Louisburg’s Jordan Mynsted (left) and Emma Prettyman go up for a rebound Friday against Bonner Springs.

The Louisburg girls basketball team had a chance to end its home schedule with a pair of victories, but came up just short in each occasion.

The latest loss came Friday as the Lady Cats fell in a tough 47-43 contest to Bonner Springs. It also marked the final home game for seniors Jordan Mynsted, Delaney Wright and Sierra Hahn.

It was a close game throughout, but Louisburg had a slight lead at halftime thanks to a 3-pointer in the final seconds from Delanie Tally. The Lady Cats also had a two-point lead going into the final quarter.

Bonner Springs, however, opened the fourth on an 8-0 run to take a six-point advantage. Louisburg was able to cut it to two late, but Bonner Springs converted its opportunities at the free-throw line to seal the win.

Louisburg struggle from the field as it shot just 25 percent from the floor, but were able to get 19 offensive rebounds to help the Lady Cats stay in the contest.

Mynsted had a big day in her final game on her home floor as she finished with 20 points, while junior Delanie Tally had 12 points, five rebounds and four steals. Juniors Emma Prettyman and Adyson Ross each had a team-high nine rebounds.

LOU 15 8 13 7 — 43

BON 10 12 12 13 — 47

LOUISBURG (7-11): Jordan Mynsted 6-18 8-11 20; Delanie Tally 4-11 2-2 12; Emma Prettyman 2-7 2-2 6; Adyson Ross 2-11 1-2 5. Totals: 14-56 13-17 43. 3-point field goals: 2, (Tally 2)

Louisburg falls to No. 3 Eudora

Louisburg had its hands full on Feb. 15 as the Lady Cats hosted No. 3 Eudora on Senior Night.

Eudora came in with just one loss on the season and the Lady Cats nearly gave the Cardinals their second.

The Lady Cats used a 12-point third quarter to tie the game heading into the fourth, but the Cardinals held Louisburg to just two points the rest of the way and gave them a 36-25 setback.

Eudora outscored Louisburg 13-2 in the fourth quarter to pull away behind an 18 point, 11 rebound performance from senior point guard Harper Schreiner.

Defensively, the Lady Cats played well most of the night and limited the Cardinals to just 29 percent from the floor.

Unfortunately, Louisburg couldn’t get its offense in a rhythm as it made just 11 field goals on the night.

Senior Jordan Mynsted had seven points to lead Louisburg , while junior Emma Prettyman had six points and a team-high 12 rebounds.

LOU 5 6 12 2 — 25

EUD 10 10 3 13 — 36

LOUISBURG: Jordan Mynsted 3-15 0-0 7; Emma Prettyman 3-10 0-0 6; Delanie Tally 2-7 0-0 5; Adyson Ross 2-7 0-0 4; Brianne Kuhlman 1-5 0-1 2; Delaney Wright 0-1 1-2 1. Totals: 11-49 1-3 25. 3-point field goals: 2, (Tally, Mynsted)

Louisburg sophomore Michael Seuferling puts up a runner in the lane Friday during the Wildcats’ loss to Bonner Springs in Louisburg.

The Louisburg boys basketball team had a chance to close its home schedule with a pair of games last week, but the Wildcats didn’t get a chance to go out on the note they would have liked.

Louisburg lost both games last week, including a 72-52 setback to Bonner Springs on Friday. 

The losses were exactly memorable, however, the Wildcats still had a chance to honor its seniors — Isaac Guetterman, Carson Kern, Maverick Rockers, Hunter Rogers and Michael Seuferling — on Senior Night last Tuesday against Eudora.

It is a group that certainly left its mark on a Wildcat program as some of them were a part of last year’s state runner-up team.

“This is a great group of kids,” Louisburg coach Ty Pfannenstiel said. “I know we all would have liked to win more games, but they have really battled this year. The Frontier League is a beast night in and night out, and with the mid-season tournament and Shawnee Mission South on the schedule, they’ve really played some great competition this year. 

“This group has put in a lot of hours to make themselves the best basketball players they could be. People show up and watch on game nights, but they have no idea how much time and commitment these kids have put in when the bright lights weren’t on. I’m proud of this group and I’m always proud of their effort.”

The Wildcats (4-14) battled against Bonner Springs, but had problems with the Braves’ athleticism. Bonner Springs was able to score 25 points off of Louisburg turnovers.

Louisburg also found itself down 17-6 at the end of the first quarter and the Wildcats couldn’t get enough offensive consistency to get back in it.

Rockers and Guetterman each scored 10 points to lead the Wildcats, while Seuferling and junior Colyer Wingfield each finished with eight. Newell led the way with a team-high 11 rebounds, while Seuferling had seven and four assists.

“We struggled to find consistency,” Pfannenstiel said. “We got down early which made it tough on us.  Bonner was athletic and really does a good job of getting out in transition. We just turned the ball over too many times early and gave up way too many offensive rebounds. We have to do a better job in those phases of the game.”

Louisburg will try to end the regular season with a win as the Wildcats travel to rival Paola for a 7:30 p.m. tipoff.

LOU 6 15 9 22 — 52

BON 17 19 15 21 — 72

LOUISBURG (4-14): Maverick Rockers 4-12 1-1 10; Isaac Guetterman 4-6 0-3 10; Michael Seuferling 3-11 2-3 8; Colyer Wingfield 4-8 0-1 8; Carson Kern 2-4 0-0 6; Mack Newell 2-5 1-4 5; Hunter Rogers 1-3 0-0 3; Nathan Parker 0-0 2-2 2. Totals: 20-53 6-14 52. 3-point field goals: 6, (Kern 2, Guetterman 2, Rockers, Rogers)

Wildcats fall on Senior Night to No. 1 Eudora

Louisburg faced one of its more difficult tests of the season last Tuesday when it hosted No. 1 Eudora on Senior Night.

The Wildcats played Eudora even for three quarters, but the other ended up being Louisburg’s undoing.

Eudora held the Wildcats to six points in the second quarter and used that to hand Louisburg a 60-42 loss.

Despite being down 16 at halftime, the Wildcats battled back to cut the Cardinal lead to nine on a couple different occasions, but could get no closer.

“I thought we played pretty tough,” Louisburg coach Ty Pfannenstiel said. “We played well in the 1st quarter, but then struggled to score in the 2nd which allowed Eudora to stretch out their lead.I was proud of how we came out in the second half. We had it to single digits, but had a tough last couple minutes of the 3rd quarter which hurt us.  

“Eudora is a good team. There is very little margin for error when playing them, so we just needed to be a little more consistent. Overall though, I thought we played hard and shot the ball well from the perimeter.”

The Wildcats, despite only making six two-point baskets, knocked in nine 3-pointers on the night, including four from Maverick Rockers.

Rockers finished with a team-high 15 points and junior Colyer Wingfield had nine. Michael Seuferling had a team-high six rebounds and six assists.

LOU 10 6 16 10 — 42

EUD 13 19 18 10 — 60

LOUISBURG: Maverick Rockers 5-11 1-1 15; Colyer Wingfield 3-8 1-2 9; Michael Seuferling 2-12 1-4 5; Carson Kern 2-3 0-0 5; Isaac Guetterman 1-4 0-0 3; Hunter Rogers 1-3 0-0 3; Mack Newell 1-3 0-0 2. Totals: 15-44 3-7 42. 3-point field goals: 9, (Rockers 4, Wingfield 2, Kern, Guetterman, Rogers)

Louisburg senior Carson Kern puts up a runner in the lane Friday against Spring Hill at Louisburg High School.

There became a point in Friday’s game with Spring Hill, more specifically the third quarter, where the Louisburg boys knew it wasn’t going to be their night.

Spring Hill scored 26 points in the third quarter and knocked down 10 3-pointers for the game in a 71-50 victory over the Wildcats on homecoming. The Broncos just couldn’t seem to miss.

“We obviously struggled to get stops defensively, Louisburg coach Ty Pfannenstiel said. “We have to be better as a team in that regard. We have to do a better job of keeping guys out of the middle of the floor where they can kick out to shooters. We also have to be better with our defensive rotations. 

“Spring Hill had one of those nights, where things were pretty easy for them offensively. We have to do a better job of making them uncomfortable on that end of the floor. That definitely didn’t happen.”

Spring Hill shot nearly 60 percent from the floor as the Broncos broke open a 3-point game at halftime. They outscored the Wildcats 26-9 in the third quarter, took a 20-point lead and the Broncos never looked back.

Louisburg senior Michael Seuferling was the lone Wildcat in double figures with a team-high 16 points, while junior Colyer Wingfield and senior Carson Kern had eight and seven points, respectively.

Senior Isaac Guetterman led the Wildcats in rebounds from his guard spot with six.

“Spring Hill got hot,” Pfannenstiel said of the third quarter. “They knocked down some shots early and then it just kind of snowballed on us. We just didn’t have enough production offensively to keep pace with them.” 

The Wildcats will try and snap their two-game losing streak tonight as they host Eudora for Senior Night. Tipoff is set for 7:30 p.m.

It is the first of a four-game stretch that will end the Wildcats’ regular season and Pfannenstiel hopes his team can get some momentum going into the postseason.

“These last four games are huge for us,” he said. “Not only from a confidence standpoint, but our season is winding down. It’s crazy how fast the season goes.  We have some really tough opponents to close out the season. We have to go out there and continue to play with great effort, and hopefully put together some good offensive and defensive efforts in these next four.”

LOU 11 17 9 13 — 50

SH 18 13 26 14 — 71

LOUISBURG (4-12): Michael Seuferling 7-15 2-4 16; Colyer Wingfield 3-10 1-4 8; Carson Kern 2-8 1-2 7; Mack Newell 3-4 0-0 6; Maverick Rockers 2-6 0-0 6; Hunter Rogers 2-5 0-0 5; Isaac Guetterman 1-5 0-0 2. Totals: 20-53 4-10 50. 3-point field goals: 6, (Kern 2, Rockers 2, Rogers, Wingfield)

Offense goes cold in Wildcats’ loss to Fort Scott

As far as basketball goes, last Tuesday was just “one of those nights” for Louisburg against Fort Scott. 

Nothing wanted to go in the basket for the Wildcats and that allowed the Tigers to hand Louisburg a 44-30 setback on its home floor. Louisburg shot just 24 percent from the floor and could never get any traction offensively.

“That game reminded me a lot of our Frontenac game a couple years ago,” Louisburg coach Ty Pfannenstiel said. “We packed in a zone against them, and they had a rough shooting night. So I’ve seen it (shooting night) happen, but it’s way more fun to be on the winning side of it. “

Louisburg managed just seven points in the first half, before getting something going with 17 points in the final quarter. However, the damage was already done and the Wildcats weren’t able to recover from a 15-point deficit.

Junior Colyer Wingfield accounted for half of the Wildcats’ points with 15 and also had a team-high seven rebounds. Senior Michael Seuferling finished with nine.

LOU 5 2 6 17 — 30

FS 11 7 10 16 — 44

LOUISBURG: Colyer Wingfield 7-13 1-1 15; Michael Seuferling 3-12 2-2 9; Maverick Rockers 1-12 0-0 3; Isaac Guetterman 1-6 0-0 3. Totals: 12-50 3-5 30. 3-point field goals: 3, (Seuferling, Rockers, Guetterman)

Louisburg senior Adyson Ross drives the lane on a Spring Hill defender thanks to a screen set by teammate Jordan Mynsted on Friday in Louisburg.

Coming off a home loss to Fort Scott earlier in the week, the Louisburg girls basketball team wanted to make amends Friday when the Lady Cats hosted Spring Hill on homecoming.

The Lady Cats were on their way to doing that as they jumped out to an early lead, but the Broncos chipped away and eventually took a small halftime lead.

Louisburg couldn’t get over the hump as the Broncos built a six-point lead in the fourth quarter and iced the game at the free-throw line to hand the Lady Cats a 47-43 loss.

“The girls played well against Spring Hill, we played together as a team and we battled until the end,” Louisburg coach Adrianne Lane said. “Spring Hill is a good team and I thought overall we played them well.”

It was a close game throughout as Louisburg jumped out to an 11-5 advantage and led by two points going into the second quarter.

Spring Hill eventually took a one-point halftime lead and the game was tied going into the fourth quarter. It was there where the Broncos built as much as a six-point lead.

Louisburg senior Jordan Mynsted cut the lead to two midway through the fourth quarter with a 3-pointer, but the Broncos knocked down their free throws and the Lady Cats couldn’t get baskets to drop.

Friday marked the second time the Lady Cats lost to Spring Hill this season, but Lane said she saw improvements from her team this time around.

“This time against Spring Hill I felt like we had some more experience playing and we learned from playing them the last time,” Lane said. “We did a much better job guarding their bigs and boxing out.”

Still, the Broncos used their size to their advantage as they scored 20 points in the paint and out rebounded the Lady Cats by 10.

Defense was a staple for Louisburg, however, as it forced 13 turnovers, including 11 steals, that helped keep the Lady Cats in the game.

Offensively, Mynsted led Louisburg with 16 points to go along with five rebounds., while juniors Adyson Ross and Delaney Tally each finished in double figures with 10 points.

Junior Emma Prettyman was close to a double-double as she had seven points and a team-high 11 rebounds. She also had a team-best three assists.

Tally led the Lady Cats with four steals, while junior Brianne Kuhlman had three of her own.

Spring Hill’s Jenna Weber led all scorers with 19 points and pulled down 10 rebounds.

Louisburg will try and end its two-game losing skid tonight as the Lady Cats host Eudora on Senior Night.

“We just have to keep being positive and working hard and getting better in practice,” Lane said. “We have to keep battling in every game and getting better every day.”

LOU 11 6 14 12 — 43

SH 9 9 13 16 — 47

LOUISBURG (7-9): Jordan Mynsted 5-13 5-6 16; Adyson Ross 3-14 3-5 10; Delanie Tally 3-10 2-2 10; Emma Prettyman 3-6 1-2 7. Totals: 14-50 11-15 43. 3-point field goals: 4, (Tally 2, Ross, Mynsted)

Louisburg offense struggles against Fort Scott

The Louisburg girls found itself right with one of the better teams in Class 4A, Fort Scott, in the first half of last Tuesday’s contest in Louisburg.

The Tigers are currently ranked No. 10 in Class 4A, and in the second half, it showed why.

Fort Scott scored 20 points right after halftime and pulled away for a 53-32 victory over the Lady Cats. 

The Tigers knocked down seven 3-pointers on the night, while also winning the rebounding battle and scoring 13 second-chance points.

Senior Jordan Mynsted led Louisburg with 12 points and five rebounds, while junior Adyson Ross tallied eights points and six boards. 

Louisburg trailed by just four points going into halftime, but the Tigers outscored the Lady Cats 34-17 in the second half as Louisburg struggled form the field.

LOU 9 6 8 9 — 32

FS 13 6 20 14 — 53

LOUISBURG: Jordan Mynsted 3-10 6-6; Adyson Ross 3-12 0-0 8; Delanie Tally 1-8 1-3 4; Emma Prettyman 2-4 0-0 4; Brianne Kuhlman 1-2 0-0 3; Emma Lohse 0-5 1-2 1. Totals: 10-47 8-13 32. 3-point field goals: 4, (Ross 2, Kuhlman, Tally)

Members of the 2022 Louisburg High School winter homecoming court are (from left) Aubryn Berck, Aiden Barker, Chase Kallevig, A.J. Arriola, Corinna McMullen, Carson Kern, Reese Johnson and Isaac Guetterman.

Homecoming week at Louisburg High School kicked off Monday and events are in full swing. With something going on every day this week, it will be a busy time for students. All of it is, of course, centered around the crowning of the 2022 winter king and queen. Eight students were selected as nominees and here are their names and profiles.

The crowning will take place on Friday during halftime of the Wildcat boys’ basketball game with Spring Hill. Tipoff for that game is set for approximately 7:30 p.m. Good luck to all the participants and make sure to come out on Friday to support both the Wildcat girls and boys basketball teams.

Aubryn Berck and Aiden Barker

Aubryn is the daughter of Dave and Amanda Berck. Aubryn has been involved with high school volleyball for three years, member of National Honor Society for two years, FCA for two years. She has been a part of FCCLA for one year, track for one year and volleyball manager for one year. Aubryn has played club volleyball for eight years, shown horses for 10 years and a leader in Life Church’s youth classroom for two years. Following graduation, Aubryn is planning to study nutrition sciences to become a registered dietician. She is undecided on her school at this time.

Aiden is the son of David and Gail Barker. Aiden has participated in football for four years, wrestling for four years and National Honor Society for two years. He is currently undecided on his plans following graduation.

Chase Kallevig and A.J. Arriola

Chase is the daughter of Eric and Kara Kallevig. Chase has participated in volleyball for four years, FFA for three year, National Honor Society for two years, FBLA for two years and basketball for one year. Chase is currently undecided on her plans following graduation.

A.J. is the son of Juan Arriola and Shelly Gibson. A.J. has participated in golf for four years, FCA for two years, musical for two years, choir for two years and FBLA for one year. A.J. plans to major in accounting in college, but is undecided on his destination.

Corinna McMullen and Carson Kern

Corinna is the daughter of Scott and Sarah McMullen. Corinna has participated in volleyball for four years, National Honor Society for two years, Interact Club for one year and FBLA for one year. After graduation, Corinna will attend Washburn University on a volleyball scholarship and major in nursing with a specialization in pediatrics.

Carson is the son of Matthew and Veronica Kern. Carson has participated in basketball for three years and golf for two years. After graduation, Carson plans to attend Pittsburg State University.

Reese Johnson and Isaac Guetterman

Reese is the daughter of Matthew and Tiffany Johnson. Reese has participated in soccer for four years, cross country for four years, National Honor Society for two years, band for two years and FFA for one year. Reese plans to attend the University of Central Missouri after graduation, but is undecided on a major.

Isaac is the son of Ted and Lisa Guetterman. Isaac has participated in FFA for four years, soccer for four years and basketball for four years. He has been a part of National Honor Society for two years and participated in track for one. Following graduation, Isaac plans to attend Iowa State University and major in Agricultural Engineering.

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

ADYSON ROSS, JUNIOR, GIRLS BASKETBALL

Louisburg junior Adyson Ross was a driving force for the Louisburg girls basketball team last week as she led the Lady Cats to a pair of wins over Paola and Ottawa. Ross scored 15 points in each contest and shot better than 50 percent in each game. Against Paola, Ross also had four rebounds, three assists and two steals.

On the road Friday against Ottawa, Ross helped the Lady Cats to a 26 point second quarter in which they held the Cyclones scoreless. She finished with 15 points, six rebounds, four steals and two assists.

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

Week 7: Jordan Mynsted

The Louisburg bench celebrates just as the buzzer sounded in the Wildcats’ 57-54 come-from-behind victory over Ottawa on Friday at Ottawa High School.

OTTAWA — At least when it came to shooting, it appeared that Friday just wasn’t going to be Maverick Rockers’ night.

The Louisburg senior missed his first eight shots and had just one point against Ottawa going into the game’s final seconds.

However, with the game on the line, the Wildcats looked Rockers’ direction — and it paid off in a big way.

Rockers hit a 3-pointer with 10 seconds remaining to put Louisburg up one. Louisburg senior Carson Kern then stole the Cyclone inbounds pass and scored to ice the Wildcats’ 57-54 win at Ottawa.

“We had that play called and we have a lot of confidence in Maverick,” Louisburg coach Ty Pfannenstiel said. “We wanted to keep with it, the kids ran the play, executed well and the shot went in. It was a big shot and just a great win for the guys. We really needed it.”

The game also snapped a six-game losing skid for the Wildcats. It also marked the first victory for Louisburg in Ottawa in at least two decades.

Louisburg (4-10) had to rally to make that a reality. The Wildcats found themselves down six with a minute remaining, but Michael Seuferling drove the lane, was fouled and converted the 3-point play.

After an Isaac Guetterman free throw cut the Cyclone lead to two, Ottawa made two free throws to go back up four. Then with 30 seconds remaining, Mack Newell knocked down a 3-pointer to make it a one-point contest.

The Cyclones knocked down two more free throws to make it 53-50 with 27 seconds left, but the Wildcats stayed close when Colyer Wingfield had an offensive rebound and put back to keep it a one point game with 19 seconds remaining.

With a pair of fouls by Louisburg within seconds of themselves, Ottawa had a chance to put the game away, but the Cyclones made just one of four free throws.

That all set up Rockers’ heroics and gave the Wildcats the victory they were looking for. Seuferling pushed the ball to the corner and then threw a cross-court pass to Rockers in the opposite corner and the Louisburg senior knocked down the shot.

“Our guys always give good effort and have done so all year,” Pfannenstiel said. “It just comes down to making plays, making some shots and getting some stops. At the end, we got the ones that we needed and things went our way. It was great shots by Mack and Mav to get us there, also a nice putback by Colyer and steal by Carson that made the difference in the end.”

Following Rockers’ 3-pointer, Kern quickly stole the inbound pass as the clock was running down and took it in for the uncontested layup to put the Wildcats up three and sealed the win.

It was quite the victory for the Wildcats, who were coming off some heartbreak of their own last week when they lost at the buzzer to Paola. This time, Louisburg found itself on the winning side.

“I told Coach (Drew) Harding after the game that I didn’t even know what happened there at the end,” Pfannenstiel said. “It was just like a whirlwind. The kids made plays and I am proud of them. They needed this win and they have worked hard. We have played a good schedule, lost a tough one the other night to Paola. We were able to make the plays this time and it was good to see.”

The Wildcats turned up the pressure defensively in the game’s final minute, which helped the rally from seven points down with a 1:21 left in the contest. 

Louisburg scored 13 points off 16 Cyclone turnovers on the night and the Wildcats also found success inside as they outscored Ottawa 34-20 in the paint. Seuferling was a big part of that as he finished with a team-high 22 points and a team-best four assists. 

Wingfield and Newell were also key for Louisburg. Wingfield scored 15 points and Newell added 13, while both finished with a team-high eight rebounds.

“A lot of those points were late, but with Michael you couldn’t tell by his reaction if we were down by 30 or up by 30,” Pfannenstiel said. “He is going to keep playing and he was big for us. Mack had another nice game for us, Colyer was good on the boards and it was just a good team win. The guys did the little things to get us the win.”

The Wildcats will try for back-to-back wins tonight as they host Fort Scott. Pfannenstiel hopes this win can get the Wildcats going in the right direction.

“I told the guys that it is time to go on another run here,” he said. “This was a big momentum builder for us and a great win in a place where we haven’t won in a number of years. That is big for us and something that these kids will always remember.”

LOU 8 10 13 26 — 57

OTT 6 16 10 22 — 54

LOUISBURG (4-10): Michael Seuferling 7-20 7-10 22; Colyer Wingfield 6-7 3-6 15; Mack Newell 6-8 0-0 13; Maverick Rockers 1-9 1-2 4; Carson Kern 1-2 0-1 2; Isaac Guetterman 0-3 1-2 1. Totals: 21-49 12-21 57. 3-point field goals: 3, (Newell, Seuferling, Rockers)

Louisburg junior Ava Baker goes up for two of her 13 points Friday at Ottawa. Baker was one of three Lady Cats to score in double figures in their 53-41 win.

OTTAWA — Louisburg was down a point Friday following one quarter of play against Ottawa.

No one could have guessed what was to come next.

The Lady Cats rattled off 26 consecutive points in the second quarter and held the Cyclones scoreless in the process. All that led to a 53-41 road win for Louisburg and evened its record to 7-7 on the season.

“It was a lot of fun to watch the girls play in the second quarter — they were on fire,” Louisburg coach Adrianne Lane said. “I honestly didn’t know what to think. I just kept calling plays and they kept making baskets. It was so awesome to see them support each other too. They got so excited every time we made a basket. They just kept feeding off of each other.”

After what was a competitive first quarter, the Lady Cats couldn’t seem to miss in the second — and when they did — they were there to get the offensive rebound and putback. Louisburg had 12 offensive rebounds for the game and scored 12 second chance points.

Defense also played a big part in the Lady Cats’ big second quarter. Louisburg forced 20 Ottawa turnovers, with a majority of those coming in the second quarter, and the Lady Cats scored 17 points off those Cyclone mistakes.

“Our defense is great,” Lane said. “From the pressure on the point guard, to the help in the lane, to guarding the weakside, we played some great defense. Each girl playing defense hard and unselfish makes us a much better team. 

“I always tell the girls that defense ends with rebounding, and Friday we did a great job of limiting second chances for Ottawa. But on the offensive end we hit the boards hard, getting offensive rebounds and put backs which I felt helped us get into our scoring run.”

Scoring wasn’t much of a problem for the Lady Cats as they got contributions from up and down their lineup. They also knocked down seven 3-pointers on the night.

Junior Adyson Ross led the way with 15 points to go along with team-high’s in rebounds (6) and steals (4). Another junior, Ava Baker, came off the bench to score a season-high 13 points and she also pulled down six boards.

Senior Jordan Mynsted also scored in double figures with 10 points, while junior Delanie Tally had eight, including a pair of 3-pointers. Junior Emma Prettyman pulled down six rebounds, while junior Emma Lohse had five from her guard spot. Junior Brianne Kuhlman also chipped in five points.

“Having several girls score on Friday was great,” Lane said. “I hope playing like we did in the second quarter will encourage the girls to continue to look for shots when they are open. The more scoring threats we have the better we will be as we finish the season and head into post-season.”

The hot streak cooled off for Louisburg in the second half as the Lady Cats scored 15 points the rest of the way, but the damage was already done after they built a 25-point halftime advantage.

“It is hard to keep up the intensity when you are up by 25 at half, but I knew Ottawa would fight back and they did,” Lane said. “During the second half I thought we were playing to not lose the lead, versus playing to win. We could have played with more emotion, but I was very proud of the girls for keeping the lead and finishing. I did think overall this was the best we had played as a team all season.”

Louisburg will look to continue that momentum tonight as the Lady Cats host Fort Scott (11-3) as they try for their third consecutive win. Varsity is scheduled to tipoff at 6 p.m.

LOU 12 26 6 9 — 53

OTT 13 0 10 18 — 41

LOUISBURG (7-7): Adyson Ross 6-10 1-3 15; Ava Baker 3-8 5-8 13; Jordan Mynsted 4-19 2-3 10; Delanie Tally 3-4 0-0 8; Brianne Kuhlman 2-3 0-0 5; Emma Lohse 1-2 2-2 2. Totals: 18-52 10-16 53. 3-point field goals: 7, (Ross 2, Tally 2, Baker 2, Kuhlman)

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