Louisburg sophomore Zyleigh Melton gets on the floor for a loose ball during Tuesday’s home victory over Paola.

For the first time this season, the Louisburg girls basketball team has found itself in the midst of a winning streak.

The Lady Cats hosted rival Paola on Tuesday and came away with a 42-38 victory over the Panthers to record their second straight win on the season.

It may not have been the cleanest or smoothest game on either side, but Louisburg battled through adversity and made the plays it needed to down the stretch.

“It was a very strange game,” Louisburg coach Adrianne Lane said. “I didn’t feel like we could get much going on offense and Paola was a pretty physical team. It made it hard for us to get going. I thought we did a great job holding on and hitting some big free throws there at the end.”

Nine of the 13 points Louisburg scored in the final quarter came at the free-throw line. Sophomore Zyleigh Melton, along with juniors Sabra Brueggen, Ashlyn Kuhlman and Jillian Asher all knocked down crucial free throws in what was a close game throughout.

As a team, the Lady Cats were 17-for-24 from the line. Brueggen was 8-for-8 for the game, as she hit several in the first half, while Melton and Kuhlman combined for seven points from the line in the fourth quarter.

“Those were big for us, even ones that we hit early,” Lane said. “I know Sabra had like four or so early in the game and then hit some late too that were key. It is great that we can make those when we need to. 

“We have definitely been working on them, but when they can do that in a pressure situation it says a lot of them as a basketball player. Those were the difference in the game for sure. They kept putting us at the line and we couldn’t get much going offensively other than those, so they were key.”

Paola jumped out to a 10-4 lead early on, but the Lady Cats were able to battle back and take a 15-14 lead on a 3-pointer from Ally Brown midway through the second quarter.

It was tied at 18-all at halftime before the Lady Cats went on a mini 7-3 run to put them up 29-25 at end of the third quarter thanks to baskets from Kuhlman and Brown.

Louisburg extended its lead to six early in the fourth on a basket from sophomore McKenna Lohse, but Paola went on a mini 5-0 run to make it a one-point game.

The Lady Cats earned their living at the free throw line as two Melton free throws pushed the lead out to three. Kuhlman followed with two more and Melton added another with under 10 seconds left to seal the win.

Brueggen led the Lady Cats in scoring with 10 points, while Latham and Melton each finished with six. Kuhlman led Louisburg with five rebounds and Lohse added four in the win.

It was Melton’s play that Lane said was a difference maker for her team.

“Zyleigh played really hard out there,” Lane said. “I told her after the game that if I had a game ball she would be the one to get it. She played hard, played good defense and made some free throws at the end.”

Louisburg will try and make it three in a row Friday when it travels to Ottawa for a Frontier League matchup. Tipoff is set for 6 p.m.

LOU 8 10 11 13 — 42

PAO 10 8 7 13 — 38

LOUISBURG (3-11): Sabra Brueggen 1-5 8-8 10; Morgan Latham 3-3 0-0 6; Zyleigh Melton 1-4 4-8 6; Jillian Asher 2-5 1-2 5; Ashlyn Kuhlman 1-5 3-4 5; Ally Brown 2-2 0-0 5; McKenna Lohse 1-1 0-0 2; Shylar Whiting 1-4 0-0 2; Addy Stohs 0-1 1-2 1. Totals: 12-35 17-24 42. 3-point field goals: 1, (Brown)

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

ASHLYN KUHLMAN, JUNIOR, GIRLS BASKETBALL

Louisburg junior Ashlyn Kuhlman put together a strong performance for the Louisburg girls basketball team last Friday at home against Bonner Springs. Kuhlman scored a team-high 15 points and eight rebounds in the Lady Cats’ 40-35 win over the Braves, which was their first Frontier League victory. She also had two blocks in the game and has 26 for the season.

Kuhlman leads the Lady Cats in scoring as she averages nearly nine points a contest and has a team-high 19 made 3-pointers. She also leads Louisburg with 61 rebounds on the season.

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: Myles Vohs

Week 2: Andrew Jamison

Week 3: Nathan Parker

Week 4: Elias Pugh

Week 5: Ashton Moore

Week 6: Colin Brown

Louisburg’s Brock Vohs slaps hands with head coach Ben Doll after the Wildcats’ 53-45 victory over Bonner Springs on Friday at home.

Throughout the first half of the season, the Louisburg and Bonner Springs boys basketball teams have gone in two different directions.

Going into Friday’s game at Louisburg, the Wildcats had lost four in a row and were in the midst of a slump. As for Bonner Springs, the Braves had won nine of their first 12 games to start the year and were toward atop the Frontier League standings.

At least for a night anyway, those roles were reversed.

The Wildcats put together one of their better performances of the season and upset the Braves in a 53-45 victory. The win snapped a losing streak that saw a pair of overtime setbacks and a road loss at Wamego.

“That is a really big win because that is a really good team,” Louisburg coach Ben Doll said. “They are a 5A team and are toward the top of their sub-state right now. It was a win that we absolutely needed and it couldn’t have come at a better time after losing four in a row.”

In what was an intense, back-and-forth contest — the Wildcats and Braves were all tied at halftime. Louisburg used a big third quarter to go up five and increased its lead to as much as nine.

However, Bonner Springs battled back to cut the Wildcat lead to just two with two minutes left in the contest. The Braves missed a layup just seconds later that would have tied the game.

Instead the Wildcats took advantage as Conlee Hovey scored to make it a four-point lead, and then after a defensive stop, senior Nathan Parker was fouled on a 3-point attempt.

Parker converted on all three, and would hit two more with under a minute left to help ice the game.

Louisburg also turned the tide by dominating the rebounding department. The Wildcats out-rebounded the Braves 51-21 and pulled down 22 offensive boards that led to 13 second chance points.

“We had a lot of really big rebounds from a lot of guys,” Doll said. “Jaymes (Melton), Conlee, Gavin (Lohse) and Luke (Schultz) had some big rebounds for us. Down the stretch, when the game got tight, we hit some big free throws as well. Nate is not the guy to foul if you are the other team and he was big in the fourth quarter there from the line.”

Parker once again led the Wildcats in scoring with with 17 points, including three 3-pointers. Hovey was also big underneath the basket for Louisburg as he posted a double-double with 11 points and 11 rebounds. He also had a team-high three assists with Parker.

Senior Brady Hickey also hit some big shots down the stretch with eight points to go along with seven rebounds. Gavin Lohse added nine rebounds in the win, while senior Brock Vohs had five points and five rebounds. 

“Our guys were ready to go,” Doll said. “Our players, from things they thought and heard, was that Bonner didn’t respect us and was planning to just notch a win and get out of here. I think that had an impact on the game. It was nice to see that enthusiasm and effort from our guys.”

Louisburg will try for back-to-back wins tonight as the Wildcats host rival Paola. Tipoff is set for 7:30 p.m.

LOU 13 11 13 16 — 53

BON 11 13 8 13 — 45

LOUISBURG (5-7): Nathan Parker 4-10 6-7 17; Conlee Hovey 5-10 1-3 11; Brady Hickey 2-8 3-6 8; Brock Vohs 2-4 1-2 5; Luke Hill 1-3 2-4 4; Myles Vohs 2-3 0-0 4; Luke Schultz 1-3 1-3 3; Gavin Lohse 0-7 1-2 1. Totals: 17-50 15-27 53. 3-point field goals: 4, (Parker 3, Hickey)

Wildcats fall on road to Wamego

WAMEGO — After what was a close first half, one bad quarter doomed Louisburg on the road last Tuesday at Wamego.

The Red Raiders outscored Louisburg by 11 points in the third quarter and it turned out to be the different in a 56-45 loss.

Louisburg also didn’t help themselves in the turnover department with 19, which led to 19 points for Wamego.

“It was a long ways to go for a game on a Tuesday, but I felt that we could have definitely won the game,” Doll said. “We ended the game with 19 turnovers and I told the guys that no matter who you play, you aren’t going to win many games with that many mistakes.”

Nathan Parker led the Wildcats in scoring with 11 points on the night, while senior Luke Hill also scored in double figures with 10. Brady Hickey added nine points, four rebounds and three assists in the loss.

LOU 5 13 9 18 — 45

WAM 12 5 20 19 — 56

LOUISBURG: Nathan Parker 4-17 2-2 11; Luke Hill 4-12 0-0 10; Brady Hickey 4-7 0-0 9; Brock Vohs 2-5 2-4 6; Luke Schultz 0-1 3-4 3; Conlee Hovey 1-1 0-0 2; Myles Vohs 1-2 0-0 2; Jaymes Melton 1-3 0-0 2. Totals: 17-48 7-10 45. 3-point field goals: 4, (Hill 2, Parker, Hickey)

Louisburg junior Ashlyn Kuhlman drives the lane Friday at home against Bonner Springs. Kuhlman finished with a game-high 15 points.

For much of the season, the Louisburg girls basketball team has been forced to play catch up. 

Starting the season with no varsity experience, the Lady Cats had just one win going into Friday’s home contest against Bonner Springs. Louisburg has constantly had to play from behind.

That didn’t have to on Friday.

The Lady Cats played in front from the opening whistle and never trailed as they held off Bonner Springs for a 40-35 victory. It was also the first Frontier League win for Louisburg and it came at a great time.

“We really played as a team,” Louisburg coach Adrianne Lane said. “The bench was awesome. Everyone that was in played to their role and no one tried to do anything fancy. It was just a great game all around.”

Louisburg (2-11) kept the Braves at arm’s length for the entire game, despite second and fourth quarter runs by Bonner Springs to try and take the lead. 

Bonner Springs cut the Louisburg lead to 16-13, but junior Ashlyn Kuhlman knocked in a 3-pointer with 3:40 left in the first half to make it a 19-13 game. 

It would be one of four 3-pointers for Kuhlman as she scored a team-high 15 points and also pulled down a team-best eight rebounds.

“A three is awesome cause it gives us a little edge and allows us to set up our defense,” Lane said. “(Ashlyn) had a great shooting night and I thought the whole team did a good job going to the basket at opportune times. We will work on finishing and I think we will only get better.”

Late in the second quarter, Bonner Springs once again cut the lead to two, but Kuhlman hit a runner in the lane to push the lead back out to four. 

The Lady Cats took a 24-21 lead into halftime, but widened the lead again. Junior Sami Lane hit a 3-pointer to start the third quarter to push the lead to six.

Louisburg’s defense also followed suit as Shylar Whiting drew a charge and Sabra Brueggen pulled down an offensive rebound and scored to make it an eight point lead.

Rebounds were a big factor for the Lady Cats as they out-rebounded the Braves 46-33 and pulled down 18 offensive rebounds that led to 11 second chance points.

The Lady Cats also changed up defenses throughout the game to try and slow the Braves down. Louisburg implemented three or four defenses to give Bonner Springs some different looks.

“Bonner was super physical and I thought the girls did a great job matching that,” coach Lane said. “I also think we gave it back to them a little bit. For us, I think switching defense on them so many times, and the girls being able to execute that, is what got us that win. (Bonner) seemed a little confused when we switched and it took them awhile to get stuff set up. I think the girls did a great job being able to switch back and forth and play any defense we threw at them.”

Kuhlman hit a 3-pointer late in the third to put Louisburg up 32-21 and the Lady Cats took an 8-point lead into the final frame.

Bonner Springs cut the Louisburg lead to one with 5 minutes and 30 seconds left in the game, but Kuhlman hit a 3-pointer after an offensive rebound by Brueggen.

Whiting then hit a runner to make it a 6-point game with 2:10 left and the Lady Cats were able to hang on for the win. 

“I think the girls playing more confident is what allowed us to hold off Bonner Springs on their runs,” Lane said. “I told the girls not to play scared and to play to win. Even when we were ahead, we were going to the basket. We had a huge third quarter and I really think that go us going.”

Brueggen finished second on the team in scoring with six points and seven rebounds. Junior Addy Stohs also had a big night on the glass with seven rebounds, while Jillian Asher had a team-high three steals.

Louisburg will try and make it two wins in a row Tuesday when it hosts rival Paola. Tipoff is set for 6 p.m.

LOU 10 14 10 6 — 40

BON 5 16 5 9 — 35

LOUISBURG (2-11): Ashlyn Kuhlman 5-19 1-2 15; Sabra Brueggen 1-4 4-4 6; McKenna Lohse 0-1 4-6 4; Morgan Latham 2-4 0-0 4; Shylar Whiting 2-6 0-0 4; Sami Lane 1-3 1-2 4; Zyleigh Melton 1-2 0-0 2; Jillian Asher 0-6 1-2 1. Totals: 12-50 11-16 40. 3-point field goals: 5, (Kuhlman 4, Lane)

Lady Cats fall to No. 2 Wamego on the road

WAMEGO — Louisburg had a big challenge in front it last Tuesday as the Lady Cats traveled to No. 2 Wamego.

Despite an even first quarter, Wamego pulled away for a 63-24 victory. The game was tied at 9-all after the first quarter, but Wamego outscored Louisburg 23-3 in the second quarter to pull away.

Wamego point guard Lexi Hecht was a handful for the Lady Cats as she scored a game-high 26 points and also had seven assists and six steals.

Louisburg junior Shylar Whiting led the Lady Cats in scoring with a game-high eight points to go along with four rebounds. Sophomore McKenna Lohse also pull down four rebounds in the loss.

LOU 9 3 7 5 — 24

WAM 9 23 22 9 — 63

LOUISBURG: Shylar Whiting 2-5 3-5 8; Morgan Latham 2-5 1-2 5; Sami Lane 1-1 0-0 3; Maddie Yoder 0-1 3-4 3; Ashlyn Kuhlman 0-6 2-2 2; Zyleigh Melton 0-2 2-2 2; McKenna Lohse 0-3 1-2 1. Totals: 5-28 12-17 24. 3-point field goals: 2, (Lane, Whiting)

Louisburg senior Brady Hickey drives to the basket Friday during the final game of the Louisburg Invitational.

Louisburg had already suffered an overtime heartbreaker in the first game of its home tournament, but unfortunately for the Wildcats, the hurt continued Friday.

Against Girard in the final game of the Louisburg Invitational, the Trojans knocked in the game-winner with three seconds left and handed Louisburg a 58-56 double overtime setback.

Two close overtime losses ended up being the difference between winning the tournament and finishing 0-2 for the Wildcats.

Despite the loss, Louisburg showed a lot of positives, including battling back from a nine-point deficit in the second half.

“I thought we did a lot of good things against a good team,” Louisburg coach Ben Doll said. “It was a good matchup for us and they are a decent team. The fact was we had chances to win in regulation and both overtimes showed we were doing some positive things. We just couldn’t get it done defensively when we needed to.

Louisburg junior Luke Schultz went 1 of 2 from the free-throw line to tie the game at 56-all with 35 seconds left in the second overtime, but the Trojans had one final chance and held for the last shot.

Girard’s Scott Moore got a pass from Aiden Troike right underneath the basket with just seconds left on the clock to record the game-winner.

The Wildcats (4-6) found themselves down 33-24 early in the third quarter, but engineered a way to battle back. Louisburg went on a 10-0 run that eventually gave them a 34-33 lead.

Louisburg senior Nathan Parker was the spark for the Wildcats offensively as he started the run with a 3-pointer and fellow senior Luke Hill followed with one of his own.

Junior Conlee Hovey and senior Brady Hickey followed with back-to-back buckets to compete the run.

“We did a better job of getting some good shots that were in rhythm and we took care of the ball better,” Doll said. “There was a stretch in the first half where it was turnover city. We didn’t have good ball security. Our defense was decent, but it was very good to battle back and not roll over.”

The game remained close and the Wildcats took a 48-46 lead late in the fourth quarter on a back door from pass Parker than found an open Hickey for a layup.

Troike then tied it for Girard with 45 seconds left and Louisburg had an opportunity to win the game in regulation but the Wildcats couldn’t convert.

In the first overtime, Parker opened with a 3-pointer, and after a Girard rebound and put back, Parker knocked in another three to take a 54-50 lead with 2:49 left.

On the Trojans’ next possession, they converted a 3-point play and the game was eventually tied again at 54-all. The Wildcats had one last opportunity as Hickey recorded a steal and a breakaway but his floater was just offline at the buzzer.

Parker provided a bulk of the offense for the Wildcats as he scored a game-high 23 points, including four 3-pointers. Louisburg knocked in eight 3-pointers a team.

“He is a scorer, and since coming back from break he has been up and down,” Doll said. “He has been focused on good shot selection and was good on Friday. He does a good job of getting other guys involved as well. When Nate is on and does well, that is better for the rest of us.”

Hill and Hickey were second on the team in scoring with eight points each, while Hovey led the Wildcats with five rebounds. Junior Gavin Lohse had a team-high three steals, including one that led to a breakaway dunk to begin the third quarter.

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

LOU 6 16 15 11 6 2 — 56

GIR 11 16 13 8 6 4 — 58

LOUISBURG (4-6): Nathan Parker 8-19 3-3 23; Luke Hill 3-8 0-0 8; Brady Hickey 3-6 1-2 8; Luke Schultz 1-3 3-6 6; Gavin Lohse 2-3 0-0 4; Conlee Hofe 2-3 0-0 4; Myles Vohs 1-3 0-0 2; Brock Vohs 0-2 1-2 1. Totals: 20-47 8-13 56. 3-point field goals: 8, (Parker 4, Hill 2, Hickey, Schultz)

Louisburg junior Shylar Whiting splits two defenders Friday during the Lady Cats’ tournament game against Girard.

Coming into the Louisburg Invitational winless on the season, the Lady Cats had a chance to finish their home tournament with a pair of wins Friday against Girard.

After winning the tournament opener, and falling to Chanute on Thursday, the Lady Cats played a tight game against Girard and had their chances, Unfortunately, Louisburg came up short in a 42-34 setback to the Trojans.

The Lady Cats had a four-point lead midway through the third quarter, but the Trojans were able to pull away with a 10-0 run.

“The first night was good, Friday was good, but the Chanute game was not the greatest,” Louisburg coach Adrianne Lane said. “I thought we grew as a team throughout the tournament, and even though we lost, I thought the girls got better. Everyone was in it and were playing hard. We are headed in the right direction for sure.”

It was a rough start for the Lady Cats early as Girard jumped out to a 10-1 advantage, but were eventually able to battle back. Louisburg went on a 12-0 run of its own midway through the second quarter.

Ashlyn Kuhlman and Sami Lane had baskets, then Shylar Whiting hit a 3-pointer to put the Lady Cats up 11-10. Kuhlman added another bucket with 4 minutes and 30 seconds left in the second quarter to increase the lead to three.

Girard went on mini 6-1 run to end the first half and took a 16-14 lead into the locker room.

The Lady Cats built another lead midway through the third quarter as junior Ally Brown scored five straight points to put Louisburg up 23-19 with three minutes left in the third.

Girard, once again had another answer, and it was a big one as it went on a 15-2 run to build its lead back up to 11 midway through the fourth quarter.

Brown, who scored a game-high eight points, knocked in a 3-pointer to cut the lead to eight. About 15 seconds later, sophomore Zyleigh Melton then knocked in a pair of free throws to make it a 36-30 game with 2:49 left, but it would be as close as the Lady Cats would get.

“They did great,” Lane said. “We got down nine and then we fought our way back and played good. I thought the girls valued the ball a lot better and we have been talking about that a lot in practice. They played as a team and thought it was much better.

“It makes us more confident as a team when we can come back like that. I know the girls have fight in them. It was good to see them not quit and no one out there gave up. Very proud of them to battle like they did.”

Defensively, the Lady Cats played well as it held Girard to just 23 percent from the field, but the Trojans won the game at the free-throw line.

Girard went to the line 36 times and made 23 of those attempts, compared to a 7-for-12 performance from Louisburg. The Lady Cats also battled some foul trouble.

“I was kind of surprised we got in that much foul trouble,” Lane said. “Girard didn’t get called for as many, but the girls had to battle through that and I thought they did a good job. Even ones that got in foul trouble like Shylar, Ally and Sami, they all still played hard despite having a lot of fouls on them.”

Kuhlman finished second in the team in scoring with six points and also had four blocked shots. Kuhlman, along with Sami Lane, led the Lady Cats with five rebounds each. 

Junior Jillian Asher had a team-high three assists, while Brown led the team with two steals.

Louisburg will have a big challenge in its next game Tuesday as the Lady Cats travel to No. 2 team in the state — Wamego. Tipoff is set for 6 p.m.

LOU 4 10 11 9 — 34

GIR 10 6 15 11 — 42

LOUISBURG (1-10): Ally Brown 3-7 0-0 8; Ashlyn Kuhlman 2-6 2-4 6; Jillian Asher 2-9 1-2 5; Shylar Whiting 1-2 2-2 5; Morgan Latham 2-4 0-2 4; Sami Lane 2-3 0-0 4; Zyleigh Melton 0-2 2-2 2. Totals: 12-35 7-12 34. 3-point field goals: 3, (Brown 2, Whiting)

Lady Cats lose tourney game to Chanute

For three quarters, Louisburg and Chanute found themselves in a tight contest.

It was the fourth quarter that one really separated from the other. 

Chanute went on a big run late to pull away from Louisburg and handed the Lady Cats a 53-36 loss.

Louisburg was down 34-33 late in the third quarter, but Chanute went on a 17-0 run to take an 18-point lead to pull away.

Sophomore Morgan Latham had a good game on the inside for Louisburg as she scored a team-high nine points. Juniors Ashlyn Kuhlman and Ally Brown had eight and six points, respectively.

Sophomore McKenna Lohse had a team-high seven rebounds, while sophomore Zyleigh Melton had a team-high three assists.

LOU 12 7 14 3 — 36

CHA 15 8 15 15 — 53

LOUISBURG: Morgan Latham 4-7 1-4 9; Ashlyn Kuhlman 3-5 0-0 8; Ally Brown 2-4 1-2 6; Shylar Whiting 1-6 2-2 5; Sami Lane 2-10 0-0 4; Jillian Asher 1-5 0-0 2; McKenna Lohse 0-3 2-4 2. Totals: 13-40 6-12 36. 3-poin

Louisburg junior Conlee Hovey fights off three Northeast Kansas defenders for a rebound Tuesday during the Louisburg Invitational.

Louisburg seemingly had its game with Northeast Kansas in hand Tuesday in the first round of the Louisburg Invitational.

The Wildcats held the lead for much of the game, and even when the Nighthawks forced overtime, Louisburg still found a way to take the lead with just seconds left in the game.

Unfortunately, the few seconds the Wildcats didn’t have the lead turned out to be at the very end.

Northeast Kansas had an answer for every Louisburg bucket late and handed the Wildcats a 55-54 overtime loss.

“This loss is incredibly frustrating,” Louisburg coach Ben Doll said. “The things we go over in practice and things that we write on the board before the game as keys, we didn’t do a good job with those. Whether it was valuing the ball, cutting down turnovers or shot selection, we didn’t do well in those areas. Our shot selection was poor.

“Now these things are all correctable. We also talk about playing good on the ball defense, and that is why we fouled on that last possession because we didn’t do a good job defensively. All things we talk about in practice, but the good thing is basketball is sport where you need to be playing your best at the end of the season. We aren’t there yet, but we are in the middle of the season and we aren’t playing well yet.”

The Wildcats (4-5) were either tied or led for much of the game, until the Nighthawks were able to take a small lead late in the fourth and eventually force overtime.

Both teams had a chance to win it in regulation, but neither got their shots to fall.

They traded baskets in the overtime as Luke Hill opened with a layup on the tipoff and Northeast Kansas responded with a basket of their own 10 seconds later. 

The Nighthawks eventually took a 53-51 lead with under a minute remaining. That was until Hill hit a 3-pointer with 25 seconds left to put Louisburg back up one.

Northeast Kansas raced down the floor and hit a bucket off the glass with 11 seconds left to grab the lead right back.

Louisburg had an opportunity in the final moments, but shots from Nathan Parker and Gavin Lohse each rimmed out.

The Wildcats had their fair share of chances, but just shot 39 percent from the field and were 8 of 15 from the free-throw line.

“I am sure we shot about where our average is, which is under 40 percent, but we are just not finishing underneath the basket right now,” Doll said. “We are getting rebounds, we get good looks, but if we could finish under the basket we would be beating a lot of people. We will keep working and we will get better.”

Hill led the Wildcats in scoring with 12 points, including the only two 3-pointers on the night for Louisburg. Parker and Lohse each finished in double figues with 10, while Lohse had six rebounds.

Hovey paced the Wildcats on the glass with a team-high eight rebounds. Parker, Hill and Brady Hickey each tallied a team-high three assists.

Louisburg will try and end its home tournament on a good note tonight when it hosts Girard for a 5:30 p.m. tipoff.

“Luckily we play Friday and we can get back at practice and try to resolve this,” Doll said. “We are all healthy now, so now we just have to find the right guys to be on the floor and figure out a rotation.”

LOU 11 8 13 13 9 — 54

NEK 8 8 9 20 10 — 55

LOUISBURG (4-5): Luke Hill 4-9 2-3 12; Nathan Parker 4-11 2-2 10; Gavin Lohse 5-10 0-2 10; Conlee Hovey 4-7 1-2 9; Luke Schultz 2-5 1-2 5; Bristol Barbour 1-3 1-2 3; Myles Vohs 1-2 1-2 3; Brock Vohs 1-4 0-0 2. Totals: 22-46 8-15 54. 3-point field goals: 2, (Hill 2)

Louisburg’s (from left) Sabra Brueggen and Shylar Whiting come out to celebrate with Sami Lane following the Lady Cats’ win over Northeast Kansas on Tuesday in the opener of the Louisburg Invitational.

As the Louisburg coaches walked into the locker room following Tuesday’s opening round game of the Louisburg Invitational, the sounds that emitted from beyond the walls were something they haven’t heard all season.

The joyous screams were that of elation, mixed with a little bit of relief.

Their losing streak was over.

Louisburg snapped an eight-game losing skid and picked up its first win of the season as the Lady Cats downed Northeast Kansas, 49-41, to get a victory in the first round of their home tournament.

“This was a really important win for us,” Louisburg coach Adrianne Lane said. “I told them before the game that (Tuesday) was the night and we needed to get this. I really think that this will help us the rest of the week and even into the next week. Hopefully we can get some momentum going from this. We just really needed this so the girls know that they can do it and that we are good enough.”

The Lady Cats entered the 23-24 season with little to no varsity experience and were thrown into the fire of what was mostly a difficult Frontier League schedule.

Louisburg got that first win over Northeast Kansas, a homeschool program based out of Topeka, and the Lady Cats had to overcome some obstacles along the way.

The Lady Cats were down five points with four minutes to go, but they were able to flip a switch as they outscored the Nighthawks 18-5 in the fourth quarter to pull away for an eight-point victory.

“I told the girls that we need to play to win and not be scared with the ball,” Lane said. “We came down and hit a 3, then hit a 2 and then Morgan (Latham) got fouled and hit a pair of free throws. It seemed like the girls took that to heart and did a good job of going to the basket when they were open.

Latham started the run by hitting 3 of 4 from the free-throw line, then Sami Lane hit a 3-pointer with two minutes remaining to give Louisburg a 40-39 lead.

The Nighthawks scored on a runner to take the lead back, but junior Ashlyn Kuhlman knocked down a runner to put Louisburg up on its next possession. 

Northwest was then called for an intentional foul and sophomore Zyleigh Melton hit a free throw to put the Lady Cats up two. Kuhlman would go on to hit four straight free throws to put the Lady Cats up six. 

Melton hit two more free throws late to seal the win for Louisburg. 

“Those were awesome free throws,” coach Lane said. “Mo started it, Zyleigh hit a couple and Ash hit four in a row. If we don’t make those we don’t win and that was a game changer for us. They seemed calm up there and those also helped us reset on defense as well.”

Louisburg had three players score in double figures and it started with Kuhlman as she finished with a team-high 16 points to go along with four rebounds and two blocked shots.

Junior Shylar Whiting gave the Lady Cats a spark offensively, especially in the first half, with 11 points. Lane finished with 10 points to go along with four rebounds.

Latham finished with seven points, while sophomore McKenna Lohse had a team-high six rebounds. Junior Jillian Asher finished with five boards and Melton had a team-high three assists.

The Lady Cats will try for back-to-back wins tonight as they host Chanute in the second round of the Louisburg Invitational. Tipoff is set for 5:30 p.m.

Louisburg will end tournament play at 7 p.m. on Friday against Girard.

“Chanute will be a lot different because they like to play at a slower pace, and they will play a zone defense, so we will have to see how that goes,” coach Lane said. “I am glad that we got this one and hopefully it will carry into the final two games of the tournament.”

LOU 5 15 11 18 — 49

NEK 3 18 15 5 — 41

LOUISBURG (1-8): Ashlyn Kuhlman 5-11 4-4 16; Shylar Whiting 5-8 1-4 11; Sami Lane 3-8 2-2 10; Morgan Latham 2-4 3-4 7; Zyleigh Melton 0-1 3-4 3; Jillian Asher 0-5 2-2 2. Totals: 15-45 15-20 49. 3-point field goals: 4, (Kuhlman 2, Lane 2)

Louisburg junior Sabra Brueggen battles for a rebound Thursday at Spring Hill. The Lady Cats fell 59-46.

SPRING HILL — The Louisburg girls basketball team may still be looking for its first win of the season, but the Lady Cats are taking positive steps forward.

Louisburg took a big step Thursday at Spring Hill. The Lady Cats found themselves down just five points at halftime, but the Broncos were able to pull away in the second half and hand Louisburg a 59-46 loss.

“I thought we played pretty well,” Louisburg coach Adrianne Lane said. “I think that was one of the better games we have played all year against one of the best teams we have seen. I do think we are getting better every game. We ran some better offense than we have been and we played some different defenses than we were used to. I thought they did a great job.”

Spring Hill got out to a fast start with a 15-5 lead, but the Wildcats went on a 15-5 run of their own and took a 20-19 lead on a 3-pointer from Ashlyn Kuhlman. The Louisburg junior had eight points during that stretch.

The Broncos batted back and eventually took a 27-22 lead into halftime, but the Wildcats had a lot of positives go their way in the first half. 

“Going into halftime, I think the girls were pretty excited and optimistic knowing that they can play with teams like that,” Lane said. “I think there were times in the second half where our offense was even better. I just keep telling the girls that this is all experience for them after not starting the season with any varsity experience. It hasn’t even been half the season yet, but we are getting better.”

Spring Hill eventually built a double-digit lead in the second half. Junior Sami Lane hit a 3-pointer to make it an eight-point game, but it would be as close as Louisburg would get. 

Louisburg junior Sabra Brueggen was active inside with a team-high 13 points as she got to the free-throw line 12 times. Kuhlman also scored in double figures with 11.

Sophomore McKenna Lohse led the Lady Cats with eight rebounds on the night, while Sami Lane finished with seven points and six rebounds.

The Broncos’ Isla Herman and Sydney Buscher combined for 42 of Spring Hill’s 59 points. Buscher finished with a double-double of 21 points and 11 rebounds and Herman also scored 21 points.

Louisburg will try for that first win starting tonight as the Wildcats host Northeast Kansas, a home school team out of Topeka, in the first round of the Louisburg Invitational. Tipoff is set for 7 p.m. 

LOU 10 12 11 13 — 46

SH 17 10 17 15 — 59

LOUISBURG: Sabra Brueggen 3-5 7-12 13; Ashlyn Kuhlman 4-9 1-2 11; Sami Lane 3-7 0-0 7; Ally Brown 2-7 0-0 5; Jillian Asher 1-5 0-0 3; McKenna Lohse 0-1 3-6 3; Addy Stohs 1-2 0-0 2; Mogan Latham 0-0 1-2 1; Shylar Whiting 0-3 1-3 1. Totals: 14-40 13-27 46. 3-point field goals: 5, (Kuhlman 2, Asher, Lane, Brown)

Lady Cats fall to Baldwin

A rough start sunk any hopes of an upset for the Louisburg girls basketball at home Friday as Baldwin scored 32 points in the first half and ran away with a 52-31 win over the Lady Cats. 

Baldwin took a 32-9 lead at halftime and the Lady Cats struggled to get much going offensively as they shot just 24 percent for the game.

Jillian Asher led Louisburg in scoring with eight points and sophomore Morgan Latham finished with seven.

Junior Ashlyn Kuhlman had a team-high five rebounds to go along with eight blocked shots. 

Baldwin’s Alyssa Reichard had a team-high 19 points to lead the Bulldogs.

LOU 5 4 8 14 — 31

BAL 17 15 17 3 — 52

LOUISBURG (0-8): Jillian Asher 2-5 3-4 8; Morgan Latham 2-5 3-3 7; Ashlyn Kuhlman 1-7 2-2 4; Shylar Whiting 2-9 0-0 4; Sami Lane 1-7 0-0 3; Ally Brown 1-3 0-0 2; Addy Stohs 1-3 0-1 2. Totals: 10-42 9-14 31. 3-point field goals: 2, (Asher, Lane)

Louisburg senior Nathan Parker came off the bench to score a team-high 19 points, including a game-tying 3-pointer to force overtime Thursday at Spring Hill.

SPRING HILL — After the first quarter was complete Thursday at Spring Hill, things were looking bleak for Louisburg.

The Broncos jumped out to a 14-point lead early and nothing seemed to be going right on the Louisburg sideline.

That all changed the rest of the way.

Louisburg’s defense stiffened and Nathan Parker hit a game-tying 3-pointer with just seconds left to force overtime. The Wildcats took care of business in the extra period and left Spring Hill with a 60-57 victory.

“I am super proud of them,” Louisburg coach Ben Doll said. “We talked about how we can’t overlook people and have to do a good job starting the game. It is was an issue to start the game, but the fact that we just kept battling back is awesome. We had some guys off the bench and really gave us a big boost in Nate (Parker), Luke (Hill) and Jaymes (Melton)). All our bench really helped us.”

Parker certainly gave the Wildcats a boost at the biggest moment. With 20 seconds left, Parker came off a screen and knocked down a game-tying 3-pointer that would force overtime.

The Louisburg senior came off the bench to score a game-high 19 points and he also led the Wildcats with four assists and three steals.

“Nate’s shot was definitely huge,” Doll said. “He is a good shooter and we were trying to run something to get him that look and he drained it. He is a very confident shooter. It was awesome.”

In the overtime, Spring Hill opened the extra period by knocking down a 3-pointer and took the lead. Parker would go on to hit a pair of free throws and then hit a shot to give Louisburg a one point advantage.

Junior Conlee Hovey added another basket to push the Wildcat lead to three. Spring Hill cut it to 1 on a couple different occasions, but senior Luke Hill hit a pair of free throws late to seal the win.

Hill came off the bench to score 11 points, while Hovey finished with nine points and nine rebounds. Hickey added seven points and four assists and five rebounds, while Brock Vohs added six boards as well.

It wasn’t always great for the Wildcats as they found themselves down 17-3 to start the game, but eventually whittled away to force overtime. After giving up 22 points in the first quarter, Louisburg held Spring Hill to just 35 points the rest of the game.

“We did a really good job on defense on getting to their shooters after the first quarter,” Doll said. “Luke did a really good job on one of them and we did a lot better job of locking up their guys late in the game.

“We were just horrendous with the ball to start the game. I think the first four possessions of the game were all turnovers. We did a better job of that, especially in the fourth quarter and overtime.  It was one of our keys coming in, and we didn’t do that early. You can’t start like that against any varsity high school team or you are going to have a heck of a time.”

Louisburg is back in action tonight as the Wildcats host the Louisburg Invitational. The Wildcats will face off with Northeast Kansas of Topeka tonight at 5:30 p.m. 

LOU 9 12 12 17 10 — 60

SH 22 8 6 14 7 — 57

LOUISBURG: Nathan Parker 6-15 5-7 19; Luke Hill 3-8 2-2 11; Conlee Hovey 3-5 3-4 9; Brady Hickey 2-10 2-4 7; Myles Vohs 1-3 2-2 4; Jaymes Melton 1-1 1-1 3; Brock Vohs 1-3 1-2 3; Bristol Barbour 1-1 0-0 2; Gavin Lohse 1-5 0-2 2. Totals: 19-51 16-24 60. 3-point field goals: 6, (Hill 3, Parker 2, Hickey) 

Wildcats lose to state-ranked Baldwin

Louisburg knew it wasn’t going to be easy as it hosted No. 9-ranked Baldwin on Friday.

For the second time this season, the Bulldogs handed the Wildcats a loss as Baldwin jumped out to an early lead and never looked back in a 62-46 victory over Louisburg.

Baldwin opened the game on a 30-6 run and the Wildcats weren’t able to recover.

Nathan Parker and Luke Hill led Louisburg in scoring with nine points each, while junior Gavin Lohse had a team-high six rebounds. Bristol Barbour and Jaymes Melton each tallied five rebounds.

Baldwin’s Cooper Carr nearly put together a triple double as he tallied a game-high 27 points to go along with 13 rebounds and eight assists.

LOU 4 12 10 20 — 46

BAL 16 17 16 13 — 62

LOUISBURG (4-4): Nathan Parker 2-14 4-4 9; Luke Hill 3-12 2-2 9; Conlee Hovey 3-6 1-2 7; Brady Hickey 2-6 0-0 4; Luke Schultz 2-2 0-0 4; Brock Vohs 1-6 1-2 3; Bristol Barbour 1-4 0-0 2; Myles Vohs 1-7 0-0 2; Gavin Lohse 1-5 0-0 2; Jaymes Melton 1-4 0-0 2; Derek Frederick 1-1 0-0 2. Totals: 18-68 8-10 46. 3-point field goals: 2, (Parker, Hill)