Louisburg junior Luke Hill goes up for a shot Thursday against Ottawa in the Wildcats’ contest at Ottawa High School.

It wasn’t the start to 2023 that the Louisburg boys basketball team wanted.

The Wildcats dropped their first two games from break with the second one coming Thursday on the road at Ottawa. Despite a fourth quarter rally, the Wildcats couldn’t quite get over the hump in a 51-44 loss to the Cyclones.

Louisburg (4-3), which found itself down 12 points early in the fourth quarter, eventually cut the deficit to just three points, but couldn’t get any closer.

“I was proud of how we battled back,” Louisburg coach Ty Pfannenstiel said. “We cut it to three and really gave us a shot at the end. My biggest concern was that we seemed to play with more energy in that fourth quarter. We have to get where we play with that energy for all four quarters.”

The Wildcats were down 12 points with 5 minutes left in the game, when senior Mason Dobbins stole the ball and drove the length of the floor for a steal and score. Senior Colyer Wingfield then hit a pair of free throws to cut it to eight.

With two minutes remaining, Louisburg was still down eight, but Luke Hill knocked down a 3-pointer to make it a five-point game.

Senior Isaiah Whitley stole an inbounds pass and found Wingfield cutting to the basket for two points to make it a one possession contest.

Ottawa drove the length of the court and scored on the ensuing possession to all but ice the game for the Cyclones.

Louisburg struggled to slow the Cyclones down in the second and third quarters as they built a 12-point lead. The Wildcats also turned the ball over 15 times and Ottawa scored 19 points off those mistakes.

“We are still struggling offensively,” Pfannenstiel said. “We didn’t have very many possessions where I would say that we ran good offense. Our defense is still keeping us in games but need to pick it up on the offensive end.”

Hill led the Wildcats on the offensive end with 11 points, including three 3-pointers. Wingfield also finished in double figures with 10 points and a team-high three assists.

Senior Mason Dobbins also did a lot of work underneath the basket with eight points to go along with team-highs in rebounds (9) and steals (3).

Louisburg had a tough time slowing Ottawa’s Caleb Hepner down as he scored a game-high 25 points, which included five 3-pointers. The Cyclones knocked down eight 3-pointers on the night.

“Hepner had a heck of a game,” Pfannenstiel said. “He got some open looks and converted on them. He’s a good, young player. Overall, Ottawa shot it pretty well from the perimeter and that made a big difference compared to how we shot it.”

Louisburg will try and bounce back Tuesday when it hosts Spring Hill. Tipoff is set for 7 p.m.

LOU 10 10 8 16 — 44

OTT 8 15 17 11 — 51

LOUISBURG (4-3): Luke Hill 4-11 0-0 11; Colyer Wingfield 2-9 6-6 10; Mason Dobbins 4-5 0-2 8; Trey Myers 3-8 1-4 7; Cade Gassman 2-4 0-0 4; Conlee Hovey 1-3 0-2 2; Isaiah Whitley 1-1 0-0 2. Totals: 17-42 6-10 44. 3-point field goals: 4, (Hill 3, Myers)

Wildcats drop home contest to Eudora

On Jan. 3, Louisburg hosted Eudora in its first game back from the holiday break and the Wildcats didn’t have the warmest welcome.

Eudora jumped out to a seven-point lead after one quarter and extended that lead to 13 later in the contest. And while their defense got the Wildcats back in it, the offense struggled in a 41-34 loss to the No. 6 team in Class 4A.

Louisburg shot 3-for-19 from 3-point range and were just 7-for-16 from the free-throw line.

“Overall, I thought we played ok for our first game out after a long break,” Pfannenstiel said. “Eudora is really good defensively so we struggled to get going on that end of the floor. We obviously needed some shots to fall. If we want to beat one of the best teams in the state, we can’t go 3-19 from 3 and 7-16 from the free throw line. We have to be better offensively.”

The Cardinals got a bulk of their scoring from two players. Logan Sullivan torched the nets for Eudora with a game-high 27 points and seven 3-pointers, while Cole Parker finished with 12. The two combined for 39 of the team’s 41 points.

“Those two players are tough,” Pfannenstiel said. “They actually have a really good group of guards, so even though we struggled to stop those two, overall we held them to 41. We should be able to win games when we hold a team in the 40s. That was Sullivan’s first game back from injury. He was injured in the first game of the year, so he hadn’t been in their lineup since week one. He really changes the dynamic of their team. He can score in bunches.  

“We have to do a better job of playing team defense to contain a player like that. We definitely struggled early hedging the handoffs and switching screens.  We just have to do a better job of communicating and all being on the same page. It wasn’t a 1 on 1 matchup issue, we all have to take responsibility for getting the ball out of his hands.”

Wingfield did a bulk of the scoring for Louisburg as he finished with 16 points, while senior Trey Myers finished with seven, including a pair of 3-pointers. Senior Mason Dobbins had a team-high eight rebounds and senior Isaiah Whitley finished with seven.

LOU 8 9 6 11 — 34

EUD 15 8 8 10 — 41

LOUISBURG: Colyer Wingfield 6-11 4-8 16; Trey Myers 2-6 1-4 7; Mason Dobbins 3-5 0-0 6; Luke Hill 1-7 0-0 3; Conlee Hovey 0-0 2-2 2. Totals: 12-36 7-16 34. 3-point field goals: 3, (Myers 2, Hill)

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)

Here is the Louisburg Sports Zone Athlete of the Week for week three of the winter sports season, sponsored by Edward Jones-Craig Holtzen.

COLYER WINGFIELD, SENIOR, BOYS BASKETBALL

Louisburg senior Colyer Wingfield came up big for the Wildcat boys basketball team this past Thursday. Wingfield hit the game-winning shot with .2 seconds left to give Louisburg a 64-63 victory over Frontenac. It also improved the Wildcats’ record to 4-1 on the season.

Against Frontenac, Wingfield scored a team-high 30 points and pulled down 10 rebounds. He also handed out three assists and had three steals. He also finished with 12 points in a loss to Baldwin earlier in the week. Wingfield is the team’s leading scorer on the year as he averages 18.4 points a game to go along with nearly seven 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: Adyson Ross

Week 2: Colin Brown

Louisburg senior Colyer Wingfield (left) celebrates with teammates Luke Hill, Brock Vohs (22) and Mason Dobbins (34) following his game-winning shot Thursday at home against Frontenac.

Christmas came early for the Louisburg boys basketball team and Colyer Wingfield had no problem playing the role of Santa Claus. 

Wingfield gave the Wildcats one of the best gifts they could have asked for, as his drive to the basket with .2 seconds left gave Louisburg a 64-63 victory over Frontenac in double overtime. 

In what looked like was going a tough time for the Wildcats going into the holidays, turned into a Christmas miracle of sorts.

“We always want Colyer going to the goal,” Louisburg coach Ty Pfannenstiel said. “So for him to make that play was big time, especially since the team was really keying on him. What a play it was.”

Wingfield was big for the Wildcats all night as he finished with a game-high 30 points to go along with 10 rebounds, three steals and three assists.

It was a perfect ending to what appeared to be a disastrous loss for the Wildcats.

Louisburg saw at 13-point fourth quarter lead fade away as Frontenac outscored the Wildcats, 19-6, in the fourth to force overtime.

The Raiders continued that momentum as they scored the first seven points of overtime. A 26-6 run that started in the fourth quarter, put the Wildcats in a deep hole and not much time left.

“We didn’t have great energy by any means, but they were still confident,” Pfannenstiel said. “It was a calm huddle, but they knew they had to be better. They all trusted each other and battled for 40 minutes. I was really proud of how they responded.”

Junior Brock Vohs got the rally started with an offensive rebound and put back. Wingfield then drove the length of the floor for a layup.

On the Wildcats’ next possession, Wingfield found junior Nathan Parker for a big 3-pointer to tie the game late in the first overtime. A Frontenac 3-pointer at the buzzer rimmed out to force a second extra period.

“He is our best shooter,” Pfannenstiel said of Parker. “He is a confident kid and we wanted him in there to take that shot. Colyer made the right play to kick it out to him and I was really happy for him when he made it.”

Frontenac opened the second overtime with a basket, but Vohs tied it with a pair of free throws. The Raiders would take a one-point lead on a free throw with 34 seconds remaining.

That set up Wingfield’s dramatics.

Louisburg had the ball at mid-court with five seconds remaining and the Wildcats inbounded the ball to Wingfield. The Louisburg senior used a screen from Vohs to drive to the basket and score with .2 seconds and was fouled.

Wingfield intentionally missed the free throw and the Wildcats won their fourth game of the season.

“It really didn’t look good there at the start of the first overtime,” Pfannenstiel said. “It takes a lot to battle back like they did. Our kids believed and they executed well down the stretch and stepped up and made some plays. It was a good team win.

“We didn’t know if they were going to go zone or man on that last play, so we kind of had two plays drawn up. They went man and Brock set a good screen to allow Colyer to get to the goal. He had the choice to take it all the way to the rim or kick it out to one of our shooters. He made the right choice.”

Junior Luke Hill also provided the Wildcats with a big boost off the bench. Hill was second on the team in scoring with 14 points, including four 3-pointers.

Senior Mason Dobbins was big around the basket with a team-high 11 rebounds, while sophomore Gavin Lohse came off the bench to get seven rebounds to go along with his first varsity basket.

Now the Wildcats head into the holiday break with just one loss and are off to their best start under Pfannenstiel. Louisburg will look to use that momentum as the Wildcats host Eudora on Jan. 3 in its first action of the new year.

“I told the guys before the game that I haven been here six years and we have never been 4-1 going into the break,” Pfannenstiel said. “That was our goal was to do something we haven’t done in a long time. I don’t think anything could give us more momentum than this win did right there. It was a great win.”

LOU 20 10 17 6 7 4 — 64

FRON 7 12 15 19 7 3 — 63

LOUISBURG (4-1): Colyer Wingfield 10-21 9-12 30; Luke Hill 5-9 0-0 14; Mason Dobbins 3-6 0-0 6; Nathan Parker 2-3 1-2 5; Brock Vohs 1-1 2-2 4; Trey Myers 1-5 0-0 3; Gavin Lohse 1-2 0-2 2. Totals: 23-52 11-16 64. 3-point field goals: 7, (Hill 4, Parker, Myers, Wingfield)

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 junior Luke Hill connects on one of his four 3-pointers Tuesday at home against Baldwin. Hill finished with a team-high 14 points.

For the first three quarters, everything was going how the Louisburg boys basketball team had hoped.

The Wildcats led the Bulldogs going into the final quarter and were aiming for their fourth straight win to start the season. 

Baldwin quickly dashed those hopes once the fourth quarter began.

The Bulldogs scored 10 straight points to open the final period and handed Louisburg its first loss of the year, 56-45. The Wildcats held the Bulldogs to 35 points through three quarter, but Baldwin exploded for 21 in the last frame.

“Well we played pretty well defensively again,” Louisburg coach Ty Pfannenstiel said. “Baldwin had been scoring in the 70s all season so we were able to slow them down a bit. We never did get into any type of rhythm offensively. We struggled on that end of the floor. We have to do better.”

Louisburg (3-1) trailed 14-11 after the first quarter, but used a strong second quarter to take the lead at halftime. The Wildcats outscored the Bulldogs 11-5, thanks to three 3-pointers off the bench from junior Luke Hill.

Hill gave the Wildcats a lift offensively. He led the team with 14 points on the night to go along with four 3s.

“Luke played really well and gave us a great spark,” Pfannenstiel said. “I’m hoping that jump starts him and he starts playing more consistently. We could really use that type of offensive production. He can really shoot the ball, so he needs to look to get his feet set and put the ball in the hole. It was a big night for Luke.”

After an even third quarter between both teams, Baldwin took off to start the fourth. The Bulldogs went on a 10-0 run to grab the lead and the Wildcats didn’t have an answer offensively.

For the game, Louisburg shot 35 percent from the field and turned the ball over 17 times. Baldwin was also able to score 16 points in transition.

“We can’t have those kind of stretches,” Pfannenstiel said.

Along with Hill’s 14 points, senior Colyer Wingfield also finished in double figures with 12 and had a team-best four assists. Senior Mason Dobbins recorded a team-high eight rebounds.

Baldwin’s Cooper and Caleb Carr gave the Wildcats fits at times as both scored in double figures. The two combined for 28 points and Cooper led all scorers with 17.

The good news is the Wildcats will get a chance to bounce back today as they host Frontenac in their final game for the holidays. Tipoff is set for 7:30 p.m.

“I’m excited to see how our team responds,” Pfannenstiel said. “Hopefully we can learn from our loss, get things corrected, and play a complete game against Frontenac.”

LOU 11 11 15 8 — 45

BAL 14 5 16 21 — 56

LOUISBURG (3-1): Luke Hill 5-10 0-1 14; Colyer Wingfield 5-17 2-4 12; Conlee Hovey 2-2 2-2 6; Trey Myers 2-4 0-0 4; Nathan Parker 1-2 0-0 3; Cade Gassman 1-7 0-0 2; Isaiah Whitley 1-2 0-0 2; Mason Dobbins 1-4 0-0 2. Totals: 18-51 4-7 45. 3-point field goals: 5, (Hill 4, Parker)

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’s Mason Dobbins goes up for two of his eight points Friday in the Wildcats’ 36-29 win over Anderson County.

GARNETT — It wasn’t the prettiest of games, but for the Louisburg boys basketball team, the only thing that mattered was the result.

The Wildcats gutted through a physical contest, on what was an off-shooting night, and came away with a 36-29 victory over Anderson County on Friday in Garnett.

“Sometimes you win ugly, and this was one of those games,” Louisburg coach Ty Pfannenstiel said. “It definitely wasn’t the prettiest of basketball games, but sometimes you have to grind out wins and Friday was one of those nights.”

Neither team could find the shooting touch and Anderson County did its best to slow the Wildcat offense down. The Bulldogs came out in a 3-2 zone to force the Wildcats to beat them from the outside.

Louisburg (3-0) couldn’t get a lot to fall as it shot just 27 percent from the floor and were 5-for-14 from the free-throw line.

All that turned into a single possession game late in the contest.

“They caught us off guard a little with their 3-2 zone,” Pfannenstiel said. “It took us a while to get a feel for how to attack it, but we settled in. We probably settled for too many long shots, but no matter what, we are going to have to shoot the ball better or we are going to see a lot of zone this season.”

With 1:30 left in the game, the Wildcats held just a 31-28 lead, but Anderson County got a steal a had a wide open layup on a breakaway that it missed.

Louisburg took advantage of the missed shot as Trey Myers drove baseline and fed a wide-open Mason Dobbins under the basket. Dobbins made the basket and gave Louisburg a 2-possession lead with a minute left.

The Wildcats led 34-29 with 28 seconds remaining when senior Isaiah Whitley collected a loose ball near the basket, scored and was fouled to all but ice the game.

It was a sigh of relief for the Wildcats to win a game that had several ups and downs throughout. The contest got a little heated in the second half as Louisburg was called for a technical foul and Anderson County was called for an intentional foul as both teams tried to fight their way on top.

“Boy that was a rugged game,” Pfannenstiel said. “Basketball has gotten more physical over the years, but it’s not supposed to be played like that. I was proud of how we kept our composure. We stressed that at halftime that we have no control of how the game is called, but we can’t worry about that and have to adapt to how the game is being called and played. I was proud of our guys.”

With the shots not falling, the Wildcats leaned on their defense to help them through and it did. Louisburg held Anderson County to just 24 percent shooting and forced 15 turnovers.

Louisburg also out rebounded the Bulldogs 35-27, including 12 offensive rebounds.

“Our defense has definitely been our strength so far this season,” Pfannenstiel said. “We always stress that if we can be good on defense that we are always going to be in games. It’s been key for us that our defense has been consistent. We are going to need that moving forward.”

Louisburg took a 18-13 lead at halftime, before Anderson County eventually whittled it to a one-possession game on a couple different occasions in the second half.

Colyer Wingfield led the Wildcats in scoring with nine points on the night, including a team-high seven rebounds and four steals. Dobbins added eight points and four rebounds.

Junior Nathan Parker came off the bench to hit two 3-pointers and finished with six points, as did Myers.

Whitley was second on the team with five rebounds to go along with his game-sealing basket.

Louisburg will try and make it four wins in a row Tuesday when it hosts Baldwin in a Frontier League matchup. Tipoff is set for 7:30 p.m.

“A win is a win,” Pfannenstiel said. “We obviously have areas that we need to improve on, but our kids have been competitive and are looking forward to a good opponent coming in on Tuesday.  It should be another good test for us.”

LOU 5 13 8 10 — 36

AC 5 8 9 7 — 29

LOUISBURG (3-0): Colyer Wingfield 4-16 1-5 9; Mason Dobbins 2-4 4-6 8; Nathan Parker 2-10 0-2 6; Trey Myers 2-7 0-0 6; Cade Gassman 1-4 0-0 3; Conlee Hovey 1-1 0-0 2; Isaiah Whitley 1-3 0-1 2. Totals: 13-48 5-14 36. 3-point field goals: 5, (Parker 2, Myers 2, Gassman)

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)