Senior Brooklyn Diederich gets on the floor for a loose ball Thursday against Eudora.

When it came to the postseason standings, Thursday’s game with Eudora was meaningless for the Louisburg girls basketball team.

The sub-state brackets have already been set and the game was more of a formality than anything else.

But for the Lady Cats, they needed a win to get back on the winning track after losing two straight games. Louisburg had a battle on its hands with Eudora, but were able to hold on for a 41-38 victory over the Cardinals.

“We needed that big time,” Louisburg coach Adrianne Lane said. “We’ve had a couple rough losses lately and the girls really needed to get this win. Our teamwork was much better and I think you could tell in this one that we had worked on being a better team.”

Eudora showed early on just how much it wanted this game as they were on the floor for loose ball and were playing aggressive defense. The intensity seemed to catch the Lady Cats off-guard early on as the Cardinals jumped out to a 13-2 start.

Instead of backing down, the Lady Cats slowly but surely whittled away at the Eudora lead. In the second quarter, Louisburg buckled down defensively and outscored the Cardinals 11-4 and were down just one point at halftime.

Down five points going into the fourth quarter, Louisburg made one final run. Baskets from Delaney Wright and Madilyn Melton, along with free throws from Alyse Moore helped tie the game at 32-all.

Late in the fourth, Louisburg was down two until Wright drove to the basket, made the basket, was fouled and converted the old-fashioned 3-point play. 

Eudora responded with a basket of its own to take the lead back, but Moore put Louisburg up 39-38 with 1:45 left. A couple defensive stops later, Louisburg senior Megan Foote found herself at the free-throw line with 16 seconds left.

Foote converted both in the 1-in-1 opportunity to put Louisburg up three. Eudora’s Harper Schreiner hit a 3-pointer that would have tied the game, but it was after the buzzer sounded.

“I think we have matured this season and we are at the point where we can win games like this one,” Lane said. “Each person that was out there played an important role and battled every single minute they were out there. 

“I thought the rotation was good and we were able get to girls rest. It was just a battle. We are a physical team, so maybe we play better when it is that physical of a game, but I thought the girls did a great job.”

Louisburg was able to contain one of the state’s best point guards in Schriener as both Foote and Wright took turns guard the all-state guard. They held her to 3 of 19 shooting and she finished with just nine points.

“They did a great job on Harper, and I thought it kept our girls a little more fresh,” Lane said. “Once she got rid of the ball, I thought they did a good job of not letting her get it back and I think that was key for our win.”

Junior Jordan Mynsted led Louisburg in scoring with 10 points and pulled down six rebounds. Moore finished with eight points and eight rebounds, while senior Madilyn Melton and a team-high nine rebounds and two blocks.

Senior guard Brooklyn Diederich also did a good job finding opening teammates as she led the team with seven assists.

Louisburg is back in action tonight when it hosts Paola for its final regular season game, which is also Senior Night. The Lady Cats will honor their four seniors, Foote, Melton, Diederich and Moore.

“It will be emotional, but we know this will not be our last home game,” Lane said. “We are going to keep the emotions in check and remember that we still get to play more games at home this year. Those four have been playing in this program for a long time and have put a lot of minutes in on the varsity court, so I think it will be an emotional night for those girls, their parents and the rest of our team.”

LOU 7 11 7 16 — 41

EUD 15 4 11 8 — 38

LOUISBURG (15-4): Jordan Mynsted 5-9 0-0 10; Alyse Moore 4-6 0-0 8; Delaney Wright 2-6 2-3 6; Brianne Kuhlman 1-2 2-3 5; Brooklyn Diederich 2-7 0-0 5; Madilyn Melton 2-5 1-2 5; Megan Foote 0-8 2-2 2. Totals: 16-43 7-10 41. 3-point field goals: 2, (Kuhlman, Diederich)

Lady Cats lose close game to SM South

Louisburg couldn’t have asked for a better start on the road against a Class 6A program.

The Lady Cats jumped out with eight straight points to start Monday’s game at Shawnee Mission South. The rest of the contest didn’t go as smoothly.

Louisburg, which held a one-point at halftime thanks to a 3-pointer from Megan Foote at the buzzer, fell in a close game to the Raiders, 51-48.

“I thought the girls played hard and battled this entire game,” Lane said. “I felt that we did a good job running offense, but we had a hard time finishing some of our shots.”

Alyse Moore, who recorded her 500th career rebound in the first half, finished the game with a team-high 14 points and 10 rebounds. Foote also scored in double figures with 10 points.

Senior Madilyn Melton had six points, but also had 10 rebounds and a team-high three assists.

Louisburg also got a good defensive performance from junior Delaney Wright.

“I thought Delaney did a great job guarding South’s  best guard,” Lane said. “She played very hard and battled. Alyse was awesome on both sides of the ball, she was leading scorer and she did a great job rebounding and helping on defense.

LOU 10 15 10 13 — 48

SMS 8 15 13 15 — 51

LOUISBURG: Alyse Moore 6-16 2-3 14; Megan Foote 4-9 0-0 10; Madilyn Melton 3-11 0-0 6; Brianne Kuhlman 2-5 0-0 5; Brooklyn Diederich 2-8 0-2 5; Delaney Wright 1-3 2-2 4; Jordan Mynsted 1-11 2-2 4. Totals: 19-63 6-9 48. 3-point field goals: 4, (Foote 2, Kuhlman, Diederich)

Louisburg senior Alyse Moore grabbed her 500th career rebound Monday at Shawnee Mission South .

Shortly before halftime of Monday’s game at Shawnee Mission South, jogged to the huddle after a timeout was called.

Moore had just pulled down an offensive rebound and had a putback to pull Louisburg within one of the Raiders. She had no idea just how special that one rebound was.

But everyone else on the team did.

Louisburg coach Adrianne Lane called the timeout and the Shawnee Mission South announcer informed the crowd that Moore had just recorded her 500th career rebound.

“Honestly I had no clue that I was even close,” Moore said. “Brooklyn (Diederich) told me after it all happened that she had found out, but it was hard for her not to tell me. I remember my mom yelling at me to get a rebound and I was like, ‘I’m trying.’  I would have never gotten it if my teammates wouldn’t have been boxing out too, but it was a great feeling for sure.”

Moore, who had a team-high 10 rebounds in Monday’s loss to the Raiders, has been the Lady Cats’ leading rebounder this season. She is currently averaging close to nine rebounds a game and her teammates were happy to see her recognized for her hard work.

“When Alyse got her 500th rebound I called time out and I told her and she was very surprised and humbled,” Lane said. “The team was super excited for her. Alyse achieving this milestone is amazing, she works so hard and is such a great leader for our team.”

It is those rebounds, and work on the inside, that sometimes go overlooked. However, Moore has made a living underneath the basket as she has already eclipsed her rebounding total from last season with one regular season game and postseason remaining.

“For rebounding, the main thing is just giving it your 100 percent all the time and having a team back you up, knowing they are going to be boxing out as well,” Moore said. “I have had people ask me before why I don’t score as much, but honestly that is not my main focus. I would much rather score my points playing good defense and getting rebounds.”

It is not like she doesn’t score. Moore has recorded numerous double-doubles on the season, including a 14 point and 10 rebound effort in her milestone game Monday and is currently averaging seven points a game.

Although the record is nice, the Louisburg senior is more concerned with her team and knows she is fortunate she gets to play in her final year.

“I am just so thankful for this year,” Moore said. “I am definitely going to remember this year the most out of the four years I have played and I feel like this is the cherry on top. I am just thankful that I have gotten the opportunity to play.”

Louisburg junior Michael Seuferling drives to the basket on a Shawnee Mission South defender Monday in Louisburg.

The atmosphere was that of a big postseason game – the Louisburg High School gymnasium was rocking thanks to two opposing sections that wanted to come out victorious. 

The game itself wasn’t that important in the grand scheme of it all, but a pair of ranked teams battled it out Monday. Shawnee Mission South (No. 6 in 6A) and Louisburg (No. 2 in 4A) went back-and-forth at each other in what was close game – at least until the end.

Shawnee Mission South used a late run in the fourth quarter to pull away for a 50-38 win over Louisburg, but all was not lost for the Wildcats.

“This game, I think, gives us a little more confidence that we can go toe-to-toe with anybody, no matter what class they are,” Louisburg coach Ty Pfannenstiel said. “We are disappointed and we had a chance to win that game if we execute a little better, but the guys will have right kind of confidence after this game. I always tell them to be confident and not cocky.”

The Wildcats (13-6) played confident, especially early on. The Raiders took a 10-7 lead in the first, but the Wildcats flipped the script and went on a 10-1 run of their own that went into the second quarter.

Louisburg’s Julian Margrave hit a 3-pointer to tie the game at 10-all, then after free throws from Konnor Vohs and Dawson Barnes, Margrave hit another basket to put the Wildcats up 15-10.

Ben Guetterman hit a short jumper and a 3-pointer to put Louisburg up 20-14, but the Raiders ended the first half on a 9-2 run to take a one-point halftime lead.

Margrave hit his second 3-pointer of the game to put the Wildcats up two to start the second half, but South’s defense proved to be too much down the stretch as the Wildcats scored 13 points the rest of the game.

“The second half we were trying to drive the ball, and I think the officials were letting some stuff go on both ends,” Pfannenstiel said. “We had some good looks and some of those didn’t fall. We weren’t as good offensively in the second half, but we always tell ourselves that if we play great defense you are always going to have a shot. The way we defended tonight really made them work on the offensive end. To hold a team like that to 50 is an accomplishment, but we have to score the ball a little bit better.”

Margrave and Ben Guetterman led the Wildcats in scoring with 10 points each, while Margrave also had a team-high eight rebounds. 

Junior Michael Seuferling finished with a team-high four assists.

Despite the loss, the Wildcats had a good time playing in the atmosphere that was helped by the addition of a 40-member Shawnee Mission South student section that had the opportunity to see a live event for the first time all year since the game was held in Louisburg.

“It was just a fun game,” Pfannenstiel said. “The atmosphere was good and I think that will be a sub-state type atmosphere. I thought our guys answered really well to that. That was a great student section that South brought. Good for them to finally be able to watch again because that is what high school is about is to experience those things with their friends. 

“Glad they got to see a great basketball and game and hopefully that will reinvigorate our student section and get more kids here. Our players loved that environment and they were playing hard and played really well.”

Louisburg will now host rival Paola on Senior Night tonight as the Wildcats will honor seniors Weston Guetterman, Ben Guetterman, Konnor Vohs, Andy Hupp and Dawson Barnes. 

It will be the final regular season game for Louisburg before it begins postseason play this Tuesday.

“Whoever we play from here on out, starting with Paola, no one is going to lay over just because they see our record or ranking,” Pfannenstiel said. “The guys need to be confident, go over their preparation in practice, and play hard.”

LOU 13 9 9 7 — 38

SMS 10 13 13 14 — 50

LOUISBURG (13-6): Ben Guetterman 4-9 1-1 10; Julian Margrave 4-13 0-0 10; Weston Guetterman 2-6 2-6 6; Maverick Rockers 2-2 0-0 5; Michael Seuferling 2-7 0-0 4; Konnor Vohs 0-2 2-2 2; Dawson Barnes 0-1 1-2 1. Totals: 14-41 6-11 38. 3-point field goals: 4, (Margrave 2, B. Guetterman, Rockers)

Louisburg junior Jordan Mynsted tries to get a shot up past the Piper defense Friday in the Lady Cats’ 48-35 loss.

With the Frontier League championship on the line, the Louisburg girls basketball team hosted Piper in one of its biggest games of the year. 

The two teams were tied atop the league standings with just one loss, and with just a couple games left on the schedule, one had a chance to be in the driver’s seat.

Unfortunately for the Lady Cats, that team was Piper. The Pirates held Louisburg to just five points in the fourth quarter and handed the Lady Cats a 48-35 loss, in a game that was closer than the score indicated.

“The girls were very sad after our loss to Piper,” Louisburg coach Adrianne Lane said. “I felt like the girls were playing not to lose rather than playing to win. I thought they played hard the entire game, and we will get better from playing a team that pressures like Piper did.”

It was a close game throughout, but the Pirate defense turned out to be the difference in the game. Piper pressured the Lady Cats the entire night and made it difficult for Louisburg to get in a rhythm offensively.

Piper finished the game with 13 steals and scored 13 points off those turnovers.

“Piper’s pressure was the most we had seen all year,” Lane said. “They pressed us pretty much the whole game and their pressure did throw us off of our normal game. We had a hard time setting up offense and getting offenses ran. They also did a great job of guarding our 3-point shooters.”

Louisburg played some of defense of its own as Piper struggled to score as it shot just 26 percent for the game. The Lady Cats played their best in the third quarter.

Trailing 27-21 at halftime, Louisburg held Piper to just three points in the third quarter and took a one point lead thanks to five straight points from Megan Foote, free throws from Alyse Moore and a basket by Jordan Mynsted.

The Pirates tied the game going into the fourth quarter, and with under three minutes left, Louisburg trailed by just three points. From there, Piper went on an 8-0 run to end the game and stayed atop the league standings.

“I thought in the fourth quarter we got down after Piper hit a couple of buckets, and we did not recover from that,” Lane said. 

Senior Madilyn Melton helped keep the Lady Cats in the game as she finished with a team-high 13 points and had eight rebounds.

Moore also had a strong game as she recorded a double-double with 10 points and 13 rebounds to go along with three assists.

LOU 12 9 9 5 — 35

PIP 12 15 3 18 — 48

LOUISBURG (14-3): Madilyn Melton 5-12 3-4 13; Alyse Moore 3-10 4-4 10; Megan Foote 2-9 0-1 5; Jordan Mynsted 2-10 0-0 4; Brooklyn Diederich 1-3 0-0 3. Totals: 13-50 7-9 35. 3-point field goals: 2, (Diederich, Foote)

Lady Cats roll Fort Scott

FORT SCOTT — It was one of those nights where Louisburg could do no wrong from behind the 3-point line.

The Lady Cats knocked down 11 3-point shots and helped them to a 58-24 rout of Fort Scott on Thursday at Fort Scott High School.

In fact, Louisburg made as many three’s as it did 2-point shots as the Lady Cats were able to effectively attack the Fort Scott zone all night.

“The girls’ teamwork was great, they played together and battled the entire game,” Louisburg coach Adrianne Lane said. “I was so proud of all the girls and how hard they played. I love the confidence the girls have. They are not afraid to shoot the 3 and it really paid off.”

After a close first quarter, the Lady Cats really took off as they outscored Fort Scott 20-2 in the second quarter and went into halftime with a 19-point lead.

Louisburg, which forced 18 turnovers, held the Tigers to just 10 second half points and were able to force a running clock in the fourth quarter.

Nine different players scored for the Lady Cats and they were led by 13 points from Megan Foote, who connected on four 3-pointers. Foote also handed out a team-high seven assists.

Junior Jordan Mynsted finished with 11 points, while senior Brooklyn Diederich knocked down three 3-pointers and finished with nine points.

Seniors Madilyn Melton and Alyse Moore led the team in rebounding with eight and seven, respectively.

LOU 13 20 14 11 — 58

FS 12 2 7 3 — 24

LOUISBURG: Megan Foote 4-8 1-2 13; Jordan Mynsted 5-10 1-2 11; Brooklyn Diederich 3-6 0-0 9; Brianne Kuhlman 3-5 0-2 8; Madilyn Melton 3-6 0-0 6; Alyse Moore 1-3 1-6 3; Delaney Wright 1-4 0-0 3; Emma Lohse 1-2 0-0 3; Adyson Ross 1-4 0-0 2. Totals: 22-53 3-12 58. 3-point field goals: 11, (Foote 4, Diederich 3, Kuhlman 2, Lohse, Wright)

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

Weston Guetterman, Senior, Boys Basketball

Louisburg senior point guard Weston Guetterman has helped guide the Wildcat basketball team to a No. 2 state ranking and helped Louisburg to a pair of wins over Eudora and Fort Scott last week. Against Eudora, Guetterman scored 15 points and pulled down six rebounds to go along with five steals on Saturday. Against Fort Scott, Guetterman handed out a team-high six assists to go along with eight points.

For the season, Guetterman has averaged 13 points a game for the Wildcats to go along with four rebounds, three assists and two steals.

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: Jordan Mynsted

Week 2: Julian Margrave

Week 3: Alec Younggren

Week 4: Megan Foote

Week 5: Madilyn Melton

Week 6: Michael Seuferling

Week 7: Cade Holtzen

Week 8: Ryan Owens

Week 9: Aiden Barker

Louisburg junior Julian Margrave goes up for two of his game-high 26 points Thursday against Fort Scott. Margrave scored 49 points in the Wildcats two wins over Fort Scott and Eudora.

Louisburg couldn’t seem to get into much of a rhythm early on in Saturday’s makeup game against Eudora.

The Wildcats found themselves down five points going into the second quarter, but they used their defense to get back in the lead to stay.

Louisburg forced 21 Eudora turnovers and turned those into 18 points, which helped the Wildcats to a 53-43 win over the Cardinals. It was also the fifth straight victory for Louisburg.

“Other than a few mental lapses early, I thought we were really good defensively,” Louisburg coach Ty Pfannenstiel said. “Our guards have been doing an incredible job of pressuring in the full court and on the perimeter, which is really making it tough on our opponents. To force 21 turnovers was huge for us. That was definitely a big factor in the outcome. Holding a good team like Eudora to 43 points is something to be proud of.”

The Wildcats’ (13-5) ratcheted up its defense on the perimeter, especially at the guard spot. Senior Weston Guetterman had a team-high five steals, while Konnor Vohs, Ben Guetterman and Maverick Rockers each had two. Forward Dawson Barnes also recorded three steals.

A lot of that defense turned into offense, with big thanks to Julian Margrave. The Louisburg junior finished with a game-high 23 points and had nine rebounds. He also connected on five 3-pointers.

“Julian really heated up,” Pfannenstiel said. “I think he was 0 for his first 3, but then really got it going. Eudora had some good size to counter Julian’s length, so this game was a good challenge for him. Julian’s skills give him an advantage, because he can really stretch a defense into having to guard him on the perimeter. He had a really good shooting day.”

Weston Guetterman had a big game with 15 points to go along with his five steals and six rebounds. 

Louisburg put together a 20-point second quarter to take a three-point halftime lead. The Wildcat defense then held Eudora to just 16 second half points and were able to hold off the Cardinals.

“We got down early, but we’ve done that quite a few times this year,” Pfannenstiel said. “We always emphasize that there are a lot of possessions in a game and there’s no time to dwell on a prior possession no matter if it’s good or bad. We knew that if we just stayed the course, we’d be fine.

“I think it was just another good team win. We had a lot of guys playing to their role and doing their job which contributes to the win. Our kids have really bought into that and are playing good team basketball.”

LOU 10 20 12 11 — 53

EUD 15 12 9 7 — 43

LOUISBURG (13-5): Julian Margrave 9-18 0-0 23; Weston Guetterman 3-10 6-8 15; Michael Seuferling 2-8 1-2 5; Konnor Vohs 2-5 0-0 4; Dawson Barnes 2-4 0-0 4; Ben Guetterman 1-6 0-0 2. Totals: 19-52 7-11 53. 3-point field goals: 8, (Margrave 5, W. Guetterman 3)

Margrave has big night as Wildcats roll Fort Scott

FORT SCOTT — Louisburg knew it had a mismatch going into Thursday’s game with Fort Scott.

Once it got to the second quarter, the Wildcats were able to exploit it in a big way.

Louisburg knew it had a size advantage with 6-foot-9 inch Julian Margrave, and Fort Scott couldn’t do much to stop him.

Margrave scored a game-high 26 points and pulled down 13 rebounds to go along with three blocks and helped Louisburg to a 62-37 win.

“Our kids did a good job seeing that mismatch and getting him the ball and he did a nice job finishing when he got his touches,” Louisburg coach Ty Pfannenstiel said. “You have to go with what is working and we knew that going in. This is the first game where we have know we have had a size advantage and really took advantage of it. Julian had a big night and hats off to the guys who were feeding him the ball.”

One of those guys was point guard Weston Guetterman, who had a team-high six assists and senior Konnor Vohs had four. 

After a slow start in which the Wildcats trailed 14-9 at the end of the first quarter, Louisburg put together a big second quarter in which it outscored Fort Scott 19-3 and took an 11-point halftime lead.

Louisburg continued to pour it on offensively in the third quarter as it scored 22 points and built a comfortable lead from there.

Senior Ben Guetterman scored in double figures with 12 points and also had three steals. Junior Michael Seuferling finished with nine points.

LOU 9 19 22 12 — 62

FS 14 3 12 8 — 37 

LOUISBURG: Julian Margrave 12-17 0-0 26; Ben Guetterman 5-10 0-0 12; Michael Seuferling 3-3 3-3 9; Weston Guetterman 3-6 2-2 8; Dawson Barnes 2-2 0-0 4; Konnor Vohs 1-5 1-2 3. Totals: 26-46 6-7 62. 3-point field goals: 4, (Margrave 2, B. Guetterman 2)

Louisburg senior Weston Guetterman drives to the basket for two of his game-high 24 points in the Wildcats’ win Thursday over Spring Hill at Spring Hill High School.

SPRING HILL — For the first half anyway, Thursday’s game against Spring Hill became the Guetterman show.

Weston and Ben Guetterman, who are cousins, took it upon themselves to help get Louisburg off to a good start against the Broncos in hopes of getting a revenge win after a loss earlier this season.

The Louisburg senior guards certainly did their part as the two combined for 34 of the team’s 42 first half points and helped Wildcats to a 60-49 win over the Broncos at Spring Hill High School. It was also the third straight victory for Louisburg.

“Spring Hill started off in a Diamond and 1 look to try and take Julian (Margrave) away,” Louisburg coach Ty Pfannenstiel said. “That left their defense vulnerable to some penetration and open looks for the other guys. Weston and Ben really took advantage of that. We needed those guys to step up and they did. 

“When a team tries to do that, I think they kind of think that you are limited offensively in other areas. I think our guys took it personal and made them pay. Even though Spring Hill got out of it pretty quickly, I think it really jump started Ben and Weston for the rest of the game.”

The Wildcats (11-5) could seem to do no wrong in the first half as they scored 21 points in each of the first two quarters, while they held Spring Hill to just 20 points for the entire half. 

Weston and Ben accounted for all of the scoring in the first quarter as Louisburg jumped out to a 21-11 lead and the Wildcats’ confidence seemed to build.

“Obviously, we played well in the first half, actually the first three quarters,” Pfannenstiel said. “Defensively, we were making things tough on Spring Hill and we were efficient on offense. That’s a good combination.”

Weston finished with a game-high 24 points for the Wildcats to go along with four rebounds, two assists and two steals.

Ben also scored in double figures with 15 points, but was also big on the boards with seven rebounds and also led the Wildcats with four steals.

Junior Julian Margrave was big in the second half for the Wildcats as he finished with a double-double. Margrave scored 13 points and had 12 rebounds to help the Wildcats win the battle on the glass.

It was a big difference all-around from the Wildcats’ last meeting with the Broncos, in which the Wildcats lost by five at home. Louisburg shot 47 percent from the field and committed just nine turnovers.

“Well for one, we shot it better, so that’s the obvious stat that makes a big difference,” Pfannenstiel said. “But we shot it better because we were smarter offensively. We didn’t settle for as many outside shots. We took nine less threes in this game. I think we learned that in order for us to have a big offensive night, it doesn’t have to come from shooting the ball from behind the arc. We were much more efficient offensively. We cut down on turnovers this game as well. When you take care of the ball, you get more opportunities to score.”

The Wildcats were up by as much as 17 in the fourth quarter, but the Broncos made one last rally to cut it to eight on a couple different occasions, but could get no closer.

Louisburg will try continue its winning ways Thursday when it travels to Fort Scott for a makeup game. The Wildcats, who were scheduled to play Eudora tonight, will play the Cardinals at 11:30 a.m. at home Saturday in another makeup contest.

“Overall, I like where we are right now,” Pfannenstiel said. “I just hope this break due to the weather doesn’t halt our momentum. Our boys will be excited for the opportunity to get back out on the court.”

LOU 21 21 11 7 — 60

SH 11 9 13 16 — 49

LOUISBURG (11-5): Weston Guetterman 9-21 6-7 24; Ben Guetterman 6-9 0-0 15; Julian Margrave 6-11 0-0 13; Michael Seuferling 2-4 2-4 6; Maverick Rockers 1-3 0-0 2. Totals: 24-51 8-13 60. 3-point field goals: 4, (B. Guetterman 3, Margrave)

Louisburg senior Brooklyn Diederich knocks down one of her three 3-pointers on the night Thursday as she helped the Lady Cats to an 18-point win over Spring Hill.

SPRING HILL — It has been a memorable season so far for the Louisburg girls basketball team.

The Lady Cats had just two losses through 14 games going into last week, but they had the opportunity to avenge one of those setbacks Thursday when they traveled to Spring Hill.

Louisburg fell by double digits to the Broncos earlier this season, but the Lady Cats returned the favor with one of their more complete performances of the season. 

They hit seven 3-pointers and took a nine-point halftime lead and the Lady Cats never looked back in a 61-43 victory over Spring Hill.

“The girls for sure wanted revenge from earlier in the season, and beating Spring Hill was one of our goals going into the season,” Louisburg coach Adrianne Lane said. “So beating them felt like a huge accomplishment.

“I felt like the girls played a complete game against Spring Hill. We have played a lot of good quarters throughout the season, but I thought this game was our most consistent game so far this year. They played so hard and battled the entire game.”

In the previous meeting, the Lady Cats (13-2) had trouble cracking the Spring Hill zone and the Broncos made it difficult on them to score.

That wasn’t a problem this time around as Louisburg knocked down seven 3-pointers to loosen up the Spring Hill defense and the Lady Cats were also able to score inside. 

Defense was also key for Louisburg as it limited Spring Hill’s looks at the basket and held the Broncos to just 19 second half points.

“Our defense was much better this game, and I thought it got better throughout the game as well,” Lane said. “We worked very hard as a team, helped each other, and communicated very well. Also being 7 of 11 from the 3-point line doesn’t hurt.

“Our outside shooting was fantastic, we got great looks because we moved the ball so well and we played inside-outside basketball. I felt like we did a great job of not forcing shots and knowing when we were open.”

Seniors Megan Foote and Brooklyn Diederich were accurate from the outside as Foote was 4-for-4 from the 3-point line, while Diederich was 3-for-5. Foote also finished with a game-high 19 points

The Lady Cats were able to get a lot from their inside game as well as senior Madilyn Melton was second on the team in scoring with 18 points and had seven rebounds, five blocks, four assists and two steals. Melton also had to guard Spring Hill’s top inside player in Ali Frank. 

“Megan and Brooklyn were on fire from the 3-point line,” Lane said. “They both have been working so hard in practice with their shooting, so I was so happy their hard work paid off against Spring Hill. Madilyn also played so great. She ran the floor and she guarded Ali Frank so well. She played great on both sides of the basketball.”

Senior Alyse Moore was big for the Lady Cats on the glass as she recorded a team-high 10 rebounds, while junior Jordan Mynsted had 11 points and five rebounds.

Louisburg got out to a fast start after jumping out to a 13-3 advantage to begin the game, but Spring Hill ended the first quarter with an 11-2 run to get back in it. 

The Lady Cats came right back with an 18-point second quarter and took a 33-24 halftime lead. It would be more than enough for the Lady Cats as they pulled away in the second half.

Weather has played a factor in the Lady Cats’ schedule this week as today’s game with Eudora was postponed and was rescheduled for Feb. 25.

As for the rest of this week, the Lady Cats will travel to Fort Scott on Thursday for a makeup game before hosting Piper on Friday in a Frontier League matchup.

LOU 15 18 12 16 — 61

SH 14 10 10 9 — 43

LOUISBURG (13-2): Megan Foote 6-7 3-4 19; Madilyn Melton 8-11 2-5 18; Jordan Mynsted 3-9 5-6 11; Brooklyn Diederich 3-6 0-0 9; Alyse Moore 1-2 0-2 2; Brianne Kuhlman 1-4 0-2 2. Totals: 22-39 10-21 61. 3-point field goals: 7, (Foote 4, Diederich 3)

Senior Alyse Moore goes up for a basket and was fouled Friday during the Lady Cats’ homecoming game against Ottawa.

It was starting to slip away.

Louisburg, which had as big as a 10-point lead over Ottawa on Friday, all of a sudden found itself behind it what was a physical contest between the two Frontier League schools.

Ottawa scored nine straight points in the fourth quarter to take a one-point lead midway through the period. The Lady Cats’ offense was in the middle of a rut – that was until Alyse Moore and Delaney Wright helped get them out of it.

Moore scored a basket, and then Wright nailed a 3-pointer with under three minutes left and that was all the Lady Cats needed to get them going again in a 47-39 victory on homecoming at Louisburg High School.

“Ottawa was super physical,” Louisburg coach Adrianne Lane said They got hands on several of our passes and shots that we put up. I felt like they took us out of our game because they were so physical. This win was big. I think it showed the girls that we can still win even though we are not playing our best.”

After Moore ended Ottawa’s 9-0 run with a basket midway through the fourth, Wright perhaps hit the biggest shot of the night on a 3-pointer from the corner to put Louisburg up four with 2 minutes and 50 seconds remaining. It was her first basket of the night.

That four-point lead seemed like a big mountain to climb for the Cyclones on a night in which both teams struggled to score.

“Delaney’s 3-point basket in the fourth quarter was huge,” Lane said. “I was super proud of Delaney and her fight. Hitting that three gave our team the confidence we needed to finish this game with a win.”

The Lady Cats (12-2) were able to end the game strong as they finished on a 13-4 run, including six makes at the free-throw line and a big offensive rebound and put back by junior Jordan Mynsted.

Senior Brooklyn Diederich helped loosen up the Ottawa defense early on in the game as she knocked down three 3-pointers and led Louisburg with nine points on the night.

Both teams were aggressive defensively, but the Lady Cats were effective as they forced 24 Cyclone turnovers and turned those into 26 points. Louisburg also recorded 22 steals.

“I cannot say enough about how tough the girls are on defense,” Lane said. “We played man to man, 1-3-1 (zone) and we pressed during this game and every defense we ran the girls played hard and battled every possession.”

Moore also finished with a team-high nine points for the Lady Cats, but also tied with a team-high six rebounds along with Wright. 

Senior Megan Foote finished with eight points, but also had a team-high five steals. Fellow senior Madilyn Melton finished with seven points and sophomore guard Brianne Kuhlman was second on the team with four steals.

The Lady Cats will now prepare to avenge one of their two losses on the season as they travel to Spring Hill on Thursday for a Frontier League matchup.

“I am very happy with where we are right now in the season,” Lane said. “I feel like we are getting better each game and I think we will continue to get better as we continue through the season. The girls work very hard in practice and they are focused on winning and becoming a better team. 

“Finishing the regular season strong will be super important to us for our team morale and confidence as we head into the postseason.”

LOU 9 7 13 18 — 47

OTT 12 3 9 15 — 39

LOUISBURG (12-2): Brooklyn Diederich 3-10 0-0 9; Alyse Moore 3-4 3-9 9; Megan Foote 1-6 6-8 8; Madilyn Melton 2-9 3-4 7; Jordan Mynsted 2-6 2-3 6; Delaney Wright 1-6 1-2 4; Brianne Kuhlman 1-5 2-2 4. Totals: 13-46 17-29 47. 3-point field goals: (Diederich 3, Wright)

Junior Julian Margrave pulls up for two of his 15 points Friday during Louisburg’s homecoming game against Ottawa.

Since 2004, the Louisburg boys basketball team had always been on the wrong side of the scoreboard against Ottawa.

Trialing midway through the fourth quarter against Cyclones, the Wildcats were looking for anything that could give them a spark.

They found that spark in their defense.

Louisburg turned in four strong possessions late that led to eight straight points from Weston Guetterman and the Wildcats picked up their second consecutive win in a 53-44 victory over Ottawa at Louisburg High School.

Defense came to the rescue in the second half as the Wildcats were able to overcome a six-point halftime deficit and held Ottawa to just 16 second half points.

It was the first win against Ottawa for Louisburg in at least 17 years since the Cyclones joined the Frontier League.

“Our defense was big, especially in the fourth quarter there,” Louisburg coach Ty Pfannenstiel said. “ I think it gave us a lot of energy and made us more effective offensively.”

The Wildcats (10-5), who were down 28-22 at halftime, didn’t have the opportunity to get out in transition as much as they would have liked. Ottawa worked the ball around on offense and limited Louisburg’s opportunities to get out and run.

It all changed in the second half – more specifically – the fourth quarter. Louisburg pressured the Ottawa ball handlers and the Wildcats were able to force 10 turnovers, many of which came in the second half.

The defensive pressure, that was led by senior Konnor Vohs, allowed the Wildcats to get out and run. In fact, it was Vohs, Weston Guetterman and Ben Guetterman that helped speed up the game. 

Down 44-42 midway through the fourth, Weston Guetterman scored eight straight points thanks to some Ottawa mistakes and the Wildcats ended the game on an 11-0 run.

“That was a combination of our three guards up top with our press and getting deflections and traps that led to steals,” Pfannenstiel said. “That is where Weston is at his best is in transition and he had a lot of transition points. He can really make our offense go cause he is so fast with the ball.

“Ottawa was tough and really slowed the game down running their offense. We were in zone, they were playing zone and that just goes to show that every possession is important. We were good in the second half and it paid off.”

Weston Guetterman ran the team well from the point guard spot as he finished with a game-high 19 points to go along with six rebounds, six assists and two steals.

Junior Julian Margrave also had a big night with a double-double. Margrave recorded 15 points and had 14 rebounds and three blocks. Senior Ben Guetterman also had 15 points, five rebounds and a team-high three steals.

The Wildcats also had to play without junior Michael Seuferling, who is one of the team’s best defenders, after he had to sit out with an injury. Vohs got the start in his place and stepped up it on defense.

It also meant more minutes for junior guard Maverick Rockers, along with forwards Andy Hupp and Dawson Barnes.

“Konnor was really good defensively,” Pfannenstiel said. “Not having Michael was huge for us, but some other guys had to step up and some guys had more extended minutes than what they would have in our normal rotation. 

“We had guys really play well and it doesn’t show up in the stat sheets. There are a lot of guys that played to their role tonight and did a nice job.”

Louisburg will play its third consecutive sub-state opponent in a row Tuesday when it travels to Fort Scott, as the Wildcats try for their third straight win. Tipoff is set for 7:30 p.m.

LOU 12 10 12 19 — 53

OTT 12 16 8 8 — 44

LOUISBURG (10-5): Weston Guetterman 9-15 1-2 19; Ben Guetterman 5-16 2-2 15; Julian Margrave 7-14 1-2 15; Maverick Rockers 1-2 0-0 3; Andy Hupp 0-1 1-2 1. Totals: 22-50 5-8 53. 3-point field goals: 4, (B. Guetterman 3, Rockers)