going to make our program stronger in the future. 

“Friday night’s game was for sure a hard team win, but I was so happy that we pulled together as a team and got the victory.”

Louisburg will try and stay undefeated Tuesday when it hosts Baldwin in a Frontier League matchup. Tipoff is set for 6 p.m. 

LOU 12 4 14 8 — 38

AC 4 10 5 12 — 31

LOUISBURG (3-0): Delanie Tally 5-15 1-2 15; Adyson Ross 5-13 1-2 12; Brianne Kuhlman 1-5 2-3 5; Ashley Branine 1-5 0-0 2; Shylar Whiting 0-0 2-2 2; Emma Prettyman 1-7 0-2 2. Totals: 13-46 6-11 38. 3-point field goals: 6, (Tally 4, Ross, Kuhlman)

Louisburg seniors Brianne Kuhlman (left) and Delanie Tally double-team a Burlington player as they try for a steal Tuesday in the Lady Cats’ home opener.

Defense has been the name of the game for the Louisburg girls basketball team and it has led the Lady Cats to a pair of wins to start the season.

The latest came on Tuesday as Louisburg hosted Burlington in its home opener. The Lady Cats held Burlington to just six first half points and ran away with a 56-19 victory.

Louisburg has outscored its first two opponents 111- 30 on the season.

“We are really good at defense,” Louisburg coach Adrianne Lane said. “These girls work so hard every day and it is really showing in games. Our defense is tough and I think we will just continue to get better as the season goes along. We are so excited to get our first home win and the girls were ready and played hard together.”

The Lady Cats (2-0) held Burlington to just 15 percent shooting and did it thanks to their pressure defense. They turned Burlington over 17 times and scored 21 points off those mistakes.

Louisburg also controlled the glass as it out rebounded Burlington, 38-20.

Offensively, the Lady Cats were just as efficient as they shot 46 percent from the field as a pair of seniors lead them in that category.

Delanie Tally recorded a team-high 17 points, to go along with three 3-pointers and had five rebounds. Adyson Ross was right behind her as she finished with 16 points and 10 rebounds — her second straight double-double — and also had a team-high four steals.

“Adyson and Delanie did a great job offensively I thought they looked to score at the right opportune times,” Lane said. “They didn’t force any shots and they just let the offense work for them.”

Louisburg jumped out to an 18-5 lead to begin the game and then outscored Burlington 14-1 in the second quarter to take a 26-point halftime advantage.

Eight different players scored for Louisburg and senior point guard Brianne Kuhlman was next in line with seven points. Senior Emma Lohse, junior Ashley Branine and sophomore Mackenzie Rooney each finished with four.

Louisburg will try for its third straight win tonight as it travels to Garnett to face Anderson County. Tipoff is set for 6 p.m.

LOU 18 14 14 10 — 56

BUR 5 1 7 6 — 19

LOUISBURG (2-0): Delanie Tally 6-12 2-2 17; Adyson Ross 6-10 3-4 16; Brianne Kuhlman 3-7 1-1 7; Emma Lohse 2-6 0-0 4; Ashley Branine 2-4 0-0 4; Mackenzie Rooney 2-2 0-0 4; Emma Prettyman 0-2 3-4 3; Shylar Whiting 0-1 1-2 1. Totals: 21-46 10-13 56. 3-point field goals: 4, (Tally 3, Ross)

Here is the Louisburg Sports Zone Athlete of the Week for week one of the winter sports season, sponsored by IronHorse Family and Cosmetic Dentistry.

ADYSON ROSS, SENIOR, GIRLS BASKETBALL

The Louisburg girls basketball team got its season off to a dominating start Friday with a road win over Tonganoxie and senior Adyson Ross was a big reason for that. Ross recorded a double-double that included a team-high 16 points and pulled down 12 rebounds — all offensive — in the team’s 55-11 win over the Chieftains.

Ross is one of seven returning seniors for the Lady Cats and was an honorable mention all-league selection a year ago. She is also the team’s leading returning scorer from last season.

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.

Louisburg junior Ashley Branine drives to the basket Friday at Tonganoxie High School. The Lady Cats rolled to a 55-11 win in their season opener.

TONGANOXIE — The Louisburg girls basketball team put together a season opener to remember Friday at Tonganoxie.

Louisburg held Tonganoxie scoreless in two quarters and allowed just 11 total points in its 55-11 victory over the Chieftains on the road. The Lady Cats scored the first 26 points of the game and never looked back.

“I thought the girls played very well on Friday,” Louisburg coach Adrianne Lane said. “Our defense was fantastic and the girls did a great job finishing in transition.”

The Lady Cats opened the game with a full-court press and it paid dividends. For the game, they forced 33 turnovers and turned those into 40 points.

Louisburg also controlled the paint as it out rebounded Tonganoxie 52-24. Although the Lady Cats shot just 33 percent for the game, they controlled the game from the opening tip.

“The starters began the game in full speed and they did a great job setting the pace,” Lane said. “Once we got started I felt like every sub that went in felt the energy and kept the pace.

“I was so proud of the girls and their efforts in the full court. We have been working hard and changing up our defenses and they executed well.”

Senior guard Adyson Ross had a big game for the Lady Cats and was a factor on both ends of the floor. Ross finished with a game-high 16 points and 12 rebounds — all of which came on the offensive end. She also had four steals.

“Adyson was ready,” Lane said. “She has been working so hard in practice. She had a great game and her leadership was felt by the entire team.”

Senior point guard Brianne Kuhlman also finished in double figures with 10 points. Kuhlman pulled down seven rebounds and a team-high seven steals.

Delaney Tally finished just shy of double figures with nine points and she added five rebounds and four steals. Senior Emma Lohse knocked down a pair of 3-pointer and tallied eight points.

The Lady Cats opened the game on a 26-0 run and never looked back as they took a 32-7 advantage at halftime.

Louisburg also got good production from their bench as sophomores Shylar Whiting, Mackenzie Rooney, Addy Stohs and Sami Lane all scored their first varsity points.

“Every minute that the bench gets to play is experience for the future,” coach Lane said. “The sophomores did a great job coming in and keeping the pace up and intensity. The sophomore group works very hard in practice against the upperclassmen, they make them better every day, so I was so glad they got the opportunity to get in the game.”

Louisburg will try for back-to-back wins Tuesday when the Lady Cats host Burlington in their home opener. Tipoff is set for 6 p.m.

LOU 17 15 10 13 — 55

TONG 0 7 4 0 — 11

LOUISBURG (1-0): Adyson Ross 8-18 0-1 16; Brianne Kuhlman 5-10 0-0 10; Delanie Tally 4-13 0-0 9; Emma Lohse 2-8 2-2 8; Shylar Whiting 1-1 0-0 3; Ashley Branine 1-7 0-0 2; Mackenzie Rooney 1-3 0-0 2; Emma Prettyman 1-3 0-0 2; Addy Stohs 1-2 0-0 2; Sami Lane 0-4 1-2 1. Totals: 24-72 3-5 55. 3-point field goals: 4, (Lohse 2, Tally, Whiting)

Louisburg’s Emma Prettyman is one of seven seniors returning to lead the Lady Cats basketball team this season.

Last season, following their season ending loss to Bishop Miege — the eventual state champion — the seven Louisburg juniors didn’t waste much time getting to work.

Those seven players spent part of their spring, and a lot of their summer getting better, as they wanted to make one final run with the Lady Cat basketball program.

That run begins Friday when the Lady Cats travel to Tonganoxie to begin the 22-23 campaign. The senior class of Emma Lohse, Delanie Tally, Adyson Ross, Ava Baker, Emma Prettyman, Brianne Kuhlman and Tehya Harvey will be looked upon to provide big contributions throughout the season.

“This senior group is amazing,” Louisburg coach Adrianne Lane said. This is my third year coaching them as well, so I feel that they know what I expect and want out of the team and them individually, which in return makes practices and getting ready for games so much easier.

“Practice has been going great. We have a great group of girls and they push each other every day. I can definitely say that we are all super excited for the season to get started and we are excited for our first game.”

Louisburg will have a good amount of experience returning with that senior class as it brings back several varsity starters from a season ago.

Ross was an all-league honorable mention player during the 21-22 season and will be looked at to score from the guard spot as she averaged almost nine points a game last year. She is also the team’s leading returning scorer.

Tally, who also had big games scoring at times last year, will be a factor in the offense for Louisburg. She led the team last season with 24 made 3-pointers and also had a team-high 36 steals.

Kuhlman provides a lot of experience as the team’s point guard and is in her third year as a varsity starter. Baker will also spend time on the wing as a stretch-4 and give the Lady Cats a good scoring option inside and on the perimeter.

Lohse is one of the team’s top defenders on the wing, while Prettyman will play pivotal role for Louisburg this season on the inside as the team’s lone true center.

The one thing the Lady Cats lack this season is height and Lane knows Prettyman will have impacts on both ends of the floor.

“Emma P will play a huge role this year on our team,” Lane said. “She led our team last year with rebounds, averaging almost nine rebounds a game. We are definitely going to be looking to her to rebound and get some easy put backs. Emma P is also a great defender and does a great job protecting the lane.”

The Lady Cats also got some difficult news prior to the start of practice as they will be without Harvey for the season as she sustained a knee injury. 

“We are super sad that Tehya got hurt in the off season,” Lane said. “She has been a part of the basketball program for several years and her work ethic will be missed in practice and in games. Tehya is still a huge part of the team. She comes to practice each and every day with a great attitude and she cheers on the girls. Tehya is a great example of a good teammate. She is going to always be there for the team and she will truly be happy for all of our success.”

Even with all the seniors, the Lady Cats will also look to some underclassmen to provide some significant minutes and that starts with junior Ashley Branine.

Branine, who played in eight varsity games a year ago, will also be another ball handler and scoring option for the Lady Cats. Louisburg also has eight sophomores that could see some playing time throughout the season.

The mix of seniors and underclassmen have provided the Lady Cats with the right amount of team chemistry, which Lane hopes can guide her team through a tough league schedule.

“I feel like this season our strengths are experience, team chemistry, work ethic and passion,” Lane said. “This team is very passionate and they love the game of basketball. They are all very excited to see how the season goes and I know they will work hard to get the results they are wanting.”

While it’s not the area college team barnstormers tour visiting Louisburg High School, a little early season action will pit the LHS girls’ basketball team against the Tonics, Louisburg’s Granny Basketball League team, as they team up to raise money and donations for the local food pantry.

The two teams are planning a little mix-up all in the name of good fun and a chance to benefit the Agape Food Pantry. The event will begin at 3 p.m. Sunday, Nov. 6 at the Louisburg High School gym. Admission to the event will be an item for the pantry, either a non-perishable food item or personal hygiene item, including diapers and baby wipes.

Chris Cakes will be on hand serving pancakes from 4-5 p.m. in the mezzanine of the gym so fans can grab an early supper and catch the action on the court. The pancake meal will be $5 per person with children 5 and under eating free. The meal includes all-you-can-eat pancakes and sausage, coffee or juice. The local Ministerial Alliance, a collaboration of local churches who assist people with utility bills and provide some community religious services, have graciously donated $500 to help cover the hard costs of the pancake feed.

The Lady Wildcats will be selling tickets for raffle baskets as a team fundraiser as well as having a bake sale and selling water. They will also sponsor half-court and granny free-throw shots during halftime for a $1 donation per shot.

The LHS Jazzy Cats are also involved and will perform at halftime of the game. They will conduct a 50/50 raffle throughout the afternoon. They will also have donation boxes to collect new or gently worn shoes as part of a shoe drive they are sponsoring this fall. Collected shoes are sent to Africa where they provide inventory for micro-entrepreneurs who sell the shoes to support themselves and their families.

The local food pantry, housed at the United Methodist Church, 249 N. Metcalf, has been a staple in Louisburg for more than 30 years. Distributions are the third Wednesday of each month. Persons who might need assistance or would like to provide a donation, may contact the pantry by phone or text at 913-724-5311. Kitty Guetterman is the president, Janie Prettyman is the vice president, Melanie Bigley serves as secretary while Joe Gregar is the treasurer.

The pantry serves about 50 families a month, Guetterman says. She said recent higher grocery prices coming off the COVID pandemic has made things difficult for the pantry. During COVID, churches and the library, groups that routinely collected items for the food pantry, were closed and donations dropped off. Now that churches and the library are open and collecting for the pantry again, food prices have gone up.

Guetterman said the pantry purchases items from Harvesters and are charged by the pound. They also purchase groceries from the Paola Price Chopper, in which they receive a discount, that allows the pantry to offer a larger variety of food.

The charity game will feature the Tonics players against members of the girls’ high school team as well as local celebrities.

“I hope the community comes out to support our food pantry as well as the girls’ basketball team and dance team and encourages our celebrity players,” Jean Carder, captain of the Tonics, said. “It should be a fun afternoon with Jarrod Worthington serving as announcer, and we’ll be done well before the Chiefs game that night. The Tonics just wanted to bring attention to the pantry and the increasing price of food that not only affects your pocketbook and mine but also impacts the pantry’s budget.”

“The girls basketball team is looking forward to our benefit with the Louisburg Tonics. This benefit is for a great cause and we are very excited to help out the food pantry,” Adrianne Lane, head coach of the LHS girls team, said. “The girls on the basketball team are involved in many different activities at LHS and many of these activities allow the girls to be involved with the community.”

The partnership between the granny team and the high school team is a new one but the grannies are looking to recruit these players in another 30-plus years, Carder said. The team plans to support the girls throughout the season.

“I am really looking forward to the upcoming basketball season. Our team is returning eight varsity letter winners from last year, and I think our team has the chance to be strong and competitive,” Lane said.

Granny Basketball is a gentle game for women of a certain age. Women must be 50 or older to play. The game’s rules generally follow 1920s high school girls’ rules with some modifications for player safety. The Tonics have been a fixture in Louisburg since 2016. There are more than 400 Granny basketball players playing on 40 teams in 10 states.

Delaney Wright had a junior year to remember.

She won three state titles in track and was also a key member of the girls basketball team that had the school’s best finish in 2021.

Life couldn’t have been better. 

In 2022, Wright was poised for bigger and better things and it got off on the right foot with a commitment to run track and Kansas State University.

It was still a memorable time for the Louisburg senior, but her final campaign as a Wildcat was one that was filled with obstacles. It all started with one outside of the athletic arena.

Wright came home to find her house filled with smoke. Fire had erupted on one side of the house, causing major damage.

Luckily, no one was home at the time, but it was a major upheaval for Delaney and her family.

“Coming home to a house fire in the first semester of senior year, I wasn’t sure what was going to happen next,” Wright said. “I’m so thankful for our community and being so generous for helping us in many ways after it happened.”

If that wasn’t difficult enough, Delaney encountered one of the more bigger obstacles of her life.

During a shoot-around in January, Wright sustained a severe high-ankle sprain that forced her to miss half of her senior year of basketball.

Then came her track season, and despite a slower recovery than she would have hoped, Wright finished with three regional titles and three state medals, including a state runner-up finish in the 400-meter dash.

Her resiliency was one of the many reasons she was chosen as the 2022 Louisburg Sports Zone Female Athlete of the Year.

“I am honored and grateful to win this award,” she said. “Looking back on my last four years, senior year definitely was a character build for me.”

It was a long road to recovery for Wright as she had ligament damage in her ankle that took a couple months to bounce back from.

Wright, who was known as the basketball team’s best defender, was forced to support her team from the bench and she became the team’s top cheerleader instead.

“Getting injured and sitting the bench my senior year was tough, I’m not going to lie,” Wright said. “But as I sat there and watched my teammates, I realized I can still be a team player and encourage them from the bench. I was grateful for the last three years of basketball and knew I never wasted a moment of it. I wouldn’t have kept a positive mindset without having God in my life.”

Then came track, where Wright was hoping to repeat as a state champion in all three of her events. Instead, hiccups came in her recovery and her timetable kept getting pushed back and she was running out of time.

Despite that, Wright still finished with the three regional titles and qualified for four events at state. She ended up with three state medals and finished with 10 for her career.

In turn, Wright became one of the more decorated female track athletes in Louisburg High School history.

“In the beginning of the track season I didn’t know if I was going to end up competing,” she said. “From swimming exercises to physical therapy and acupuncture, I was going to come back and at least compete. 

“Being behind by a couple weeks and not having much strength though, didn’t stop me. By the time it was regionals I felt I was just starting. I was grateful I was able to compete one last time at state my senior year after everything that had happened.”

There are plenty of memories for Wright to look back on during her time at Louisburg and she definitely left her mark on a couple different programs. Now she is looking to create new ones as a member of the K-State track and field program.

“Being a 3-time state champion and going to state in basketball for the first time in 47 years sticks out the most to me, as well as all the other memories that came with,” Wright said. “I’m sad that I’m leaving it behind, but I’m looking forward to the future and excited to start my next chapter in track.”

Previous winners:

2018: Isabelle Holtzen

2019: Carson Buffington

2020: Reilly Ratliff-Becher

2021: Alyse Moore