The Louisburg bench was all smiles after senior Sierra Hahn knocked down her first 3-pointer of the season Tuesday against Paola. The Lady Cats used to a big second half to get a 48-44 win over the Panthers.

It wasn’t exactly the start the Louisburg girls basketball team envisioned prior to Tuesday’s matchup with Paola.

The Panthers jumped out to a double-digit lead to start the game and the Lady Cats quickly found themselves in a hole.

However, the finish was just what Louisburg was hoping for.

After Paola scored 19 first quarter points, the Lady Cats held the Panthers to just 25 points the rest of the game. Louisburg knocked down free throws in the final minutes and held on of a 48-44 comeback victory over its rival.

“This was a big win for our program,” Louisburg coach Adrianne Lane said. “I felt like we played well as a team and the girls played great the second half. They came out after halftime and battled to come back and win.”

Louisburg (6-7) had to overcome the hot start of Kate Ediger. The Paola senior scored the team’s first 10 points and had the Lady Cats down 10-1 in the first couple minutes of the game.

From then on, Louisburg held Ediger to just five points the rest of the way thanks in part to the defense of junior Adyson Ross.

“I was very proud of the girls for keeping their composure and not getting down when Paola started 10-1 on us,” Lane said. “The second half we played a box-and-1 on Ediger and Adyson did a great job guarding her one on one. The rest of the team did a great job communicating with each other and doubling Ediger when needed.”

The Lady Cats, which found themselves down 26-20 at halftime, had a big response in the third quarter. Louisburg outscored Paola 18-7 in the frame and opened the quarter on a 15-1 run.

Ross and Tally each hit 3-pointers during that stretch, while Ross was fouled on a 3-pointer and make all three free throws to put Louisburg up 35-29. Jordan Mynsted and Brianne Kuhlman each hit baskets during that stretch as well.

Paola cut it to 35-33 late in the quarter, when the Lady Cats got the big shot they were looking for and it came from their bench. Senior reserve Sierra Hahn knocked in a 3-pointer, her first of the season, to put Louisburg back up five.

“Sierra’s 3 pointer was awesome,” Lane said. “She made it at an opportune time too. The team fed off this shot and gained energy to finish the game.”

In an evenly-played fourth quarter, Paola tied the game at 39-all, but Louisburg scored seven straight points to pull away for the win as the Lady Cats knocked down their free throws when it counted.

“Free throws win games,” Lane said, “We shoot lots of free throws in practice and I do see it is paying off. When the girls step to the line, I am confident in each of them, because I know they can make them.”

The Lady Cats also had a big night on defense as they forced 20 Paola turnovers that turned into 12 points on the other end.

Ross led the Lady Cats in scoring with 15 points to go along with four rebounds and three assists. Mynsted had nine points and a team-high six rebounds

Louisburg will try for back-to-back wins tonight when it travels to Ottawa for a Frontier League matchup. Tipoff is set for 6 p.m.

LOU 9 11 18 10 — 48

PAO 19 7 7 11 — 44

LOUISBURG (6-7): Adyson Ross 4-10 6-8 15; Jordan Mynsted 2-10 5-8 9; Delanie Tally 2-8 0-0 6; Brianne Kuhlman 1-1 3-4 5; Emma Prettyman 1-4 3-8 5; Ashley Branine 2-3 0-1 4; Sierra Hahn 1-1 0-0 3; Emma Lohse 0-2 1-2 1. Totals: 13-39 18-31 48. 3-point field goals: 4, (Tally 2, Ross, Hahn)

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

LOU 11 4 10 14 — 39

PAO 7 15 10 10 — 42

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

Here is the Louisburg Sports Zone Athlete of the Week for week seven of the winter sports season, sponsored by Landmark National Bank of Louisburg.

JORDAN MYNSTED, SENIOR, GIRLS BASKETBALL

Louisburg senior Jordan Mynsted made the most of her week at the Top Gun Tournament last week at Wellsville High School. Mynsted scored in double figures in two of the three games, including a 19-point performance against Jefferson West and 18 points in the tournament opener against Nemaha Central.

Mynsted averaged 15 points a game as the Lady Cats took sixth place overall and also pulled down 15 rebounds and had four blocks. For her efforts, Mynsted was named to the Top Gun All-Tournament Team.

The athlete of the week award is announced every Wednesday morning during the winter season and the winner is selected by Louisburg Sports Zone with the help of nominations from coaches.

Previous winners:

Week 1: Elijah Eslinger

Week 2: Maverick Rockers

Week 3: Aiden Barker

Week 4: Kaven Bartlett

Week 5: Michael Seuferling

Week 6: Cole Brown

Louisburg senior Jordan Mynsted was named to the Top Gun all-tournament team following the Lady Cats’ loss to Jeff West in the fifth place game Saturday at Wellsville.

WELLSVILLE — It was certainly an eventful Top Gun Tournament for the Louisburg girls basketball team.

Sure, the Lady Cats’ sixth-place finish might not be exactly what they wanted going in, but they found out a lot about themselves.

They had to battle through adversity when they lost a starter due to injury, and saw other players step up in the process. In fact, they saw themselves get better throughout the tournament.

So despite their 49-41 loss to Jefferson West on Saturday in the fifth-place game at Wellsville High School, the Lady Cats took away positives, especially on offense, where they have struggled at times this season.

“Our offense has been much better and I do feel we have gained confidence,” Louisburg coach Adrianne Lane said. “Our team has so many offensive threats, I hope that we can continue to score consistently and gain confidence as the season continues.”

Saturday’s matchup with the Tigers provided some dramatics as the Lady Cats trailed just 40-39 late in the first half. Louisburg found themselves on the wrong end of foul calls in the final three minutes, which allowed Jeff West to go on a 9-1 run to end the game.

“The girls played well together on Saturday,” Lane said. “I felt like this was one of the first games we were confident on the offensive end and I felt like we did a great job taking the ball to the basket which resulted in shooting free throws. This was a tough loss. We played point for point with this team until the last minute of the game and mentally this loss hurt.”

Senior Jordan Mynsted and junior Delanie Tally did all they could to keep the Lady Cats in the game as the two combined for 34 of the team’s 41 points.

Mynsted finished with a team-high 19 points, including 12 of 14 from the free-throw line, and added five rebounds. She was also the lone Lady Cat to be named to the all-tournament team.

“Jordan was very strong during the tournament,” Lane said. “I felt her confidence and leadership increase and the team felt it too. She did a great job working through the tough defense and she found ways to score. Jordan also did a great job of rebounding and playing tough defense, but not fouling.”

Tally, who was filling in for injured starter Delaney Wright, hit several big shots for the Lady Cats as she finished with 15 points.

Junior Emma Prettyman was a force on the glass for Louisburg as she recorded a game-high 13 rebounds, while junior Adyson Ross had seven from the guard spot.

Louisburg will try and bounce back tonight when the Lady Cats host rival Paola. Tipoff is set for 6 p.m.

LOU 8 13 10 10 — 41

JW 8 10 14 17 — 49

LOUISBURG (5-7): Jordan Mynsted 3-8 12-14 19; Delanie Tally 3-8 7-8 15; Adyson Ross 1-8 1-3 3; Emma Lohse 1-4 0-0 2; Ashley Branine 1-2 0-1 2. Totals: 9-36 20-25 41. 3-point field goals: 3, (Tally 2, Mynsted)

Lady Cats down Baldwin to halt losing streak

Shortly before Thursday’s consolation semifinal game against Baldwin, Louisburg found out it would be without starter Delaney Wright, who suffered an injury during the team’s shoot-around.

Not the news the Lady Cats wanted to go hear going into a game where they had lost five straight, and had lost twice to Baldwin already this season.

As it turned out, the team rallied in Wright’s absence.

Junior Adyson Ross scored a team-high 18 points and pulled down 14 rebounds to lead the Lady Cats to a 44-41 win in Wellsville.

Another junior, Delanie Tally, started in place of Wright and scored 10 points and had eight rebounds in the big win for the Lady Cats.

“When Delaney went down in shoot around,I knew the team would feel her absence,” coach Adrianne Lane said. “Delanie Tally was thrown into the starting line-up and she did a great job stepping up for the team. Delanie’s presence was felt on both sides of the ball, she played smart defense and looked to score.

“Adyson had a heck of a game. The first half she did a fantastic job rebounding offensively and getting some easy put backs. She also did a great job handling the basketball and she hit some big free throws.”

Louisburg led 40-39 late in the game, when Tally got an offensive rebound and put back to give the Lady Cats a 3-point lead. Baldwin would again cut it to one, but with under a minute remaining, Ross hit two free throws to keep the Bulldogs at bay.

Baldwin tried for a 3-pointer in the final seconds, but couldn’t get a good look .

Senior Jordan Mynsted had nine points to also aid the Lady Cat win, as did Emma Prettyman, who finished just behind Ross with 13 rebounds. 

LOU 15 7 11 11 — 44

BAL 9 12 13 7 — 41

LOUISBURG: Adyson Ross 5-12 6-7 18; Delanie Tally 4-8 0-1 10; Jordan Mynsted 3-6 3-4 9; Ava Baker 2-7 0-0 4; Emma Prettyman 1-8 0-0 2; Brianne Kuhlman 0-8 1-2 1. Totals: 15-56 10-15 44. 3-point field goals: 4, (Ross 2, Tally 2)

Nemaha Central hands Louisburg loss in opener

Louisburg matched up with one of the top teams in the Top Gun Tournament, Nemaha Central, last Tuesday in a rematch of last year’s tournament championship game.

Although the Lady Cats put up a fight, they couldn’t keep up in a 54-47 loss.

Jordan Mynsted had a big night for the Lady Cats as she finished with 18 points, including five rebounds. Sophomore Ashley Branine come off the bench to provide a spark for Louisburg as she had eight points.

The Lady Cats stayed in the game from behind the 3-point line as they knocked down eight 3-pointers on the night, including three from Mynsted and two from Ava Baker.

LOU 11 8 11 17 — 47

NC 13 14 16 9 — 54

LOUISBURG: Jordan Mynsted 6-15 3-4 18; Ashley Branine 2-5 4-4 8; Adyson Ross 2-8 2-5 7; Ava Baker 2-7 0-0 6; Delaney Wright 1-3 0-3 3; Delanie Tally 1-1 0-0 3; Emma Lohse 1-2 0-0 2. Totals: 15-48 9-15 47. 3-point field goals: 8, (Mynsted 3, Baker 2, Wright, Ross, Tally)

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

LOU 11 16 7 8 — 42

SH 15 7 16 16 — 54

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

Wildcats fall on the road to Shawnee Mission South

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

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

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

LOU 5 19 17 10 — 51

SMS 23 22 27 7 — 79

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

LOU 8 9 12 15 — 44

CEN 14 7 18 9 — 48

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

LOU 9 12 6 16 — 43

OW 13 17 16 26 — 72

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

LOU 6 13 12 11 — 42

BL 18 26 28 16 — 88

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

Louisburg junior Brianne Kuhlman drives the lane Wednesday against Spring Hill during the Lady Cats’ 40-32 loss to the Broncos.

SPRING HILL — So far in 2022, the Louisburg girls’ offense has been unable to find its footing.

However, in the first quarter of Wednesday’s road contest against Spring Hill, the Lady Cats appeared to be coming out of their slump with a 15-point opening frame.

Unfortunately, the hot start didn’t last as Spring Hill rallied to defeat Louisburg 40-32. The Lady Cats scored just 17 points after that first quarter.

“We are still trying to find our rhythm on offense,” Louisburg coach Adrianne Lane said. “The guards shot well in the Spring Hill game and I hope that will help give us some confidence going into this week.”

Louisburg got out to a good start as the Lady Cats took a 15-8 lead on the Broncos, but Spring Hill flipped the script in the second quarter and took a one-point halftime lead.

Spring Hill led by four going into the final period, but did just enough offensively to hold off Louisburg. 

The Lady Cats provided stingy defense once again as they held Spring Hill to just 31 percent shooting and forced 20 turnovers.

However, the Broncos did their damage on the inside as they outscored Louisburg 26-4 in points in the paint. Louisburg knocked down six 3-pointers, but couldn’t get the looks to go inside.

“The girls play so hard, their defense is great and they battle every possession,” Lane said. “Their work ethic never fails. Because we play such good defense, we have been able to compete with some really good teams.”

Junior Adyson Ross led the Lady Cats in scoring with eight points and fellow junior Ava Baker finished with seven. Junior Emma Prettyman had a team-high five rebounds and junior Emma Lohse finished with four steals.

Spring Hill freshman Sydney Buscher had a big game on the inside as she led the way with 15 points and 11 rebounds. Jenna Weber also had a double-double for Spring Hill with 12 points and 10 rebounds.

The Lady Cats will try and stop their four-game losing skid today as they open play in the Top Gun Tournament at Wellsville High School. Louisburg will face off with Nemaha Central at 6:30 p.m. in a rematch of last year’s tournament championship game. 

LOU 15 4 5 8 — 32

SH 8 12 8 12 — 40

LOUISBURG (4-5): Adyson Ross 3-11 0-0 8; Ava Baker 2-9 2-2 7; Brianne Kuhlman 2-6 1-2 6; Emma Lohse 1-3 2-2 5; Delanie Tally 1-4 0-0 3; Jordan Mynsted 0-12 3-4 3. Totals: 9-51 8-14 32. 3-point field goals: 6, (Ross 2, Lohse, Kuhlman, Tally, Baker).

Louisburg falls at home to Shawnee Mission South

A slow start haunted Louisburg in its home matchup against Shawnee Mission South on Jan. 17

The Lady Cats scored eight points in the first half and couldn’t stay with the Raiders in a 38-26 loss at Louisburg High School.

Louisburg, which shot 22 percent from the floor, was able to pick things up a little offensively in the second half with 18 points, but were unable to dig out of its early hole.

Senior Jordan Mynsted had six points and six rebounds to lead the Lady Cats, while junior Emma Prettyman had a team-high seven rebounds.

LOU 4 4 8 10 — 26

SMS 7 12 14 5 — 38

LOUISBURG: Jordan Mynsted 1-8 4-6 6; Emma Lohse 2-5 0-0 4; Brianne Kuhlman 1-4 2-2 4; Emma Prettyman 2-6 0-2 4; Adyson Ross 1-6 0-0 3; Ava Baker 0-1 3-4 3; Delaney Wright 1-3 0-0 2. Totals: 8-36 9-14 26. 3-point field goals: 1, (Ross)

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

MICHAEL SEUFERLING, SENIOR, BASKETBALL

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

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

The athlete of the week award is announced every Wednesday morning during the winter season and the winner is selected by Louisburg Sports Zone with the help of nominations from coaches.

Previous winners:

Week 1: Elijah Eslinger

Week 2: Maverick Rockers

Week 3: Aiden Barker

Week 4: Kaven Bartlett

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

LOU 16 23 13 23 — 75

BAL 14 23 12 15 — 64

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

Louisburg junior Emma Lohse drives around the Baldwin defense thanks to a screen from teammate Jordan Mynsted on Friday in Louisburg.

A month ago, Baldwin and Louisburg found themselves in a tight game going into the fourth quarter.

Fast forward to last Friday, the Bulldogs and Wildcats found themselves in almost the exact situation. Unfortunately for Louisburg, history repeated itself as Baldwin went on a big fourth quarter run.

Baldwin outscored Louisburg by 10 in the final frame and handed the Lady Cats a 45-36 setback at Louisburg High School.

“This was a tough loss for us,” Louisburg coach Adrianne Lane said. “I felt like we played hard, but again we had a hard time finishing and getting our offense going.”

Louisburg (4-3) took a one-point lead going into the fourth quarter after holding the Bulldogs to just four points in the third.

Baldwin, however, went on an 11-0 run in the quarter, including several opportunities at the free-throw line to put the game away.

“Our defense has been super strong and consistent this season,” Lane said. “I felt like we did a great job pressuring Baldwin throughout the game, and we did a great job rebounding defensively. 

“Baldwin is such a fast team, the pace of the game sped us up offensively and we had a hard time finishing at that speed.”

The Bulldogs went to the free-throw line 34 times on the night and converted 23 of those attempts. The Lady Cats, on the other hand, went to the line just 11 times.

Louisburg junior Emma Prettyman was a factor on the inside for the Lady Cats as she finished with 11 points and eight rebounds, and also had three steals.

“I thought Emma Prettyman had a great game on both sides of the ball,” Lane said. “She did a great job defending and rebounding, and she worked hard on offense to get to the basket.”

Another junior, Adyson Ross, finished with nine points, five rebounds and three steals. Senior Jordan Mynsted was second on the team in rebounding with six.

Although the Lady Cats have shot under 30 percent from the floor in both of their games in 2022, Lane hopes things will turn the corner for them beginning tonight when they host Shawnee Mission South.

“The girls are ready to play tonight,” Lane said. “We are going to try a few new things so hopefully we can find our rhythm offensively.”

LOU 10 10 7 9 — 36

BAL 10 12 4 19 — 45

LOUISBURG (4-3): Emma Prettyman 2-7 7-8 11; Adyson Ross 4-10 1-2 9; Ava Baker 2-7 0-0 5; Jordan Mynsted 2-6 0-0 4; Emma Lohse 1-1 0-0 3; Brianne Kuhlman 1-3 0-1 2; Delaney Wright 1-10 0-0 2. Totals: 13-46 8-11 45. 3-point field goals: 2, (Lohse, Baker)