Louisburg senior Dawson Barnes goes up for two points during a game earlier this season. The Wildcats fell to Shawnee Mission East on Thursday, 74-50.

With its next opponent, Piper, in quarantine due to COVID-19, Louisburg worked to find an opponent the Wildcats could play before the holiday break.

The Wildcats found a talented one in Shawnee Mission East. Louisburg traveled to the Lancers on Thursday and went up against the No. 7 team in Class 6A. Louisburg quickly found out why they are one of the teams to beat in the state’s largest classification.

Shawnee Mission East took a 12-point lead at halftime, but it extended it even more in the second half and the Wildcats fell, 74-50.

“SME was a good challenge for us,” Louisburg coach Ty Pfannenstiel said. “Their length and ball pressure caused us some problems, but I thought we competed hard. It was a much more physical game in how it was called, so it took our boys a while to adjust to that style of play. We probably won’t see another team with that much size across the board, but I think we will definitely learn from this game. 

“East is ranked in 6A for a reason. They’ve got a nice team. When you play against good teams, they expose your weaknesses. We have some things we need to clean up and work on moving forward. We are definitely better for having played a good team like them”

Senior point guard Weston Guetterman provided a bulk of the Wildcat offense as he scored nearly half of the team’s points. Guetterman finished with a team-high 23 points and also had two assists and a pair of steals.

Junior forward Julian Margrave also had a big game for the Wildcats as he added 17 points and seven rebounds. Michael Seuferling and Ben Guetterman each had five points to round out the Louisburg scoring.

The Wildcats (3-2) still found themselves in the game and were only by 12 at halftime, but the Lancers’ offense had the Wildcats on their heels as they scored 44 in the second half to pull away.

Louisburg will now have the challenge of going on a long winter moratorium that won’t allow the Wildcats to practice together until Jan. 5. Three days later Louisburg will travel to Eudora for its first game of 2021.

Still, Pfannenstiel is happy with where his team is at heading into the new year.

“I think our season is off to a good start,” he said. “We’ve already had a few hiccups to our schedule because of COVID, but our kids have rolled with it and made the most of their opportunities. We’ve played a tough schedule so far. I don’t think we are satisfied with being 3-2, but we know where we are and where we need to improve. Our team will never shy away from a challenge, so I think this season is going to be a lot of fun because the Frontier League is a dog fight each night. 

“Once we get a chance to get back together after the KSHSAA mandatory two week moratorium, it will be a grind the rest of the way. With all things considered, we are happy and fortunate to be playing basketball and hopefully our hard work and effort on the court will display that.”

LOU 7 11 12 20 – 50

SME 14 16 20 24 – 74 

LOUISBURG (3-2): Weston Guetterman 9-12 2-2 23; Julian Margrave 6-15 5-5 17; Michael Seuferling 2-6 1-2 5; Ben Guetterman 2-9 1-4 5. Totals: 19-46 9-13 50. 3-point field goals: 3, (W. Guetterman 3)

Senior Alyse Moore goes up for two of her 12 points during the Lady Cats’ 60-20 win over Coffeyville-Field Kindley on Thursday in Louisburg.

About 24 hours prior to its final game before the holiday break, the Louisburg girls basketball team had a change in its schedule.

The Lady Cats were scheduled to play Piper, but the Pirates were forced to go into quarantine, which left a hole in Louisburg’s schedule. It didn’t take long to find a replacement and the Lady Cats hosted Coffeyville-Field Kindley.

Louisburg found the perfect way to end the 2020 part of its season. The Lady Cats took care of business as they rolled Field Kindley, 60-20, on Thursday at Louisburg High School and moved to 5-0 on the season.

Not only are the Lady Cats unblemished to start their season, but they are currently ranked No. 7 in the Class 4A poll put out by the Kansas Basketball Coaches Association.

“The girls are super excited to be 5-0,” Lane said. “It is a great start, especially with how the season began and us not being able to be together to practice to start the year. I think they have done a great job coming back together after we were quarantined and getting the whole team thing down.”

Louisburg certainly played like a team against Field Kindley as eight different players scored, and even ones who didn’t, contributed in other ways.

Junior Jordan Mynsted came off the bench to lead the Lady Cats in scoring with 22 points and also had a team-high five steals on the defensive end.

Senior Alyse Moore also sparked the Lady Cats with her play on both ends of the floor as she finished with 12 points, seven rebounds and a pair of steals.

“Alyse did awesome,” Lane said. “She will guard anyone that I ask her to, she will bang on them, box out and rebound. She gets on the floor and runs the floor hard. Couldn’t be happier with her.”

Another senior, Madilyn Melton, also scored in double figures with 10 points and had team-high six deflections. Senior Megan Foote had seven points, four deflections and four steals.

Senior Brooklyn Diederich had a team-high five assists and also had two steals.

It was the Lady Cats’ defense that stole the show against Field Kindley as they forced 32 turnovers on the night, which turned into 22 points for Louisburg. The Lady Cats also tallied 23 steals and dominated on the inside.

Louisburg led 14-5 at the end of the first quarter, but went on a 20-2 run before halftime to all but seal the win.

“They did great and I really thought we played as a team, maybe more than any other game so far this season,” Lane said. “Hopefully we will continue to see that as the season goes on – looking for each other up the court, making good passes to the weak side. I thought we did a great job.”

The Lady Cats are now on moratorium until Jan. 5, which means no contact with coaches. Louisburg will get three days to practice before its first game back, which is Jan. 8 against No. 4 Eudora.

Still, Lane believes her team will get the work in on their own so they don’t lose too much of what they have already built.

“I know the girls are going to try and get some shooting in over break on their own and still run to stay in shape,” Lane said. “Hopefully they can do that and work together somehow. It is going to be tricky only having three days of practice before our first game back, but we have done before and maybe this is how this season is going to go. I think we will be fine.

“Starting this way has developed a lot of team unity. We are very proud of them as a coaching staff with the way the girls have been working, especially since we are always throwing new stuff at them. Hopefully we can keep this going after Christmas.”

LOU 14 20 17 9 – 60 

CFK 5 2 9 4 – 20

LOUISBURG (5-0): Jordan Mynsted 9-16 4-4 22; Alyse Moore 6-9 0-3 12; Madilyn Melton 5-8 0-0 10; Megan Foote 3-5 0-0 7; Adyson Ross 1-1 1-2 3; Brianne Kuhlman 1-4 0-0 2; Sierra Hahn 1-2 0-0 2; Emma Prettyman 0-2 2-4 2. Totals: 26-57 7-14 60. 3-point field goals: 1, (Foote)

Megan Foote (left) and Brooklyn Diederich celebrate Foote’s made basket and the foul Tuesday during the Lady Cats’ home game with Baldwin.

When you pair your worst offensive performance with the best team you have played to date, it usually doesn’t work out well.

The Louisburg girls basketball team were facing both of those Tuesday when it hosted Baldwin. The Lady Cats struggled to score against one the Frontier League’s best teams.

So, the Lady Cats leaned on their defense and it paid off in a big way. After scoring just 11 points in the first half, Louisburg came to life with 31 in the second half and held on for a 42-39 victory over the Bulldogs.

It was the first time since 2014 that the Lady Cats had defeated Baldwin and they stayed perfect on the season in the process.

“I could tell they really wanted this game, maybe more than the others, just because they were super hungry and they had their eyes set on the prize,” Louisburg coach Adrianne Lane said. “I was so proud of them of how we came back after only scoring 11 points in the first half and not quitting. Baldwin’s defense was very good and didn’t allow us to do much, but that third quarter was huge and our defense was a big reason why.”

Down 21-11 at halftime, the Lady Cats ramped up their defense and held the Bulldogs to just six points in the third quarter and that allowed them to creep back in the game.

In all, Louisburg forced 26 Baldwin turnovers, which turned into 16 points and the Lady Cats put it all together in the fourth quarter. The Lady Cats scored 19 points in the final quarter to pull in front.

“This was a huge win for us,” Lane said. “The girls were so excited after the game was over and they just played super hard. They deserved it and the defense won us the game. Offense was a little tricky at times, and we will get better at that, but our defense and rebounding were key for us. I think a win like this sets the tone for the rest of the season.”

Senior Madilyn Melton sparked the Lady Cats’ rally as she scored 10 of her team-high 17 points in the fourth quarter and was 6-for-6 from the free-throw line. Melton also had 11 rebounds to record the double-double and had five blocked shots.

The Lady Cats were bothered at times by the length of Baldwin’s post players, but Melton made an adjustment and attacked.

“Madilyn made a lot of big baskets for us and it was probably her best game of the season so far,” Lane said. “She battled against their post the whole game and she fought. To start she was kind of fading away from her, and we just told her to go into her and shoot it. She got some big points in the fourth quarter that way and she never quit.”

To start the fourth, Louisburg found itself down four, but Melton helped bring them Wildcats back with six straight points. Sophomore guard Brianne Kuhlman also hit a jumper in the lane to give the Lady Cats a 32-31 lead.

Senior Brooklyn Diederich hit her biggest of the shot of the night on a 3-pointer with three minutes left in the game to put Louisburg up four. Melton and Kuhlman combined for the final seven points.

Baldwin had one final chance to tie the game as they had the ball with 10 seconds left, but the Bulldogs were unable to get shot off.

“The goal of that was to not foul the 3-point shooter and rebound.,” Lane said. “They didn’t even get a shot off and the girls really played that perfectly.”

Diederich was second on the team in scoring with eight points, but she also did it on the defensive end with four deflections, four steals and four blocks.

Senior Alyse Moore was second on the team with six rebounds, while senior Megan Foote led the offense with five assists and also had three steals. She also converted two 3-point plays.

Louisburg will try and stay perfect as they host Coffeyville-Field Kindley tonight in a replacement game for Piper, who was forced to quarantine. Game time is set for 7:30 p.m.

LOU 9 2 12 19 – 42

BAL 9 12 6 12 – 39 

LOUISBURG (4-0): Madilyn Melton 5-16 6-6 17; Brooklyn Diederich 3-9 0-0 8; Brianne Kuhlman 3-6 1-2 7; Megan Foote 2-5 2-4 6; Alyse Moore 1-7 1-6 3; Jordan Mynsted 0-7 1-3 1. Totals: 14-56 11-21 42. 3-point field goals: 3, (Diederich 2, Melton)

Louisburg senior Weston Guetterman drives to the basket for two of his team-high 19 points Friday against Baldwin.

It wasn’t the start the Louisburg boys basketball team had hoped for Tuesday against Baldwin.

Baldwin scored the first eight points of the game to take a decent sized lead, but it was the way the Wildcats finished that more than made up for the slow start.

The Wildcats scored 27 points in the fourth quarter and held the Bulldogs to 28 points in the final three quarters to pick up a 70-41 win at Louisburg High School. It was Louisburg’s third straight victory since its season opening loss to Tonganoxie.

“We definitely struggled out of the gate getting down 8-0, but managed to work our way back into it,” Louisburg coach Ty Pfannenstiel said. “We were pretty effective defensively all night, but it took us awhile to get things going offensively. Defense has to be a constant each night. There will be nights that things don’t go your way offensively, but if you play well defensively, you’re always going to have a shot.”

It was the defense that sparked the Wildcats when they didn’t have their best night offensively.

Louisburg forced 20 turnovers on the night that turned into 27 points and outscored the Bulldogs in transition, 18-0. The Wildcats also controlled the glass as they outrebounded Baldwin 44-31.

“We want to really pressure teams with our defense,” Pfannenstiel said. “We’ve done a pretty good job of that the last few games. If we can make teams uncomfortable, that usually results in some turnovers that can jump start our offense. 

“I thought we are pretty good on both ends in the second half. I really liked the tempo of the game in the second half. That’s how we want to play this year. Our hope is that our style will wear teams down late in games. So far it’s been positive for us.”

Down 8-0 to open the game, it was senior point guard Weston Guetterman that helped bring the Wildcats back. Guetterman scored eight straight to tie the game and then Maverick Rockers knocked down a 3-pointer to complete the 11-0 run.

The Wildcats (3-1) were down two points going into the second quarter and it would be the last time they trailed.

Louisburg took a 10-point lead into the final quarter and then the Wildcats took off as they outscored Baldwin 27-8 to end the contest. The Wildcat did a lot of their damage inside as they outscored the Bulldogs 40-10 in the paint.

Guetterman led the Wildcats in scoring as he had a good night from the field. He finished with a game-high 19 points to go along with six rebounds and three steals.

Two other Wildcats also scored in double figures. Junior Michael Seuferling scored 15 points, while senior Ben Guetterman added 12 points and six rebounds.

Junior Julian Margrave was big on the glass for Louisburg as he pulled down a team-high 14 rebounds and added two steals and a block.

“Weston has been great for us all year,” Pfannenstiel said. “He really sets the tempo for us and picked us up offensively. It was a good team win. Everybody contributed and played great team basketball. Time to get back to the practice court and prepare for the next one.”

That next one is tonight when the Wildcats travel to Shawnee Mission East for the final game before the holiday break. Tipoff is set for 6:30 p.m.

LOU 11 13 19 27 – 70

BAL 13 9 11 8 – 41

LOUISBURG (3-1): Weston Guetterman 8-16 2-3 19; Michael Seuferling 6-12 2-3 15; Ben Guetterman 3-11 5-6 12; Maverick Rockers 3-6 0-0 7; Julian Margrave 3-13 0-1 6; Dawson Barnes 2-2 0-0 4; Konnor Vohs 1-2 1-1 3; Andy Hupp 1-1 0-0 2; Isaac Guetterman 1-1 0-0 2. Totals: 28-64 10-14 70. 3-point field goals: 4, (Seuferling, W. Guetterman, Rockers, B. Guetterman) 

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

JULIAN MARGRAVE, JUNIOR, BOYS BASKETBALL

Louisburg junior Julian Margrave had a big week for the Wildcat boys basketball team as he helped the Wildcats to their first two wins of the season. His biggest game came last week against Harrisonville as he scored 26 points in an overtime victory, which was the Wildcats’ first of the season.

On the week, Margrave averaged 19.5 points a game to go along with 7.5 rebounds and 2.5 blocks.

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

Louisburg senior Brooklyn Diederich gets on the floor for a loose ball Friday against Anderson County.

GARNETT – It became apparent really fast that Friday’s matchup between Louisburg and Anderson County was going to be a high-scoring affair.

The only difference was the Lady Cats were able to slow down the Bulldogs and Anderson County didn’t have much of an answer.

Louisburg scored more than 20 or more points in three of the four quarters and rolled Anderson County in a 75-61 victory that keeps the Lady Cats perfect on the season.

“I was so proud of the girls after the game on Friday,” Louisburg coach Adrianne Lane said. “We started out so hard and played hard the entire game. I felt we played together as a team and worked hard to get a win on the road.

“Scoring 75 points was super exciting for the team. I think it showed them that we can score, and if we are patient and run through our offenses, we will be able to score. We ran several different set plays, some we had never ran before, and I felt the girls did a great job executing and in the end it paid off.”

Several players found the scoring column for Louisburg and four of them reached double figures. One of those was junior forward Jordan Mynsted.

Anderson County didn’t have an answer for Mynsted who finished with a team-high 21 points to go along with five rebounds

“After watching Jordan play last year I knew she was a scorer, but I was not expecting her to score 20-plus in two of the first three games,” Lane said. “The team and myself are very proud of her and we hope she continues to look to score.”

Along with Mynsted’s performance on the inside, senior Brooklyn Diederich keyed the Lady Cats from behind the arc. Diederich finished with 15 points, including three 3-pointers, with 11 of those points coming in the first quarter.

Senior Alyse Moore was big on both sides of the floor as she finished with a double-double. Moore had 13 points and 11 rebounds, while senior Madilyn Melton had 10 points, four rebounds and two steals.

Another senior, Megan Foote, was active all over the floor for Louisburg as she had a team-high nine deflections, seven assists and four steals to go along with six rebounds. 

Sophomore point guard Brianne Kuhlman had eight points with four assists and three steals.

Defensively, the Lady Cats had a big challenge as they had to handle the high-low game of Anderson County’s Rayna Jasper and Cali Foltz. 

Diederich and junior Delaney Wright had the task of slowing down Jasper and making it difficult for the Bulldogs to run their offense. Although Jasper and Foltz scored 24 and 20 points, respectively, the rest of the Bulldogs offense struggled.

Louisburg held a 33-30 lead at halftime, but the Lady Cats held Anderson County to just six points in the third quarter and Foltz had to sit with four fouls. 

The Lady Cats took advantage as it outscored Anderson County 22-6 in the third and all but sealed the win.

“Anderson County had a couple of very key players on their team and Brooklyn and Delaney did a great job guarding their point guard and putting lots of pressure on her,” Lane said. “Our goal was to not let Jasper get the ball back when she passed. When Foltz got her fourth foul in the third quarter, we played a box and 1 on Jasper and doubled her when we could.”

Louisburg will look to keep its perfect record intact when they host a pair of Frontier League teams this week. The Lady Cats will face off with Baldwin at 7:30 p.m. tonight and will host Piper on Thursday at 7:15.

“I think we are really looking forward to the challenge, but it is also fun to play good teams and get better because of the competition,” Lane said. “The girls are ready for this week and to see where we stand.”

LOU 24 9 22 20 – 75

AC 12 18 6 25 – 61 

LOUISBURG (3-0): Jordan Mynsted 8-13 5-10 21; Brooklyn Diederich 5-8 2-2 15; Alyse Moore 6-13 1-2 13; Madilyn Melton 5-9 0-2 10; Brianne Kuhlman 2-4 2-2 8; Delaney Wright 1-4 2-2 4; Megan Foote 1-5 1-3 4. Totals: 28-56 13-23 75. 3-point field goals: 6, (Diederich 3, Kuhlman 2, Foote)

Louisburg senior Dawson Barnes picks off an Anderson County pass Friday in Garnett. That steal was one of 20 turnovers the Wildcats forced on the night.

GARNETT – The Louisburg boys basketball team wasn’t always clicking on all cylinders Friday against Anderson County, but when they were, the Wildcats made things difficult on the Bulldogs.

Louisburg used a pair of big runs – one in each half – to pull away from Anderson County, 63-48, at Anderson County High School and earned their second straight win in the process.

Defensively, it was one of the Wildcats’ better contests of the early season and was able to spur their offense. Louisburg forced 20 turnovers and scored 29 points off those Anderson County mistakes to help get their first road win of the year.

“Our emphasis from the start of the season has been to play aggressive and play relentless defensively and I thought we were really good in that area,” Louisburg coach Ty Pfannenstiel said. “We weren’t the best offensively, especially in the half court, but part of it was because a lot of our offense was because of our defense. We were scoring points, but would like to see us a little sharper in the half-court and more patient, but I really thought our defense was great.”

The Wildcats (2-1) took a convincing 37-19 lead at halftime after they outscored Anderson County by 13 in the second quarter. The Bulldogs cut the Louisburg led to 10 midway through the third quarter, but the Wildcats ended the frame on a 15-2 run.

All of those points in the run were from behind the 3-point line as five different players knocked down the perimeter shots. Michael Seuferling, Julian Margrave, Konnor Vohs, Weston Guetterman and Maverick Rockers helped extend the Louisburg lead to 56-31 going into the fourth quarter and the Wildcats never looked back

“We needed it that is for sure,” Pfannenstiel said. “We talked about at halftime that we needed to put this away in the third quarter and we came out about as flat as you can be. I am not sure why, but we answered and responded and that is important. 

“A lot of those were good unselfish plays like drive and kicks and rhythm shots. That is where we were lacking in the first half is we were trying to do too much individually and not enough team-oriented basketball. That run was sparked buy playing team basketball.”

Louisburg had four different players score in double figures and Guetterman led the way with a team-high 15 points. Margrave finished with 13 points to go along with six rebounds and a pair of blocks.

Ben Guetterman added 11 points in the victory and had a team-high three steals. Vohs finished with 10 points.

“That is how it should be,” Pfannenstiel said of the team’s balanced scoring. “If one guys is off, or a couple guys are off, then other guys should be able to step up and they did that. We were very balanced and that was definitely good for us.”

Louisburg will try to make it three in a row tonight and will try for its first league win of year when it hosts Baldwin for a 6 p.m. tipoff. The Wildcats also had to take Piper off its schedule for Thursday due to COVID-19, so instead they will travel to Shawnee Mission East for a 6:30 p.m. start.

“Baldwin had just played Anderson County and played them tough, so it will be a challenge,” Pfannenstiel said. “They are always a hard-nosed team, and then we were able to find Shawnee Mission East to replace Piper and these are two good matchups for us. We tell the boys all the time that we are fortunate that we are getting the opportunity to play and we are going to show that on the court with how hard we play. Hopefully we can have some fun in the process.”

LOU 14 23 17 9 – 63 

AC 9 10 12 17 – 48

LOUISBURG (2-1): Weston Guetterman 6-7 2-2 15; Julian Margrave 5-13 2-3 13; Ben Guetterman 3-6 5-6 11; Konnor Vohs 4-5 0-0 10; Michael Seuferling 2-5 0-0 6; Maverick Rockers 1-1 0-0 3; Dawson Barnes 1-3 1-2 3; Andy Hupp 1-5 0-0 2. Totals: 23-47 10-13 63. 3-point field goals: 7, (Seuferling 2, Vohs 2, W. Guetterman, Rockers, Margrave).

Louisburg senior Weston Guetterman drives through the lane for a layup Tuesday at home against Harrisonville.

The Louisburg boys basketball team off to a good start Tuesday in its home game against Harrisonville, but it had an even better finish.

After staking itself an eight point lead after the first quarter, Louisburg found itself down six points early in the fourth quarter. In what was a back and forth contest, the Wildcats were able to force an extra period and eventually win, 67-62, in overtime.

“Harrisonville went on some runs and we answered,” Louisburg coach Ty Pfannenstiel said. “We came up big at the end of regulation and in overtime when we got down. Something about us, when we realize that we have to make plays, that we find ways to do it. I told them right before overtime that this game was going to be won on the defensive end and that is what sparked us. We got a couple steals there and it was huge for us. It was a fun game.”

The Wildcats (1-1) got on a roll to start the fourth when senior Weston Guetterman cut the Harrisonville lead in half as he scored, was fouled and converted the 3-point play. Junior Julian Margrave added six straight points on his own to tie it at 52-all midway through the fourth.

Harrisonville hit a 3-pointer to break the tie, but junior Michael Seuferling knocked down a shot and Weston Guetterman hit two free throws to put Louisburg up one with 2 minutes remaining. Louisburg found itself down two when Ben Guetterman was fouled and hit both free throws to help send it to overtime.

Defense took over for Louisburg as the Wildcats recorded three steals in the extra period. One from Weston Guetterman that led to a runout score, another from Ben Guetterman that led to a layup and the final one from junior Maverick Rockers that led to a Ben Guetterman layup to give Louisburg a four-point lead with 45 seconds left.

Margrave had a big night for Louisburg as he finished with a team-high 26 points, with 13 of those coming in the first quarter. He also added a team-high nine rebounds and three blocks

“Julian had a great night,” Pfannenstiel said. “He is a good player that works hard at it. When we can get the ball in his hands, good things usually happen. I am not sure why he wasn’t able to get as many touches as he did in the first quarter, but this is team basketball. When he gets attention from multiple defenders, that opens things up for other guys. It was a big night for Julian and it is something we expect from him every night.”

Weston Guetterman also had a solid outing for Louisburg with 14 points and eight rebounds from the point guard spot, to go along with four steals and three assists. Ben Guetterman added eight points and seven rebounds, most of which came in the fourth quarter and overtime.

Louisburg also got good production from its bench as senior Konnor Vohs finished with seven points off the bench, while Rockers gave the Wildcats good minutes late in the contest and scored five points.

“I thought our bench was huge,” Pfannenstiel said. “Konnor came in early and did a very good job. He shot the ball well and played good defense. Mav is never going to be the biggest kid on the floor, but he always looks comfortable out there. He is our second ball handler and he was big for us late. He played well for us defensively, but he was a lot of the reason why our offense was doing so well at times because other guys are comfortable with him out there.”

Harrisonville’s Brooks Langrehr had a big night for the Wildcats as he scored a game-high 34 points.

Louisburg will try for its second straight win today when it travels to Anderson County for its first road test of the season. Tipoff is set for 7:30 p.m.

LOU               22           10           11           15           9 – 67

HAR               14           19           13           12           4 – 62

LOUISBURG (1-1): Julian Margrave 11-16 2-2 26; Weston Guetterman 4-12 6-9 14; Ben Guetterman 3-15 2-2 8; Konnor Vohs 3-5 0-0 7; Maverick Rockers 1-1 2-4 5; Michael Seuferling 2-10 0-0 4; Andy Hupp 1-5 0-0 3. Totals: 25-65 12-17 67. 3-point field goals: 5, (Margrave 2, Rockers, Vohs, Hupp)

Louisburg’s (from left) Delaney Wright, Jordan Mynsted and Megan Foote congratulate Madilyn Melton (20) after a made basket and a foul in the first half of Friday’s home game against Burlington.

The Louisburg girls basketball team already had a comfortable lead going into halftime of Tuesday’s game against Burlington.

Louisburg took it to a whole other level of comfort in the second half.

The Lady Cats locked down Burlington defensively and gave up just 12 points in the second half and rolled to a 59-26 victory at Louisburg High School. It was the second straight win to start the season for Louisburg.

“I thought they did great in the second half,” Louisburg coach Adrianne Lane said. “I told the girls at halftime that we needed to come out hard, because we were a little flat to start. We got a few fouls on us in the first half, but after that I thought our defense was awesome. We played defense without fouling and it was almost perfect.”

Burlington turned the ball over 24 times on the night and the Lady Cats scored 18 points off those mistakes, while the Wildcats scored just two points off Louisburg turnovers. Louisburg was active all over the floor with 13 steals and 22 deflections.

The Lady Cats (2-0) also had to deal with foul trouble in the second half as starters Brianne Kuhlman and Jordan Mynsted had to play with four fouls, but the Louisburg bench came to rescue.

“It is really encouraging to see,” Lane said. “I have 12 on the bench right now and I felt like we played 10 pretty consistently and they all did a great job. We didn’t seem to miss a beat when we would sub and we just kept playing hard and our defense was great.”

Mynsted, a junior, led Louisburg in scoring for the second straight game as she finished with 14 points to go along with eight rebounds. Seniors Brooklyn Diederich and Madilyn Melton also finished in double figures with 10, while Melton added five rebounds, five deflections and three steals and Diederich led the way with three blocks.

Senior guard Megan Foote added eight points in the win to go along with six deflections, four assists and three steals.

“It was good to see them run some offense in that second half,” Lane said. “I thought we were very patient and they found the open person. They did a good job of running the floor and getting to their spots. We passed the ball well and we got open shots. I was very pleased with that.

“I like that the posts did a good job of getting steals in the passing lane, something that maybe we normally wouldn’t have gotten. I really like that we ran some good offense. We ran some pick and rolls, some high-low and that was fun to see.”

Louisburg took a 7-5 lead after the first quarter, but from then on, the Lady Cats had control of the game. The Lady Cats took a 22-14 lead at halftime and then outscored Burlington 37-12 in the second half to pull away.

The Lady Cats will try for their third consecutive win tonight when they travel to Anderson County for their first road contest of the season. Tipoff is set for 6 p.m.

LOU               7             15           16           21 – 59

BUR               5             9             6             6 – 26

LOUISBURG (2-0): Jordan Mynsted 7-14 0-0 14; Brooklyn Diederich 4-6 0-0 10; Madilyn Melton 5-6 0-1 10; Megan Foote 2-5 4-4 8; Alyse Moore 2-6 1-2; Brianne Kuhlman 2-5 0-0 5; Adyson Ross 1-2 0-0 2; Emma Prettyman 1-1 0-0 2; Delaney Wright 0-4 1-2 1; Sierra Hahn 0-0 1-2 1. Totals: 24-49 8-12 59. 3-point field goals: 4, (Diederich 2, Kuhlman, Moore)

Here is the Louisburg Sports Zone Athlete of the Week for week one of the winter sports season, sponsored by Vohs Pharmacy.

JORDAN MYNSTED, JUNIOR, GIRLS BASKETBALL

Louisburg junior Jordan Mynsted gave her Lady Cat team the spark they were looking for in their season opening win Friday against Tonganoxie. Mynsted scored a game-high 22 points and seven rebounds in the Lady Cats’ 49-37 win over the Chieftains.

Mynsted came up big for Louisburg in the fourth quarter as she scored 12 straight points to help the Lady Cats build a double-digit lead and sealed the win for Louisburg.

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.