CHANUTE — For the second time in six days, the Louisburg girls basketball team came away with a victory — with the latest coming in tournament action.

The Wildcats faced off with Wichita West in the seventh-place game of the Ralph Miller Classic at Chanute High School. Louisburg dominated from start to finish as the Wildcats cruised to a 50-18 victory and earned their second win of the season.

“Getting a win on Saturday was a great way to end the week,” Louisburg coach Adrianne Lane said. “The girls had a hard week, and winning two games was great for the team morale.”

The victory was the fourth game in six days for the Wildcats, three of which came in the Ralph Miller Classic. After losses to Sunrise Christian and Goddard-Eisenhower in the first two games, the Wildcats ended on a strong note.

Louisburg dominated the inside as juniors McKenna Lohse and Morgan Latham each almost had a double-double. Lohse scored a team-high 10 points and pulled down nine rebounds, while Latham had nine points and a team-best 11 boards.

The Wildcats out rebounded the Pioneers, 50-26, and scored 26 points in the paint.

Senior Sabra Brueggen finished with eight points, while seniors Ashlyn Kuhlman and Ally Brown added six. Brown also pulled down six rebounds.

Sami Lane led the team with four assists and Jillian Asher had three. Shylar Whiting had four steals to pace the Wildcat defense. 

Louisburg held Wichita West to 11 points in the first half and put the game away in the third quarter as the Wildcats outscored the Pioneers, 17-3. 

“I thought we played some good offense in the tournament and we did a great job playing together,” coach Lane said. “It was good to see all the girls contribute.”

Louisburg returns to action on today when it travels to Eudora. Tipoff is set for 6 p.m.

LOU 12 11 17 10 — 50

WW 4 7 3 4 — 18

LOUISBURG (2-9): McKenna Lohse 5-11 0-0 10; Morgan Latham 4-6 1-2 9; Sabra Brueggen 3-8 2-5 8; Ashlyn Kuhlman 2-7 0-0 6; Ally Brown 2-7 0-0 6; Jillian Asher 2-10 0-0 5; Shylar Whiting 2-6 0-0 4; Addy Stohs 1-1 0-0 2. Totals: 21-58 3-7 50. 3-point field goals: 5, (Kuhlman 2, Brown 2, Asher)

Wildcats fall to Sunrise Christian, Eisenhower to open tourney

It was a tough start to the Ralph Miller Classic for the Louisburg girls as they squared off with Sunrise Christian in the first round.

Sunrise, a private academy located just outside of Wichita, provided a big test for the Wildcats. The Buffaloes got out to a quick start and never looked back as they handed Louisburg a 72-53 loss on Thursday.

The Wildcats were able to put up points on the Buffalos, but couldn’t get the stops it needed to cut what was a 23-12 deficit after the first quarter.

“I thought the girls played well at Chanute in all three tournament games,” Lane said. “I was very proud of the girls and how they battled against Sunrise Christian. We scored well against them and our offense was consistent each quarter.”

Ally Brown led the Wildcats with nine points to go along with a team-high three assists. Morgan Latham had eight points and four rebounds.

Sami Lane and Shylar Whiting each scored seven, while Whiting also had three assists. Ashlyn Kuhlman and McKenna Lohse led Louisburg with five rebounds each.

On Friday, the Wildcats squared off with Eisenhower and fell to the Class 5A program, 61-42. Louisburg trailed 28-17 at halftime, but the Tigers scored 18 points in the third quarter to pull away.

Kuhlman led the Wildcats in scoring with 14 points, including four 3-pointers. Sabra Brueggen and Jillian Asher each finished with eight points, while Brueggen also had six rebounds and a team-high three assists. 

Brown added six points and  a team-best seven rebounds. Lane also tied Brueggen with a team-high three assists.

LOU 7 10 11 13 — 42

EIS 17 11 18 15 — 61

LOUISBURG: Ashlyn Kuhlman 4-11 0-0 12; Jillian Asher 2-11 2-2 8; Sabra Brueggen 1-3 5-8 7; Ally Brown 2-7 0-0 6; Morgan Latham 2-6 0-0 4; McKenna Lohse 0-2 2-2 2; Shylar Whiting 1-4 0-0 2. Totals: 12-48 9-12 42. 3-point field goals: 8, (Kuhlman 4, Asher 2, Brown 2)

LOU 12 8 13 20 — 53

SUN 23 15 14 20 — 72

LOUISBURG: Ally Brown 3-8 0-0 9; Morgan Latham 4-8 0-0 8; Shylar Whiting 3-4 0-0 7; Sami Lane 3-7 0-0 7; Jillian Asher 1-6 3-4 5; Ashlyn Kuhlman 1-8 3-3 5; McKenna Lohse 2-4 0-2 4; Sabra Brueggen 1-3 2-2 4; Addy Stohs 2-3 0-0 4. Totals: 20-51 8-11 53. 3-point field goals: 5, (Brown 3, Whiting, Lane)

SHAWNEE MISSION — Going into the seventh-place game of the Viking Classic on Saturday, the Louisburg boys basketball team was in desperate need of a win.

Injuries and a tough schedule have hampered the Wildcats, but Saturday provided some relief. Louisburg snapped a seven-game losing skid as the Wildcats downed Wyandotte, 67-38, and ended with win in what was a talented tournament field at Shawnee Mission West.

“We knew it was going to be a tough tournament for us and it was,” Louisburg coach Ben Doll said. “We knew we were going to be the smallest school in the tournament, but I am hoping the competition makes us better with our 4A schedule down the road.”

Senior Luke Schultz provided the Wildcats with a much-needed boost at the right time. Schultz finished with a double-double, which included a game-high 30 points to go along with 11 rebounds.

The Wildcats, who had a 27-19 lead at halftime, exploded for 24 points in the third quarter, with a lot of those coming from Schultz.

“We played much better against Wyandotte on Saturday,” Doll said. “First, our pressure caused them to cough it up in the open floor for some easy layups and we ran more zone than usual, which was effective since they are not a good shooting team. 

“Luke stepped up a lot in that game as well. He was more aggressive getting to the basket and hit three 3s to go with that. Luke has been a steady guy for us all year and it was nice to see him have a breakout game.”

Louisburg’s defense came up big as the Wildcats forced 28 Wyandotte turnovers and turned those into 30 points. The Wildcats also had 17 offensive rebounds, which led to 13 second chance points.

Senior Myles Vohs also finished in double figures for the Wildcats as he had 10 points to go along with a team-high five assists. Sophomore Lance Callahan had seven points and a team-high three steals, tied with Schultz and junior Owen Marsh.

The Wildcats will try and build on this momentum as they travel to Eudora on Tuesday as they get back into league play. Tipoff is set for 7:30 p.m.

LOU 14 13 24 16 — 67

WYA 8 11 11 8 — 38

LOUISBURG (3-8): Luke Schultz 11-18 5-8 30; Myles Vohs 4-11 1-3 10; Lance Callahan 2-9 1-2 7; Ethan Kush 3-4 0-0 6; Owen Marsh 2-4 1-2 5; Aiden Kennedy 2-3 0-0 4; Herschel Strumberger 1-2 1-2 3; Derek Frederick 0-5 2-2 2. Totals: 25-61 11-19 67. 3-point field goals: 6, (Schultz 3, Callahan 2, Vohs)

Wildcats open tournament with losses to Ozark, Shawnee Mission West

Louisburg opened the Viking Classic with its first of three games in three days Thursday when the No. 6 seed Wildcats squared off with No. 3 Ozark (Mo.)

The bigger Ozark program got out to a big lead early and never looked back as it handed Louisburg a 63-32 loss. 

“Ozark had a ton of size, which gave us issues with their 1-3-1 zone and our guards seeing over all that size,” Doll said. “They are a solid team that played very hard against us.”

Derek Frederick led the Wildcats in scoring with 10 points, while Herschel Strumberger had a team-high five rebounds and Myles Vohs led Louisburg with three assists. Owen Marsh also had a team-high three steals.

The Wildcats had much of the same trouble in the consolation semifinals on Friday against Shawnee Mission West. The Vikings held Louisburg to 11 first half points and handed the Wildcats a 56-29 setback.

“The Shawnee Mission West game was a rough one for us as well,” Doll said. “Their pressure and scrappy play caused us to turn it over too much and we don’t usually score enough to overcome losing the turnover battle so badly.”

Marsh led Louisburg in scoring with seven points and Strumberger added six in the loss. Luke Schultz had five points and a team-high seven rebounds.

LOU 7 7 12 6 — 32

OZA 21 18 13 11 — 63

LOUISBURG: Derek Frederick 3-11 1-2 10; Owen Marsh 4-11 0–0 8; Myles Vohs 2-11 2-3 6; Billy Vohs 1-4 0-0 3; Luke Schultz 1-7 0-0 2; Lance Callahan 1-3 0-0 2; Herschel Strumberger 0-4 1-2 1. Totals: 12-51 4-7 32. 3-point field goals: 4, (Frederick 3, B. Vohs)

LOU 7 4 10 8 — 29

SMW 17 12 10 17 — 56

LOUISBURG: Owen Marsh 3-11 1-2 7; Herschel Strumberger 2-2 2-3 6; Billy Vohs 1-4 3-4 5; Myles Vohs 2-10 0-0 5; Luke Schultz 1-7 2-4 5; Derek Frederick 0-4 1-2 1. Totals: 11-46 9-15 29. 3-point field goals: 2, (M. Vohs, Schultz)

Wildcats can’t overcome big second half from Harrisonville

In what was the first of four games in six days for Louisburg, the Wildcats traveled to Harrisonvile on Jan. 20 in hopes sneaking out with a road win.

The Wildcats had the lead after one quarter of play, but Harrisonville held Louisburg to just 25 points in the final three quarters and downed the Wildcats, 60-38.

Louisburg was without a pair of post players in Gavin Lohse — the team’s leading scorer and rebounder — along with Herschel Strumberger. 

Senior Luke Schultz did his best to keep the team in it with a double-double. Schultz pulled down a season-high 18 rebounds to go along with 10 points. Senior Myles Vohs also scored in double figures with 10 and sophomore Lance Callahan added eight. 

Harrisonville shot 46 percent for the game, with much of that damage coming in the second half. Louisburg shot just 19 percent and struggled to get going offensively.

“We started out well, but we shot so bad that when they got hot in the third quarter, we couldn’t keep up,” Doll said. “Luke was a warrior though with his 18 rebounds. He didn’t have much help with Gavin and Herschel both out.”

LOU 13 2 12 11 — 38

HAR 9 12 20 19 — 60

LOUISBURG: Myles Vohs 3-13 2-5 10; Luke Schultz 2-12 6-9 10; Lance Callahan 2-3 2-2 8; Owen Marsh 1-8 3-4 5; Parker Stanfield 1-1 0-0 3; Billy Vohs 1-3 0-0 2. Totals: 10-54 13-20 38. 3-point field goals: 5, (M. Vohs 2, Callahan 2, Stanfield)

HARRISONVILLE, Mo. — Losing is never easy and the Louisburg girls basketball team has had a tough start to its season as the Wildcats lost their first seven games of the year.

The Wildcats took that streak into Harrisonville on Monday in hopes picking up that first win. Louisburg had the lead for most of the game, only to see Harrisonville go on a run and take a 6-point lead midway through the fourth quarter.

Instead of backing down, the Wildcats battled back. Louisburg got big shots from Ashlyn Kuhlman, Jillian Asher and Morgan Latham down the stretch as they pulled away for a 48-38 victory to snap their losing skid. 

“Getting our first win of the season was so exciting and almost a relief,” Louisburg coach Adrianne Lane said. “This team has been working so hard, they deserved that win.”

Down six points with under five minutes left, the Wildcats put together one of their better stretches of the season. Louisburg ended the game on a 16-0 run that included 3-pointers from Kuhlman and Asher, along with a couple baskets from Latham. 

Kuhlman and Asher also hit free throws down the stretch to preserve the win as the Wildcats converted 16 of 19 opportunities from the free-throw line for the game.

“I was very impressed with the girls and their ability to stay calm, especially when we got down six in the fourth quarter,” Lane said. “They wanted that game, and they showed that the way they battled back. Ashlyn, Jillian and Morgan all hit some big shots to seal that win.”

Kuhlman and Asher provided a big spark for the Wildcats offensively as the two players combined to score 37 of the team’s 48 points.

Kuhlman scored a game-high 21 points to go along with four rebounds and two blocks. She was also 9-for-10 from the free-throw line. As for Asher, she finished with 16 points and also had a team-high three steals. 

Latham chipped in seven points as she had a couple big baskets in the Wildcat fourth quarter run. 

Senior Ally Brown led the team in a pair of categories as she tallied a team-high six rebounds and also had a team-high five assists. She also had two steals in the final two minutes that helped preserve the win. 

Louisburg (1-7) shot 42 percent from the field and held Harrisonville to just 25 percent.

Louisburg took a 13-6 lead after the first quarter, but Harrisonville slowly chipped away, before going up 38-32 midway through the fourth. 

“Overall, I thought we had some good moments and some rough moments,” Lane said. “Harrisonville pressing the entire game was a battle for our team. Our defense was solid, and I thought we did run some great offense.”

The Wildcats will continue a busy week Thursday when they travel to Chanute Invitational to compete in the 3-day tournament. Louisburg opens play against Sunrise Christian at 3 p.m., and will play at 3 again on Friday. 

“I am super excited for the tournament,” Lane said. “I think we will play some good teams that will make us better as we continue to grow as a team this season.”

LOU 13 7 10 18 — 48

HAR 6 10 12 10 — 38

LOUISBURG (1-7): Ashlyn Kuhlman 5-11 9-10 21; Jillian Asher 4-7 6-6 16; Morgan Latham 3-4 1-2 7; McKenna Lohse 1-2 0-0 2; Sabra Brueggen 1-2 0-1 2. Totals: 14-33 16-19 48. 3-point field goals: 4,(Asher 2, Kuhlman 2)

Rough second quarter hurts Wildcats at Baldwin

Going on the road against a ranked team is never easy, but Louisburg couldn’t have asked for a better start last Friday at No. 8 Baldwin.

The Wildcats jumped out to an 8-point lead in the first quarter, but they hit a rough patch. Louisburg would score just four points in the second and third quarters combined, as the Wildcats fell just short road, 37-31.

Despite going scoreless in the second quarter, the Wildcats still only trailed by three at halftime. Louisburg did score 13 points in the fourth quarter, but it wasn’t quite enough to get the upset win.

“The Baldwin game was a tough loss, but I think it showed the girls how we want to play as a team,” Lane said. “The first quarter and the fourth quarter we did a great job on both sides of the ball and I think that helped the team’s confidence.”

Ashlyn Kuhlman led Louisburg in scoring with seven points and also had five rebounds. Junior Morgan Latham had six points and five rebounds, while senior Sabra Brueggen pulled down a team-high six rebounds. Senior Shylar Whiting had five points and four rebounds. 

LOU 14 0 4 13 — 31

BAL 13 4 8 12 — 37

LOUISBURG: Ashlyn Kuhlman 2-6 2-2 7; Morgan Latham 3-5 0-0 6; Shylar Whiting 2-6 0-0 5; Jillian Asher 1-4 2-2 4; Sami Lane 1-10 0-0 3; Sabra Brueggen 1-6 0-1 2; Ally Brown 1-6 0-0 2; Ellia Gibbons 1-3 0-0 2. Totals: 12-48 4-5 31. 3-point field goals: 3, (Kuhlman, Whiting, Lane)

The Louisburg boys basketball team faced an uphill battle before Monday’s game with Spring Hill even started.

The Wildcats were without their leading scorer and rebounder in senior Gavin Lohse, who was out with an injury, and had their return from break pushed back a week due to winter weather.

It wasn’t exactly the start to 2025 that Louisburg was hoping for and Spring Hill continued that tough trend for the Wildcats.

The Broncos shot better than 50 percent from the field, and put the Wildcats in a hole they couldn’t dig out of as they handed Louisburg a 70-37 loss.

“Spring Hill shot so well against us in the first half,” Louisburg coach Ben Doll said. “I thought we played hard and didn’t do bad defensively in the first half, but they hit big shot after big shot. 

“Then in the second half we just ran out of gas and couldn’t guard very well. They started getting to where they wanted to go easily and we can’t do that and expect to win or be in games. Not having Gavin right now really hurts but we still have to be way better defensively to give us a chance.”

Spring Hill shot 56 percent from the floor as it jumped out to a 22-8 lead after the first quarter. Louisburg struggled to get things going in the second half as it scored 12 points in the two quarters.

Senior Luke Schultz led the way with a double-double of 11 points and 10 rebounds, while junior Owen Marsh finished with a team-high 12 points. Another senior, Ethan Kush, also had six rebounds on the night.

Jackson Bruce had a big night for the Broncos as he scored a game-high 22 points on a perfect 9-for-9 from the floor. His teammate, Jordan Miller, had a game-high 10 assists and five steals.

The schedule doesn’t ease up for the Wildcats as they travel to No. 1 Baldwin on Friday for a 7:30 p.m. tipoff.

LOU 8 17 4 8 — 37

SH 22 18 16 14 — 70

LOUISBURG (2-5): Owen Marsh 5-8 0-0 12; Luke Schultz 5-12 1-3 11; Lance Callahan 2-3 0-0 6; Derek Frederick 1-7 0-0 3; Ethan Kush 1-4 1-2 3; Myles Vohs 1-11 0-0 2. Totals: 15-49 2-7 37. 3-point field goals: 5, (Marsh 2, Callahan 2, Frederick)

Rough start for Louisburg girls ends in loss to Spring Hill

It wasn’t the start to 2025 that the Louisburg girls envisioned for themselves Monday in a home game against Spring Hill. 

The Wildcats couldn’t overcome a big Spring Hill run in the first quarter that ended in a 64-33 loss to the Broncos. 

Spring Hill opened the game on a 21-3 run and the Wildcats were unable to recover as it is their sixth-straight loss to start the season. Louisburg was outscored by just four points in the next two quarters, which led to some positives.

“Spring Hill is a great basketball team,” Louisburg coach Adrianne Lane said. “They have a lot of great players who can handle the ball and take the ball to the basket. After our slow start the girls played with them the rest of the game.

“I thought the girls did a great job playing 1-3-1 defense, and in the second half they did a great job running offense. We ran a lot of offensive sets and the girls did a great job executing.”

Senior Ashlyn Kuhlman led Louisburg in a few different categories. She scored a team-high 13 points, including 11 in the third quarter, to go along with a team-best five rebounds and three blocks.

Another senior, Sabra Brueggen, finished with eight points, including going 6-for-8 from the free-throw line. Senior Ally Brown was next with five points.

Brueggen, junior McKenna Lohse and senior Addy Stohs each had four rebounds, while junior Morgan Latham had a team-high three assists.

Spring Hill’s Isla Herman led all scorers with 18 points and also had 11 rebounds, while Sydney Buscher had 15 points and nine rebounds for the Broncos. 

Louisburg will hit the road Friday as the Wildcats travel to No. 8 Baldwin.

LOU 3 9 13 8 — 33

SH 21 10 16 17 — 64

LOUISBURG: Ashlyn Kuhlman 5-17 0-1 13; Sabra Brueggen 1-2 6-8 8; Ally Brown 2-3 0-0 5; Shylar Whiting 1-3 0-0 3; Jillian Asher 1-8 0-0 2; Morgan Latham 0-3 2-2 2. Totals: 10-44 8-13 33. 3-point field goals: 5, (Kuhlman 3, Whiting, Brown)

BONNER SPRINGS — The Louisburg boys basketball team had a challenging week to end 2024.

The Wildcats fell to the state’s No. 1 team, Baldwin, on Dec. 17 and then had to square off with a Class 5A team in Bonner Springs last Thursday.

Although it put together a second half run, Louisburg couldn’t get past Bonner Springs in a 65-51 loss to run its record to 2-3 on the season.

Louisburg got out to a rough start, as it not only trailed by 18 at halftime, but the Wildcats also had to deal with foul trouble with their two leading scorers in Gavin Lohse and Luke Schultz.

The Wildcats were able to get back in a rhythm offensively in the third quarter as the they outscored Bonner Springs 19-10 and eventually cut the Braves’ lead to seven early in the fourth. 

Lohse led the Wildcats with a double-double as he finished with 22 points and 11 rebounds, with many of those baskets coming in the second half. 

“It was another tough one to start as we struggled to contain the dribble and that got us down 18 at half,” Louisburg coach Ben Doll said. “Gavin played great and we did a good job of getting him going in the third quarter to cut it to 7. Problem with that is, once you get down by so much and make a comeback, you end up running out of steam, which we did. They are a really solid team with good pieces at each spot.”

Schultz also had a big night for the Wildcats as he also recorded a double-double with 16 points and 10 rebounds in a team-high 19 minutes. 

Lohse and Schultz combined to score 38 of the Wildcats’ 51 points. Senior Myles Vohs tallied a team-high five assists on the night.

The Wildcats will try and bounce back on Jan. 7 when they travel to Harrisonville (Mo.) in their first game back from break.

LOU 8 14 19 10 — 51

BON 16 24 10 15 — 65

LOUISBURG (2-3): Gavin Lohse 9-12 4-4 22; Luke Schultz 5-10 5-8 16; Owen Marsh 2-10 0-0 5; Myles Vohs 2-7 0-0 4; Derek Frederick 1-8 0-0 2; Ethan Kush 1-2 0-0 2. Totals: 20-51 9-14 51. 3-point field goals: 2, (Schultz, Marsh).

Louisburg falls to No. 1 ranked Baldwin

Playing then No. 1 team in the state is never going to be easy, but Louisburg did its best to stay with the top-ranked team in Class 4A on Dec. 17 at home.

After a close first quarter, Baldwin pulled away from Louisburg and handed the Wildcats a 55-36 loss. One of the state’s best players, Cooper Carr, made it tough on the Wildcats as he scored a game-high 23 points.

“We had it to 11 in the third quarter and we missed some easy ones around the basket that would have cut it to nine,” Doll said. “So, I really don’t think the score is indicative of our performance. I think we did better than what the final score said and we did a good job defending Cooper a lot of the time. I mean, he just went to the free throw line, so that’s something that’s really hard to stop, and that was about all he was scoring for a while.

“I thought our effort and everything in our game plan was solid for a little while, until we just had too many turnovers. Then the other thing that hurt was early in the game when they had some guys hit threes that usually don’t hit those shots. That’s the way it goes sometimes.”

The Wildcats trailed just 10-6 after the first quarter, but Baldwin pulled away in the second and eventually built a 22-point lead late in the third quarter.

Senior Gavin Lohse just missed a double-double for Louisburg as he scored nine points and pulled down 11 rebounds. Juniors Owen Marsh and Derek Frederick each scored seven points, while senior Luke Schultz pulled down six rebounds. 

LOU 6 7 10 13 — 36

BAL 10 15 14 16 — 55

LOUISBURG: Gavin Lohse 4-9 1-4 9; Owen Marsh 3-6 0-0 7; Derek Frederick 3-10 0-0 7; Lance Callahan 2-3 0-0 5; Luke Schultz 1-8 2-4 4; Herschel Strumberger 0-0 2-4 2; Ethan Kush 0-2 2-2 2. Totals: 13-46 7-14 51. 3-point field goals: 3, (Marsh, Frederick, Callahan)

BONNER SPRINGS — It has been a rough start to the season for the Louisburg girls basketball team and the schedule hasn’t done it many favors.

Going into Thursday’s game at Bonner Springs, the Wildcats had just played three straight ranked teams and were still looking for their first win of the season.

Despite getting off a to a good start, the Wildcats will be looking for that elusive win after the new year. Bonner Springs came to life offensively in the second half and pulled away to hand Louisburg a 49-37 loss.

“We gave Bonner a great fight,” Louisburg coach Adrianne Lane said. “We played even with them the first half, and the girls did a great job rebounding and running offense. The second half their size did hurt us on the defensive boards.”

The Wildcats (0-5) got out to a good start as they led 9-6 after the first quarter and the two teams were all tied up at 17-all at halftime.

Bonner Springs asserted itself in the second half as it scored 17 points in the third quarter. The Braves then went on a 15-6 run to begin the fourth quarter and never looked back.

Louisburg senior Sabra Brueggen led the Wildcats with eight points on the night and senior Sami Lane finished with seven. 

Junior Morgan Latham had five points and a team-high seven rebounds, while sophomore Kinley Scott provided the Wildcats with some solid minutes in the absence of McKenna Lohse ,who was out with an illness. Scott finished with five points.

“Kinley did a great job for us,” coach Lane said. “She played hard and was not afraid to go to the basket. She got fouled several times and she made several free throws. I was very proud of her effort.”

Seniors Ally Brown, Jillian Asher and sophomore Maddie Yoder each had a team-high three assists.

Louisburg will open the 2025 part of their schedule on the road when it travels to Harrisonville (Mo.) on Jan. 7.

LOU 9 8 11 9 — 37

BON 6 11 17 15 — 49

LOUISBURG (0-5): Sabra Brueggen 8, Sami Lane 7, Morgan Latham 5, Kinley Scott 5, Ashlyn Kuhlman 4, Maddie Yoder 3, Jillian Asher 3, Shylar Whiting 2. 

Louisburg fall to No. 8 Baldwin

Louisburg faced its third ranked team in as many games on Dec. 17, and unfortunately for the Wildcats, the results was the same as the other two.

The Wildcats hosted No. 8 Baldwin and fell short in a 52-41 loss in their final home game of 2024.

“Baldwin is a great team,” coach Lane said. “They are quick and do a great job getting to the basket. The girls battled with them. We did a good job getting the ball inside and finishing in the lane.”

Baldwin got out to a quick start as it scored 17 points in the first quarter, but the Wildcats were able to cut it to four midway through the second and trailed just 27-20 at halftime.

The Bulldogs built a 16-point lead in the third quarter and the Wildcats couldn’t muster enough offense to get back in it. 

Baldwin scored 13 points off 15 Louisburg turnovers and were able to get to the basket as it scored 26 of its 52 points in the paint.

Senior Jillian Asher kept the Wildcats in it offensively as she led Louisburg with 15 points on the night, including three 3-pointers. 

Junior Morgan Latham also did a lot of the work on the inside as she called eight points and a team-high nine rebounds. 

LOU 9 11 10 11 — 41

BAL 17 10 15 10 — 52

LOUISBURG: Jillian Asher 5-9 2-2 15; Morgan Latham 4-7 0-0 8; Ashlyn Kuhlman 2-8 1-4 5; McKenna Lohse 1-4 2-2 4; Ally Brown 2-5 0-0 4; Sami Lane 1-9 0-0 2; Addy Stohs 1-1 0-0 2; Sabra Brueggen 0-2 1-2 1. Totals: 16-46 6-10 41. 3-point field goals: 3, (Asher 3) 

The Louisburg girls basketball team has a tough early schedule and the Wildcats played their second ranked team in as many games Friday when they hosted No. 6 Wamego.

Louisburg stayed within striking distance in the first half, but the Wildcats couldn’t keep up as Wamego used a big second half to pull away and hand Louisburg a 61-37 loss.

“Wamego was a great team,” Louisburg coach Adrianne Lane said. “They play super aggressive and they do a great job going and getting loose balls and rebounds. I thought this was the best we had played as a team. We did a great job playing our roles and executing the new defense.”

The Wildcats’ new defense was to slow down Wamego’s all-state point guard, Lexi Hecht. For much of the game, seniors Shylar Whiting and Jillian Asher were assigned to shadow her at all times.

Although Hecht scored 11 points, she was 4-for-19 from the field and the two Wildcat defenders did their best to not give her open looks. The Wildcats also held Wamego to 32 percent from the floor.

“Shylar and Jill did a great job slowing down their point guard and the entire team did a great job running a new defense and executing,” Lane said. “They all helped on (Hecht) when Shylar and Jill were getting screened as well. Overall great defensive performance for the girls.”

Turnovers haunted the Wildcats as they committed 32 for the game and Wamego turned those into 24 points, which turned out to be a big difference in the game.

Louisburg (0-3) stayed with Wamego in the first half as it trailed by just five in the first quarter and 25-16 at halftime.

The second half, the Red Raiders were able to pull away as they outscored Louisburg, 36-21, in the second half and left the Wildcats still looking for that first win.

Junior Morgan Latham paced the Wildcats on the inside with a strong performance as she had a team-high 14 points and nine rebounds, just missing a double-double. 

Senior Ashlyn Kuhlman was right behind her with eight points and eight rebounds, while senior Sami Lane and junior McKenna Lohse had four rebounds. Senior Ally Brown had a team-high three assists and two steals. 

Louisburg will try for that first win today as the Wildcats host Baldwin in a Frontier League matchup. Tipoff is set for 6 p.m.

LOU 6 10 10 11 — 37

WAM 11 14 16 20 — 61

LOUISBURG (0-3): Morgan Latham 4-6 6-10 14; Ashlyn Kuhlman 3-14 0-0 8; McKenna Lohse 2-2 0-0 4; Shylar Whiting 2-5 0-2 4; Jillian Asher 1-3 0-0 3; Sami Lane 0-3 2-2 2; Kinley Scott 0-2 2-2 2. Totals: 12-36 10-16 37. 3-point field goals: 3, (Kuhlman 2, Asher)

It was the kind of grind it out game Louisburg head coach Ben Doll knew he was going to need from his team Friday against Wamego.

Already down starting center Gavin Lohse, the Wildcats were short-handed and found themselves even a little more banged up as starting forward Luke Schultz suffered an ankle injury during the game.

Throw in the fact the Wildcats struggled from the floor, they needed a big effort from its defense. Louisburg got it as it forced 18 turnovers and held Wamego to 32 percent shooting in its 40-32 victory.

“It was a huge win because our schedule is so, so tough right now,” Doll said. “Then being down Gavin and having Luke tweak his ankle and him being limited, but he’s a warrior. We had some other foul trouble and things like that, so there’s nothing easy right now. We thought that was a game that was definitely winnable for us, but you know, we didn’t expect to have all the injuries and other things happen throughout the course of the game.”

Louisburg ended the game strong as it went on a 13-4 run in the final four minutes to pull away from Wamego.

It all started as the Wildcats were down 28-27. With 4 minutes left, junior Derek Frederick hit a 3-pointer to give the Wildcats the lead. 

After Wamego tied the game, Frederick recorded a steal and scored on a breakaway to put the Wildcats up 32-30. Then the Wildcats got production from their bench as freshman Herschel Strumberger was fouled and converted a 3-point play.

Strumberger played crucial minutes throughout the contest with Lohse out with an injury and Schultz limited at times.

“A lot of stuff happened there really late and real quick and there were just some huge plays,” Doll said. “Derek being a new starter and Herschel again getting in there and both made big plays. Being a freshman, I think Herschel kind of not knowing to be scared or anything else, so he just does what’s natural.

“Wamego is a good team. They’re a scrappy team. Then, you know, we were thinking it’s gonna be a kind of a low scoring battle going in and that’s just kind of the way everything went. Both teams just hunkered down defensively. Then their last game went into overtime and they lost in a 33-31 game, so we expected it was gonna be a grind it out type game. But you’d rather learn lessons, and all those kind of things, and get toughness in wins than in losses, so that that’s why this one feels really good.”

Schultz pushed the Wildcat lead to five on a runner in the lane, and then senior Myles Vohs recorded a steal and scored to ice the game with 20 seconds left.

Vohs provided a spark on both ends of the floor. He led Louisburg in scoring with 13 points and had a team-high five rebounds and three assists. 

Schultz also scored in double figures with 10 points and had four rebounds. Strumberger finished with five points and four rebounds as the Wildcat freshman gave Louisburg some key minutes down the stretch.

“Herschel stepped up and he got to play some minutes, some big minutes and we needed a big body in there,” Doll said. “But the problem is he doesn’t know everything we’re trying to do in sets and stuff like that. So we were kind of like with an abbreviated playbook, just trying to get through that, but he did a great job. I mean, as a freshman coming in and getting rebounds, it’s kind of like he doesn’t know to be scared or anything else, which is cool. So he did a really good job, cause they had a good big kid that we needed somebody to match up on with Gavin out.” 

Frederick finished with five points, while junior Owen Marsh had four points to go along with a team-high three steals. 

Louisburg’s schedule gets tougher Tuesday as it hosts No. 2 ranked Baldwin in a Frontier League matchup. Tipoff is set for 7:30 p.m.

LOU 11 11 5 13 — 40

WAM 12 8 8 4 — 32

LOUISBURG (2-1): Myles Vohs 4-14 5-11 13; Luke Schultz 3-8 4-8 10; Herschel Strumberger 2-3 1-1 5; Derek Frederick 2-8 0-1 5; Owen Marsh 2-4 0-0 4; Lance Callahan 1-2 0-0 3. Totals: 14-47 10-21 40. 3-point field goals: 2, (Frederick, Callahan)

OTTAWA — Not much seemed to go right for Louisburg in its first road contest of the season Tuesday at Ottawa.

The Wildcats went up against the No. 3-ranked Cyclones and had a hard time getting going against one of the state’s better teams. Ottawa scored 41 first half points and never looked back as it handed Louisburg a 71-34 loss.

As if the loss wasn’t tough enough, the Wildcats had to play without one of their leading scorers, Gavin Lohse, for more than half the game. Lohse had to leave with an injury in the second quarter.

“Ottawa is a great team that played a close to perfect game against us,” Louisburg coach Ben Doll said. “They shot really well, played tough defense and did better than us on the boards. Once we got down big, our shot selection got worse as we tried to shoot ourselves back into the game and that never works. Gavin getting hurt didn’t help either.”

The Cyclones shot 52 percent from the floor as they took a 22-12 lead on Louisburg after one quarter. Ottawa distanced itself in the second with a 19-4 run and took a 41-16 lead at halftime.

Louisburg shot 26 percent from the field and turnovers didn’t help the Wildcat cause either as they had 18 turnovers that led to 26 points. 

Senior Luke Schultz led the Wildcats in scoring with seven points and pulled down a team-high five rebounds. Senior Myles Vohs finished with six points, while Derek Frederick has five points and a team-high three assists. Freshman John Guetterman also added five points in the loss.

Louisburg will try and get back on the winning track tonight as the Wildcats host Wamego. Tipoff is set for 7:30 p.m.

LOU 12 4 8 10 — 34

OTT 22 19 24 6 — 71

LOUISBURG (1-1): Luke Schultz 1-4 5-6 7; Myles Vohs 2-7 0-2 6; John Guetterman 2-2 1-1 5; Derek Frederick 1-6 2-2 5; Herschel Strumberger 1-2 0-00 3; Billy Vohs 1-2 0-0 3; Gavin Lohse 1-2 0-0 2; Lance Callahan 1-2 0-0 2; Aiden Kennedy 0-0 1-2 1. Totals: 10-35 9-15 34. 3-point field goals: 5, (M. Vohs 2, B. Vohs, Strumberger)

OTTAWA — Going on the road against a ranked team is always a challenge, but the Louisburg girls basketball team more than held its own Tuesday in Ottawa. 

The Wildcats found themselves down just a point midway through the fourth quarter, but No. 8 Ottawa put together a big run late in the contest to hand Louisburg a 52-45 loss.

Ottawa went on a mini 9-3 run in the final four minutes of the contest to pull away from the Wildcats as it took advantage of some Louisburg mistakes. 

“Overall we played hard and battled against Ottawa,” Louisburg coach Adrianne Lane said. “They are a great team, fast, and they know the game of basketball. We fought to be in the game with them till the very end. Our defense played well, we gave them a couple different looks and I thought the girls did a good job running different defenses.”

Louisburg got out to a good start as it led 10-7 after the first quarter, but the Cyclones battled back to outscore Louisburg 16-11 in the second quarter to take a 2-point halftime lead.

Ottawa pushed its lead to six in the third quarter, but a 3-pointer from Ally Brown right before the end of the quarter cut the Cyclone lead to 3. 

The Cyclones pushed its lead back out to seven in the fourth, but the Wildcats came back again. Senior Ashlyn Kuhlman knocked in a 3-pointer to make it a 39-35 deficit for Louisburg.

Ottawa got the lead back to six, but Kuhlman hit a runner with just over three minutes left and junior McKenna Lohse converted a 3-point play to make it a 43-42 game with 2:50 remaining.

Unfortunately, the Cyclones took advantage of some offensive rebounds and Wildcat turnovers to finish with a 9-3 run.

Mistakes haunted the Wildcats as they committed 27 turnovers, which led to 22 Ottawa points. The Cyclones also pulled down 22 offensive rebounds.

Despite that, the Wildcats shot 46 percent from the floor, which was able to keep them in the game.

“Our turnovers and giving up second chances hurt us down the stretch,” Lane said. “We did a good job finishing in the lane when we did break the press.”

Lohse had a big night for the Wildcats inside as she recorded a double-double. The Louisburg junior finished with 11 points and 11 rebounds and also had two blocks.

Kuhlman led the Wildcat scoring with 12 points and also had two blocked shots. Senior Jillian Asher finished just short of double figures with nine points and three assists.

Senior Shylar Whiting paced Louisburg with five assists, while senior Sami Lane was second on the team with four rebounds. Junior Morgan Latham and Brown each finished with five points.

Louisburg will face off with its second ranked team in as many games tonight as the Wildcats host No. 6 Wamego. Tipoff is set for 6 p.m.

LOU 10 11 11 13 — 45

OTT 7 16 12 18 — 52

LOUISBURG (0-2): Ashlyn Kuhlman 5-11 0-0 12; McKenna Lohse 5-11 1-1 11; Jillian Asher 3-4 1-2 9; Morgan Latham 2-5 1-2 5; Ally Brown 2-3 0-0 5; Shylar Whiting 1-2 1-1 3. Totals: 18-39 4-6 45. 3-point field goals: 5, (Asher 2, Kuhlman 2, Brown)