Louisburg senior Haley Cain goes up for a jumper during the team’s game with Baldwin on Tuesday at Baldwin High School.

BALDWIN CITY – When it was all
said and done, the Louisburg girls basketball walked off the court for the
final time this season following a 44-32 loss to Baldwin Tuesday in the Class
4A sub-state semifinals.

There was obvious disappointment
for the Lady Cats following the defeat, but the setback didn’t deter from what
was one of their best performances of the season – especially on the defensive
end of the floor.

Louisburg held Baldwin to 28
percent from the floor and forced 19 turnovers as it was a tight game until the
final minute.

Baldwin would go on to defeat No.
4 Labette County on Friday in the sub-state championship and the Bulldogs will
join fellow Frontier League members Eudora and Piper in the state tournament this
week.

“We
are so proud of these girls and how they showed tremendous resilience
throughout that game,” Louisburg coach Leanna Willer said. “It would
have been easy for the girls to see themselves as underdogs and let the
game get away from them, but they fought every step of the way. I believe it
showed everyone just how much heart and soul this team can play with when we
truly play together.”

The Lady Cats (8-13) got up on the
Bulldogs early as they took a 10-6 lead at the end of the first quarter thanks
to a 3-pointer from Brooklyn Diederich and a basket from Madilyn Melton in the
final minute to give them some momentum.

Louisburg’s offense cooled in the
second quarter as it managed three points, but the Lady Cats still found
themselves down just five at halftime – thanks in part to their defense.
Louisburg was active defensively as they recorded 33 deflections to go along
with 12 steals and four blocks in the game.

“Our
defensive effort was huge,” Willer said. “We are not a team that tends to score
a lot of points, so maintaining a strong defense and holding the other team to
a low score was ideal. We had all kinds of players making big plays – getting
steals, deflections, applying ball pressure, fronting their post, etc. It was a
solid team effort and we worked really well together. Communication stepped up
as well, and that energy carried us through our comeback in the fourth quarter.”

That
comeback seemed to give the Lady Cats, who were the No. 12 seed coming into the
tournament, a chance for an upset and a spot in the championship game.

Down 23-18 going into the fourth quarter, junior Alyse Moore hit a pair of free throw and Melton connected on a basket to cut the lead to one. Baldwin knocked down a shot to go back up three, but after a Delaney Wright made free throw, junior Megan Foote knocked down a 3-pointer to give Louisburg a 26-25 lead midway through the frame.

Unfortunately
for the Lady Cats, Baldwin answered with a 3-pointer of its own to take the
lead back. The Bulldogs would go on to make 12 of 14 free throws down the
stretch to ice the game and the Lady Cats didn’t have a chance to catch up.

“We’ll
give credit where credit is due – Baldwin was extremely good from the free-throw
line that night, especially during the fourth quarter,” Willer said. “Fouling
was the only way for us to stop the clock toward the end, and they were just
solid – we couldn’t catch a break. We always say that free throws win games,
and Baldwin’s girls did an excellent job.”

Melton scored a bulk of the Lady
Cats’ points as she finished with a team-high 18 points to go along with nine
rebounds and two steals. Diederich was next on the team in scoring with six
points, but was also active defensively with a team-high 11 deflections and
Foote also had 10 of her own. Both players also had three steals.

Moore was second on the team with seven
rebounds, while Wright had five deflections, a steal and a block.

Although, the Lady Cats came up
short, Willer was excited to see her team’s effort in what was team’s most
important game of the year.

“This season has definitely been a roller coaster filled with many
ups and downs,” she said. “It’s been an emotional ride for all of us, but I
think we finally saw during that last game how truly special this team could
be. We battled through so many tough moments and I believe we are all stronger
for it. It has been a truly unforgettable year that I won’t soon forget. I am so
proud of the determination our team had to finish out the season strong.”

LOU               10           3             5             14 – 32

BAL                6             12           5             21 – 44

LOUISBURG (8-13): Madilyn Melton
6-14 6-9 18; Brooklyn Diederich 2-10 0-0 6; Alyse Moore 1-6 2-2 4; Megan Foote
1-3 0-0 3; Delaney Wright 0-6 1-2 1. Totals: 10-46 9-14 32. 3-point field
goals: 3, (Diederich 2, Foote)

Louisburg junior Weston Guetterman drives to the basket for two of his 17 points Wednesday during the Class 4A sub-state semifinal in Iola. Guetterman tied the game with three seconds left on a lay-up to send it to overtime.

IOLA – Louisburg found itself down 20 points on the road in the fourth quarter Wednesday against Iola in the Class 4A sub-state semifinals and its season looked lost.

The end of the Wildcats’ year appeared imminent – that was until they put together their best quarter of basketball all season. Louisburg scored 32 fourth quarter points and rallied to force overtime

Unfortunately for the Wildcats,
that rally didn’t extend to the extra period. Iola controlled the overtime and
ended Louisburg’s season with a 77-68 win.

“It was a tough game,” Louisburg
coach Ty Pfannenstiel said. “We were flat and we played poorly for three
quarters. It would have been real easy to pack it in, but we made a heck of a
comeback in the fourth quarter to give us a shot. Things just didn’t go our way
in overtime.”

Things weren’t going the Wildcats’
way through the first three quarters as Iola shot better than 55 percent from
the field, while Louisburg struggled to get things going offensively as it
scored 16 first half points. The Wildcats trailed 30-16 at halftime, despite
getting out to a 6-0 lead to start the game.

Louisburg (8-13) was behind 50-30
to start the fourth quarter and Iola was in firm control of the game, but the
early in the final period, the Wildcats were able to catch a break.

Iola point guard Calvin Delich was
issued a double technical foul and was ejected from the game, which helped give
the Wildcats new life as they began their improbable comeback.

“That was huge,” Pfannenstiel
said. “He was their point guard and we were able to get points out of it with
the clock stopped. Plus, it took out a ball handler and a key to their offense.”

The Wildcats then turned up the
pressure defensively and were able to get several key stops and force turnovers
down the stretch. The Wildcats forced 18 turnovers for the game, many of those
coming in the fourth quarter and they scored 19 points off those Iola mistakes.

Louisburg was down 57-45 midway through the quarter, but went on an 11-0 run thanks to five straight points from Julian Margrave, a basket from Garrett Rolofson and back-to-back scores from Weston Guetterman to cut the lead to one.

It was a two-point game with under
10 seconds remaining, when Guetterman drove to the basket and converted the
lay-up with three seconds left to tie the game and force overtime.

“Weston is aggressive and when he can
get downhill and get the ball to the rim he is a force in there,” Pfannenstiel
said. “He has been out with some sickness, and every timeout that we called he
was coughing in the huddle, so for him to gut it out like he did – we really
needed that. All our kids made plays to get it to overtime, but we just didn’t
quite have enough.

“We picked up some full-court
pressure and picked up some turnovers and our defense definitely sparked our
offense. We were just playing with a lot more energy. Moving forward, we have
to understand that we have to play hard for 32 minutes. Every team is good, and
every team has good players, and if you don’t execute and play with energy then
you can get yourself in a pretty big hole. We had no margin for error in the
fourth, but just fell short.”

Iola outscored the Wildcats 15-6
in the overtime to pull away as it converted at the free-throw line to seal the
win. Iola would go on to face Piper in the sub-state championship, but Piper
won 68-30 and was one of two Frontier League teams to make it to state. Ottawa
was the other team as it defeated Independence, 48-42.

Margrave helped bring the Wildcats
back as the Louisburg sophomore scored a team-high 23 points and nine rebounds.
Guetterman also finished in double figures with 17 points and added a team-high
six assists and four steals.

Rolofson, a senior, made an impact
in his final game as a Wildcat as he tallied 12 points and nine rebounds, while
junior Ben Guetterman added nine points. Fellow senior Michael Waldron also had
a team-high four steals to go along with six points.

“It’s tough,” Pfannenstiel said of
the loss. “I told the guys that I wasn’t prepared to give that (end of the
season) speech and really it is hard to find the right thing to say after a
game like that. The one thing I can say is that they are good kids and they
showed great commitment to this program. They represented and school with a lot
of character and pride. That is what we will remember the most of these guys is
what they have done for our program and their commitment to the offseason
workouts and being good kids and role models.

“We thank our seniors for
everything they have done for us and they were a big part of our program. We
also have a lot of young kids on the court and hopefully we can use this game
as motivation to get better for next year.”

LOU               10           6             14           32           6 – 68

IOLA              15           15           20           12           15 – 77

LOUISBURG (8-13): Julian Margrave
9-23 3-4 23; Weston Guetterman 6-17 4-5 17; Garrett Rolofson 4-8 3-4 12; Ben
Guetterman 3-10 2-2 9; Michael Waldron 2-9 0-0 6; Konnor Vohs 0-2 1-2 1.
Totals: 24-69 13-17 68. 3-point field goals: 7, (Waldron 2, Margrave 2, W.
Guetterman, Rolofson, B. Guetterman)

PAOLA – Despite getting off to a
good start, Friday’s game with Paola didn’t have the ending the Louisburg boys
basketball team was looking for.

The Panthers scored 40 points in
the second half and took advantage of some Wildcat miscues as they handed
Louisburg a 64-52 loss at Paola High School in the final game of the regular
season.

“It’s
always tough to lose, because there’s been so much time and effort invested in
preparing for it,” Louisburg coach Ty Pfannenstiel said. “Paola has some
explosive athletes and they made some big plays down the stretch. Defensively,
we were really good in the first half. We started the second half very poorly
which gave Paola some confidence and momentum.”

Turnovers
helped give Paola the momentum it was looking for as the Wildcats turned it
over 18 times, which led to 17 points for the Panthers. It erased a good start
for Louisburg.

The
Wildcats (8-12) took a five-point lead at the end of the first quarter and held
on to it as they led the Panthers 29-24 at halftime.

The
second half wasn’t as kind to Louisburg as the Wildcats were outscored 15-6 in
the third quarter and they weren’t able to regain the lead. Louisburg did put
up 17 points in the final frame, and eventually cut Paola’s lead to 53-49, but
it wasn’t enough as the Panthers pulled away – thanks in part to Paola’s
20-for-23 performance at the free-throw line.

“The turnovers
hurt us,” Pfannenstiel said. “Turnovers are empty possessions. You aren’t going
to win many games turning it over 18 times.  We have to do a better job of
valuing each possession. Paola shot it a lot better in the second half,
which gave them some extra energy.  We made a run there at the end, but
couldn’t get over the hump.  It was a good high school basketball
game.  We just have to make a few more plays to be able to win on the
road.”

Junior
Ben Guetterman led the Wildcats in scoring with a game-high 22 points,
including four 3-pointers, and sophomore Julian Margrave also scored in double
figures with 11. Senior Michael Waldron added eight, while junior Weston
Guetterman had seven points and seven assists.

Paola
had four players in double figures, including a team-high 17 points from Ryan
Wokutch and 14 points from Trey Moala.

Louisburg
will try and start fresh as the Wildcats earned the No. 10 seed in the Class 4A
East playoffs and will travel to No. 7 Iola for a 7 p.m. tipoff Wednesday. The winner
of that game will play the winner of No. 2 Piper and No. 15 Atchison for the
sub-state championship on Saturday.

“The postseason is always an amped up
time,” Pfannenstiel said. “Your season is on the line. In the senior’s case,
their high school career is on the line.  We have a great opportunity in
front of us and it’s moments like these that motivate us to work so hard all
year. Our kids will be ready.”

LOU               13           16           6             17 – 52

PAO               8             16           15           25 – 64

LOUISBURG (8-12): Ben Guetterman
8-14 2-3 22; Julian Margrave 3-7 4-4 11; Michael Waldron 3-6 0-0 8; Weston
Guetterman 2-8 3-4 7; Garrett Rolofson 1-5 0-0 2; Charlie Peters 1-1 0-0 2.
Totals: 18-42 9-11 52. 3-point field goals: 7, (B. Guetterman 4, Waldron 2,
Margrave)

Sophomore Delaney Wright goes up for a shot against Paola during a game earlier this season. The Lady Cats fell to the Panthers on Friday, 46-35.

PAOLA – After losing in the final
seconds last time it squared off with Paola, the Louisburg girls basketball
team was hoping to return the favor when the Lady Cats traveled to Paola.

Unfortunately, a slow start cost the Lady Cats and they weren’t able to recover in a 46-35 loss Friday to the Panthers and they ended their regular season with an 8-12 record. Despite a rough first quarter, Louisburg went on to outscore Paola in the next two frames as it continued to try and chip away at the lead.

“I
feel like the girls played very hard, and they fought until the end,” coach
Leanna Willer said. “We were very proud of the team and how we battled. We
never hung our heads or gave up whatsoever.”

Paola
jumped out to a big lead as it outscored Louisburg 15-5 in the opening quarter
and the Lady Cats tried to battle back. Louisburg leaned on junior Madilyn
Melton to help get them there.

Melton
scored a game-high 16 points to go along with six rebounds in the loss,
including an 8-for-11 performance from the free-throw line.

Junior
Megan Foote had a team-high five steals to go along with five rebounds and junior
Alyse Moore had a team-high eight boards. Another junior, Brooklyn Diederich,
had a team-best four assists.

The
Lady Cat defense also improved in the second half as it held Paola to 20 points
in the final two quarters. Trinity McDow led Paola in scoring with 19 points
and Brayden Hanf also scored in double figures with 12.

“Without
that 10 point spread in the first quarter, we are looking at a very different
ball game,” Willer said. “From that point on, we played pretty much even with
them, and we actually won the second and third quarters. We definitely saw a
lot of positives in that game.

“First
of all, I think Madilyn played a great game for us – she got to the rim and the
free throw line, which is exactly what we needed from her. I think our defense
stepped up in the second half and took them out of their element. Delaney
Wright played a huge role in that as she guarded McDow and limited her touches
in the second half. I also think we did a much better job moving the ball
around on offense and being patient on that end of the floor. It took us a bit
to settle into it, but once we did, we started getting the looks we wanted and
creating more opportunities for success.”

Louisburg
is hoping some of those positives carry over into the postseason. The Lady
Cats, who are ranked No. 12 in the Class 4A East playoffs, will travel to No. 5
Baldwin tonight for the sub-state semifinals. Tipoff is set for 7 p.m.

The winner of that game will play
the winner of No. 4 Labette County and No. 13 Atchison on Friday evening for
the sub-state championship.

“We are very excited heading into sub-state, and it’s always nice
to start the postseason with a clean slate,” Willer said. ‘Wins, losses, record
– none of that matters now. Each team comes in at 0-0 and anything can happen.
We are geared up and ready to go for what will inevitably be a tough battle. It’s
now or never.”

LOU               5             12           9             9 – 35

PAO               15           11           8             12 – 46

LOUISBURG (8-12): Madilyn Melton
4-10 8-11 16; Brooklyn Diederich 2-6 0-0 5; Delaney Wright 2-7 0-1 4; Alyse
Moore 1-6 1-6 3; Megan Foote 0-3 3-6 3; Brianne Kuhlman 1-1 0-0 2; Haley Cain
1-6 0-2 2. Totals: 11-39 12-26 35. 3-point field goals: 1, (Diederich)

Louisburg junior Madilyn Melton goes to the basket for two points Tuesday during the Lady Cats’ home game against Metro Academy.

It had been a couple weeks since
the Louisburg girls basketball team was able to find the win column, but the
Lady Cats picked a good time for that to happen again.

Louisburg hosted Metro Academy on
Tuesday in its home finale and the Lady Cats were able to snap a losing streak with
a 45-36 victory over the Mavericks. The Lady Cats picked up a big win heading
into its final regular season game with Paola.

“Tuesday’s
win was much needed,” coach Leanna Willer said. “We have been working really
hard to continue to get better every day, so it was nice to see that get
rewarded on the scoreboard Tuesday night. It wasn’t always pretty, and we are
definitely working on cleaning things up a bit at practice this week, but it
felt good to be back on the positive side of the outcome.”

The
Lady Cats (8-11) used its defense to come out on top as they held Metro Academy
to just 11 first half points and forced 18 total turnovers. Louisburg was able
to turn those mistakes into 17 points, which turned out to be vital in its
nine-point win.

Metro
Academy came alive offensively in the fourth quarter with 16 points, but the
Lady Cats built enough of a lead to win comfortably.

Junior Brooklyn Diederich led the Lady Cat defense with nine deflections and three steals, while junior Megan Foote had five deflections and two steals. Sophomore Delaney Wright also caused a lot of pressure at the front of that pressure defense.

“I
thought our defense started out really strong, especially during the first
half,” Willer said. “We kept them out of an offensive rhythm and made them
uncomfortable with our full court pressure. I think our defense got a
little tired toward the end, and we allowed them to come back and score
more points than we would have hoped, but we have been working hard on defense
and rebounding all week long to keep improving. Our defensive pressure converts
into offensive energy and points, so it’s always great to start off that way.”

Junior
Madilyn Melton continued her strong play with one of her best games of the
season to lead the way. Melton scored a team-high 18 points to go along with
four rebounds.

Fellow
junior Alyse Moore also scored in double figures with 10 points and senior
Haley Cain had a team-high six rebounds in the win. However, it all started on
the inside with Melton.

“Madilyn
has been playing very well these last few games,” Willer said. “We continue to
look for ways to get her the ball, whether inside the paint or on the
perimeter. She has taken on the workload very well and she is working hard to
try new moves and positions.

“Madilyn
has also done a much better job of recognizing when she needs to take the ball
to the rack and when she should kick it back out to a teammate – this opens a
lot of things up for the rest of the team and creates more opportunities for
our offense to be successful.”

The
Lady Cats’ offense got kick-started in the second half. Louisburg built a
double-figure lead to start the third quarter on a 3-pointer from senior Sydni
Keagle and then built a 14-point advantage going into the fourth to all but
seal the win.

Louisburg
will try and finish out its season with two straight wins Friday when it
travels to Paola for its regular season finale. The Panthers beat the Lady Cats
earlier in the year on a last-second shot and Louisburg is hoping for a revenge
win of its own.

“We
are very much looking forward to have another shot at Paola,” Willer said. “When
we first played this season, our heads were all over the place. We fought hard,
but lost a heartbreaker in the end. Going into tomorrow’s game, we are feeling
much more confident in the work we’ve put in both on and off the court to be
the best team we can be. May the best team win.”

LOU               13           5             16           11 – 45

MA                8             3             9             16 – 36

LOUISBURG (8-11): Madilyn Melton
7-11 3-3 18; Alyse Moore 3-9 4-8 10; Megan Foote 1-1 3-5 6; Delaney Wright 1-5
0-0 3; Haley Cain 1-3 0-0 3; Sydni Keagle 1-2 0-0 2; Brooklyn Diederich 1-9 0-0
2. Totals: 15-40 10-16 45. 3-point field goals: 5, (Wright, Cain, Melton,
Keagle, Foote)

Sophomore Maverick Rockers drives to the basket for two points after a steal Tuesday against Metro Academy at Louisburg High School.

It wasn’t the way the Louisburg
boys basketball team wanted to end its home season.

A victory against Metro Academy on
Tuesday would have given the Wildcats a chance at hosting a first-round playoff
game, but instead, they might have played their last home game of the season.

Metro Academy used a big fourth
quarter run to help pull away and hand Louisburg a 54-48 loss. The Wildcats are
now 8-11 on the season, and will need to beat Paola on Friday, along with some
other help to be able move up the seed line for the playoffs.

“We talked about what was on the
line going into this game,” Louisburg coach Ty Pfannenstiel said. “If we would
have won our last two games, then we could have hosted a first round game. Not
that it is completely out the window, but we are looking at a 9 or 10 seed
right now.”

Louisburg got out to a fast start
as it outscored Metro Academy 15-5 in the first quarter and the Wildcats
increased it to a 14-point advantage early in the second. It was then when the
Mavericks started to gain confidence.

Metro Academy finished the first
half on a 14-5 run to cut into the Louisburg lead and eventually took a small
lead early in the fourth quarter.

“I thought we were really good defensively
in the first quarter,” Pfannenstiel said. “Some of those things we struggled
with against Bonner Springs last week, we watched those on film and we were
better in that first quarter. I thought we were very disciplined, but that is a
talented Metro team. I think they return four guys off of last year’s team that
made it tough on us last year. They have some shooters and good posts that are
explosive. A lot of them are seniors and are big, physical kids. We just didn’t
get done and hats off to them as they made some plays.”

Louisburg junior Konnor Vohs broke
a tie early in the fourth quarter on a 3-pointer to give the Wildcats the lead,
but Metro Academy went on a 10-0 run to take a seven-point lead with 2 minutes
and 30 seconds left in the game and the Wildcats weren’t able to bounce back.

The Wildcats were without starting
point guard Weston Guetterman, who was out with an illness, but sophomore
Maverick Rockers started in his place and he, along with Vohs, helped pick up
some of the scoring slack. The two players combined to score 15 points to help
keep Louisburg in it.

“I thought both of them played
really, really well,” Pfannenstiel said. “I was pleased with everything that
those guys did. They handled the ball well and took care of the ball. I think
they combined for like two turnovers and that is impressive versus some kids
that could really guard. They both were able to score some points for us and
ran the offense, so I was definitely pleased with that.”

Three-point shooting wasn’t a problem for the Wildcats as they knocked down seven on the night and shot close to 50 percent from behind the arc. It was the inside that gave Louisburg some issues.

The Wildcats shot just 31 percent
from 2-point range and they had problems finding easy baskets.

“We struggle to finish on the
inside and for some reason it is hard for us to finish when we get into the
paint,” Pfannenstiel said. “If you look at our 2-point percentage, it is not
what you would expect. We have to get better there. Some of it is we are taking
tough, contested runners where if we make that extra pass off the drive that we
could get a higher percentage shot. It is not always the guys driving the ball,
it is also the guys off the ball that have to make plays too to give us some
opportunities. We shot it well from the outside, but we have to finish on the
inside and find ways to execute offensively.”

Junior Ben Guetterman led
Louisburg in scoring with nine points and had six rebounds, while sophomore Julian
Margrave had a team-high eight rebounds. Senior Garrett Rolofson also finished
with six boards.

Louisburg will try and bounce back
to win its regular season finale when it travels to Paola. Tipoff is set for
7:30 p.m., as the Wildcats try and avenge a loss to the Panthers from earlier
this season.

“It shouldn’t take anything
special to get us motivated to play Paola,” Pfannenstiel said. “We have a sour
taste in our mouths from the last time we played them and have an opportunity
to go to their place and get a win. We have played well over there the last
couple of years, so I think it will be a good environment and is always a great
rivalry.”

LOU               15           9             15           9 – 48

MA                5             14           18           17 – 54

LOUISBURG (8-11): Ben Guetterman
3-16 2-2 9; Konnor Vohs 3-4 0-0 8; Maverick Rockers 3-5 0-0 7; Garrett Rolofson
2-5 1-2 6; Michael Waldron 2-5 1-2 6; Charlie Peters 2-4 1-2 6; Julian Margrave
3-11 0-0 6. Totals: 18-50 5-8 48. 3-point field goals: 7, (Vohs 2, Rolofson,
Rockers, Guetterman, Waldron, Peters)

Louisburg junior Weston Guetterman gets on the floor for a loose ball Friday during the Wildcats’ game in Bonner Springs.

BONNER SPRINGS – After a pair of
wins got the Louisburg boys basketball team back on the right track, the
Wildcats stumbled a bit Friday at Bonner Springs.

Louisburg, despite a late second half rally, could not complete the season sweep over Bonner Springs as the Wildcats fell, 61-54, after defeating the Braves earlier this season. It was a loss where several things didn’t go the Wildcats’ way.

“We just have to find some
consistency,” Louisburg coach Ty Pfannenstiel said. “Against Spring Hill we
were really good defensively, and I think against Eudora we were really good
offensively. This time, we were just okay on each end. I didn’t think we were
great defensively, especially in the first half. Our plan was to keep them out
of the paint and kind of pack in our defense and make them settle for outside
jumpers. We struggled early to keep them out of the paint and they had some
good looks.

“We have to find some consistency,
though, and our record shows that. We might be good for a couple games and then
we struggle a little. We struggled a little offensively and settled for too
many outside jumpers, especially in the first half.”

The Wildcats, who are currently
8-10 on the season, struggled in the turnover department – which turned out to
be to the different in the game. With the game tied at 11 going into the second
quarter, Louisburg committed five turnovers that led to fast break points for
Bonner Springs.

That allowed the Braves to build a
lead it wouldn’t give back. In all, the Wildcats committed 18 turnovers on the
night, which led to 25 Bonner Springs points.

“Turnovers hurt us for sure and
those led to some run-out layups for them,” Pfannenstiel said. “We came out in
a 1-3-1 defense to start the second half, and I think that worked and we did a
good job rebounding, but then we would turn the ball over. That puts us down
and forced us to get out of our zone, which I thought had a chance to slow them
down a little bit.

“When you give up three
possessions in a row on easy baskets like that it is tough. You can’t fault our
defense there, it was those turnovers that led to their offense. You aren’t
going to win many games if you turn the ball over that many times.”

Despite all that, the Wildcats
were able to make one final run at the Braves early in the fourth quarter.

Senior Michael Waldron and sophomore Julian Margrave hit back-to-back 3-pointers to cut the Bonner lead to three. Junior Ben Guetterman then got a steal and a score to trim the Braves’ lead to 51-50.

Bonner Springs, however, would go
on a 9-0 run to extend the lead back to 10 points and the Wildcats weren’t able
to recover.

Margrave and senior Garrett
Rolofson each had a double-double to lead the Wildcats. Margrave finished with
a team-high 17 points and 12 rebounds, while Rolofson added 11 points and 10
boards.

Guetterman also finished in double
figures with 15 points. Junior Weston Guetterman had a team-high seven assists
to go along with six rebounds.

“We were able to make a run there
to get back in it and I was proud of the guys for that,” Pfannenstiel said. “I
thought maybe we had turned the corner, but that is how basketball goes
sometimes. We will do what we can to get a little more consistent because that
is what it is going to take to make a run here.”

Louisburg returns to action
tonight when it hosts Metro Academy in its final home game of the season.
Tipoff is set for 7:30 p.m.

LOU               11           15           16           12 – 54

BON              11           21           16           13 – 61

LOUISBURG (8-10): Julian Margrave
6-14 3-4 17; Ben Guetterman 6-19 1-3 15; Garrett Rolofson 4-8 3-3 11; Michael
Waldron 2-7 0-0 6; Weston Guetterman 2-10 0-0 5. Totals: 20-58 7-10 54. 3-point
field goals: 7, (B. Guetterman 2, Waldron 2, Margrave 2, W. Guetterman 1)

Junior Alyse Moore puts up a runner in the lane Friday during the Lady Cats’ game with Bonner Springs at Bonner Springs High School.

BONNER SPRINGS – The Louisburg
girls basketball team was within minutes of picking up a road win and snapping
a mini losing streak.

Bonner Springs, however, had
different ideas.

The Braves closed the game with 10
straight points and handed the Lady Cats a 43-39 loss Friday at Bonner Springs
High School. It was the third straight loss for the Lady Cats as they head into
the final week of the regular season.

“It
was a tough loss for sure,” coach Leanna Willer said. “We were ahead the whole
game, but just couldn’t finish it out as a team in those final minutes. We were
all disappointed, especially because we knew that was a winnable game for us.
However, we’ll give credit to Bonner Springs – they fought back hard to come
out on top in the end.”

Louisburg
(7-11) held the lead from early in the second quarter until late in the fourth.
The Lady Cats built an eight-point lead on a couple different occasions,
including early in the fourth quarter, but the Braves made one final push.

After Louisburg senior Haley Cain scored on an offensive rebound to put the Lady Cats up 38-31, Bonner Springs finished the game on a 12-1 run. The Braves tied the game with 58 seconds remaining and then took the lead a few moments later on a basket from Kim Whetstone.

It
was Whetstone that caused the Lady Cats the most problems. She finished with a
game-high 20 points, many of which came in the Braves’ 20-point fourth quarter,
and also added 13 rebounds.

Louisburg
had a couple different opportunities to either tie the game, or take the lead
back, but either the shots wouldn’t fall or the Braves forced a turnover. The
Lady Cats also struggled at the free-throw line as they were 3-for-13 for the
contest.

The
game was a back-and-forth affair early on as the lead changed hands eight times
through the early part of the second quarter, but Louisburg junior Madilyn
Melton helped build the Lady Cats’ lead. She scored 14 points from the second
quarter to the early part of the fourth that helped give Louisburg a nine-point
lead at the time.

Melton
finished with a team-high 16 points to go along with eight rebounds and three
blocked shots. Junior Alyse Moore was next on the team in scoring with seven
points and six rebounds.

Junior Megan Foote led the Lady Cats with eight assists and had seven rebounds. Another junior, Brooklyn Diederich, had a team-high nine deflections and Foote added six. Sophomore Delaney Wright was second on the team with four assists and had a team-high two steals.

“I
thought we did a much better job offensively being patient and moving the ball
around to get the looks we wanted,” Willer said. “I think we also saw a glimpse
of the potential that this team truly has to be great. We are so close to
flipping that switch and being a really great team. At this point, we’re our
own worst enemy. If we can figure out how to take care of things on our end and
play as a team, we’ll be tough to beat.”

Louisburg
will try and bounce back tonight when it hosts Metro Academy in its final home
game. Tipoff is set for 6 p.m.

LOU               8             12           8             11 – 39

BON              10           6             7             20 – 43

LOUISBURG (7-11): Madilyn Melton
8-13 0-4 16; Alyse Moore 3-11 0-2 7; Brooklyn Diederich 2-8 0-0 6; Megan Foote
1-5 2-4 5; Haley Cain 1-3 0-0 2; Adyson Ross 1-1 0-0 2; Delaney Wright 0-5 1-3
1. Totals: 16-49 3-13 39. 3-point field goals: 4, (Diederich 2, Moore, Foote)

Louisburg senior Shayla Aye makes her first varsity basket as her teammates look on during Tuesday’s game against Eudora. Aye, who serves as the team’s manager, suited up for the first time on Senior Night.

If you are a Louisburg fan, the
game itself between the Lady Cats and No. 4-ranked Eudora didn’t leave a lot to
cheer about.

The Cardinals showed why they are
one of the best teams in Class 4A as they defeated the Lady Cats, 56-33.
Despite that, the Lady Cats left the floor with a lot of smiles on their faces
and there was one big reason why.

Tuesday was Senior Night for the
Lady Cats as they honored senior players Haley Cain and Sydni Keagle, along
with manager Shayla Aye.

Aye, who has been in charge of the
team’s camera the last few years, had a chance to suit up for the first time.
So late in the fourth quarter, she made her way to the scorer’s table to check
in.

What came after was something many
of the Lady Cat players will never forget.

Aye stole the ball and dribbled
down the court in the game’s final seconds, and after a couple missed shots,
scored her first varsity basket as the LHS gymnasium erupted.

“Shayla
has to be one of the most positive people on the planet,” coach Leanna Willer
said. “She smiles constantly and brings such a positive energy and light into
any room. We have absolutely loved having Shayla be part of our program over
the years, and she earned her right to put on that uniform for senior night.

“At
the end of the game, we were going to do whatever we could to get Shayla the
ball and the opportunity to score. It was truly an incredible moment, and I’m
so glad we got to share it together. Shout out to the Eudora coaching staff and
players – they were true class acts and cheered for her just as much as we did.”

It was also a chance to recognize Cain and Keagle for their efforts with the program and both players were honored following the game along with their parents. Both players started the game for the Lady Cats and Aye was named as an honorable starter.

“It’s
difficult to even put into words what Haley and Sydni have meant to this
program,” Willer said. “They have been awesome leaders, and are incredible
young women. Although roles have changed for each of them over the years, they
are completely unselfish and have been willing to do whatever is best for the
team. These two are true team players and their teammates trust them
wholeheartedly as they lead by example.

“There
is no hiding the fact that they are not leading the team in points, rebounds,
or even minutes, but they make the biggest impact when it comes to the
intangibles. We can always count on them to give their all and hold teammates
accountable while being the glue holding our team together. Personally, I do
not know what I would have done without these two this year. They will be
greatly missed next year.”

As
for the game itself, Eudora took control of the game early as it scored the
game’s first 15 points and took a 31-11 halftime lead.

It was a closer game in the second
half and Louisburg (7-10) found a little more of a rhythm offensively, but the
Cardinals scored 17 points in the third quarter to all but seal the win.

Junior Madilyn Melton led
Louisburg in scoring with 14 points, while sophomore Delaney Wright and junior
Alyse Moore each finished with seven. Moore also had a team-high seven rebounds
and three steals. Cain also had six rebounds to help lead the Lady Cats and
Keagle had four.

Louisburg will try and bounce back
tonight when it travels to Bonner Springs for a league game. Tipoff is set for
6 p.m.

LOU               4             7             11           11 – 33

EUD               19           12           17           8 – 56

LOUISBURG (7-10): Madilyn Melton
6-7 2-2 14; Delaney Wright 2-8 1-2 7; Alyse Moore 2-4 3-5 7; Brooklyn Diederich
1-5 0-0 2; Shayla Aye 1-6 0-0 2. Totals: 12-39 6-9 33. 3-point field goals: 3,
(Wright 2, Diederich)

Sophomore Julian Margrave gets to the basket for two of his 20 points Tuesday against Eudora. The Wildcats knocked down 13 3-pointers in their win over the Cardinals.

The Louisburg boys basketball team
picked a good time to have its best shooting night of the season Tuesday
against Eudora.

The Wildcats, who lost to Eudora earlier in the year, returned the favor in a 64-50 victory over the Cardinals. As impressive as the win was, it was how the Wildcats did it that made all that more memorable.

Louisburg knocked down 13
3-pointers on the night – a season high – and in comparison made just eight
two-pointers. The Wildcats shot nearly 50 percent from the floor and was able
to hold off a late Eudora comeback in the second half to get their second
straight victory.

“We played with a lot more
confidence early on and we were playing free,” Louisburg coach Ty Pfannenstiel
said. “The ball was going through the hoop and we were feeling pretty good
about things. That is the type of offensive team that I think we can be. We have
kind of struggled offensively lately in getting into a rhythm, so for us to put
up 40 in the first half was big.

“In the second half, we wanted to
be patient with the lead, but we still wanted to have that mentality where we
are looking to score. Even though we didn’t score as well, we were still
patient with the ball. My biggest concern was our defense in the second half.
We have to be better defensively. Eudora was able to come back and make it
tight, but for our kids to respond and extend the lead was good.”

Sophomore Julian Margrave was big in the first half for Louisburg as he scored 16 of his 20 points in the first two quarters to help give the Wildcats a 40-21 lead at halftime. Junior Ben Guetterman also shined as he had 11 of his 16 points in the first half as well.

The Wildcats (8-9) did much of their damage from behind-the-arc early as 10 of their 13 3-pointers came in the first and second quarters.

“Sometimes you get hot and I think we are a group that can do that,” Pfannenstiel said. “Hopefully we are getting hot at the right time and we can continue that. The best thing is that they were all good shots and were in rhythm. Julian got hot there in the first half and was definitely wanting the ball. He was really good in the first half as was Ben and (Michael) Waldron. Weston shot the ball really well too.”

Weston Guetterman was key for the
Wildcats in the second half as Eudora made a run at the Wildcats. The Cardinals
put the pressure on Louisburg as they eventually cut the lead to five midway
through the fourth quarter.

Weston had the answers for Louisburg as he scored 15 of his game-high 21 points in the second half as Eudora made an effort to take away Margrave and limit his looks. He also had seven points in the final two minutes to help keep the Cardinals at arm’s length.

“They were trying to pressure Julian
and made it hard for him to get touches,” Pfannenstiel said. “If they are going
to take him away, that just means other guys are going to have to step up and
Weston did that for us in the second half. He really took over when we needed
someone too and hit some shots to stop some of those Eudora runs.”

Defense was also a priority for the Wildcats in the first half as they held Eudora to 21 points and scored 20 points off of 13 Eudora turnovers. Ben Guetterman led the Wildcats with four steals and Michael Waldron added three.

Ben Guetterman finished with a team-high eight rebounds and Garrett Rolofson added two blocks.

It was also Senior Night for Louisburg and the Wildcats honored seniors Waldron, Rolofson and Noah Bell prior to the contest. The crowd was fired up early as all three seniors started and Bell, who is better known as Roll Tide, scored his first-ever varsity basket to begin the game.

The Wildcats used that momentum to
build a big lead over the Cardinals and they never looked back.

“Roll Tide was fired up,”
Pfannenstiel said. “I have never seen a kid take the court with that big of a
smile on his face. It was just ear to ear. He was excited for his opportunity
and he was able to get himself a bucket. It was good for him and it was fun to
see.

“Michael has played really well defensively, especially the last two games for sure. We put him on their best players and I think he really loves that role. He has done a good job of keeping of their best scorers frustrated. Rolo has just been solid for us all year and has been our most consistent defender and rebounder. He guards the other team’s best big and he is really playing good basketball for us right now.”

The Wildcats will try and make it three straight wins tonight as they travel to Bonner Springs for Frontier League matchup. Tipoff is set for 7:30 p.m.

LOU               18           22           7             17 – 64

EUD               10           11           15           14 – 50

LOUISBURG (8-9): Weston Guetterman
6-11 5-8 64; Julian Margrave 7-10 2-2 20; Ben Guetterman 5-11 2-2 16; Michael
Waldron 1-4 0-0 3; Garrett Rolofson 1-3 0-1 2; Noah Bell 1-4 0-0 2. Totals:
21-44 9-13 64. 3-point field goals: 13, (W. Guetterman 4, B. Guetterman 4,
Margrave 4, Waldron 1)