Louisburg senior Michael Waldron drives to the basket against the Bonner Springs defense Tuesday at Louisburg High School.

For more than half of the game,
the Louisburg boys basketball team found itself in the driver’s seat Tuesday
against Bonner Springs.

The Wildcats had a comfortable
lead and were well on their way to back-to-back wins to start 2020. In the end,
it became a little more interesting than they would have liked.

Bonner Springs cut a 16-point Louisburg
lead to just one point with under a minute left, but senior Garrett Rolofson
knocked down two free throws with nine seconds left help secure a 46-43 win for
the Wildcats at Louisburg High School.

“It is never going to be easy,” Louisburg coach Ty Pfannenstiel said. “At times we looked really, really good and we were really focused – playing free and playing our style of basketball. Whatever it was in the second half, we just went into an offensive funk, started turning the ball over and just got real sloppy. We made it to where we were in a game again.

“Defensively, I thought we were
good all night and I thought it was one of our best games on defense,
especially in the first half. We stress that our defense has to be a constant
every night. When shots aren’t falling, and your defense is good, then you have
a chance. If we can consistently play defense then I think we are going to be
alright.”

Louisburg (3-3) went on an 11-4 run in the second quarter to build a 31-15 lead over Bonner Springs and was up 12 points at halftime. The Wildcats maintained that advantage going into the fourth quarter, but the Braves chipped away at the Louisburg lead while the Wildcats went cold offensively.

The Wildcats had several shots rim
out, while Bonner Springs used a 10-2 run to eventually cut the Louisburg lead
to 44-43 with 46 seconds left. After both teams missed front ends of a
one-in-one opportunity, Rolofson was fouled with nine seconds left and had an
opportunity to give Louisburg a little cushion.

The Louisburg senior calmly made
both opportunities and the Braves couldn’t find the bottom of the net in their
final trip down the floor.

“Nothing was really going in for
us,” Pfannenstiel said. “I think we had a layup and three free throws in the fourth
quarter and two of those were Rolo’s there at the end. We went in a huge
drought, and when you don’t see the ball go through the hoop, it can get kind
of nerve-racking.

“Rolo is a kid that has worked
really hard and he has earned his opportunity to take those shots. I couldn’t
think of anyone that I would rather have shooting those shots. I have supreme
confidence in what he has done and that was big for him to step up and knock
those down.”

Weston Guetterman led the Wildcats
with a team-high 13 points and three steals as he played all 32 minutes. Ben
Guetterman also scored in double figures with 12, while Julian Margrave had
seven points and a team-high nine rebounds.

The Wildcats did a lot of their scoring from behind the arc as they knocked down seven 3-pointers on the night, despite shooting just 36 percent from the field. Still, Louisburg played well offensively in the first half, which forced Bonner Springs to do some different things on defense.

“We moved the ball well, took care
of the ball and got them out of their zone,” Pfannenstiel said. “We were expecting
to see some zone going into the game, and it is something we haven’t seen a lot
of this year. We were hot enough that we were able to get them out of it and I
was very pleased with how we played in the first half. But we have to be able
to play well for four quarters if we are going to have a chance the rest of the
way. Our goal is to continue to build and that is what we are doing.”

Louisburg will try for its third
straight win Saturday when it hosts Frontenac in a make-up game from earlier in
the season. Tipoff is set for 6 p.m.

LOU               15           18           8             5 – 46

BON              11           10           8             14 – 43

LOUISBURG (3-3): Weston Guetterman
3-6 5-10 13; Ben Guetterman 5-13 0-1 12; Julian Margrave 3-6 0-0 7; Michael
Waldron 2-10 0-0 6; Garrett Rolofson 1-4 2-3 4; Maverick Rockers 1-2 0-0 2;
Connor Koesser 1-3 0-0 2. Totals: 16-45 7-14 46. 3-point field goals: 7, (W.
Guetterman 2, B. Guetterman 2, Waldron 2, Margrave)

Junior Madilyn Melton drives past a Bonner Springs defender Tuesday during the Lady Cats’ 52-34 win over the Braves.

From the opening tip, it was
obvious that the night was going to belong to the Louisburg girls basketball
team.

On Tuesday against Bonner Springs,
the Lady Cats scored 14 of the first 16 points and used that start to roll the
Braves, 52-34, at Louisburg High School.

In what was one of their best shooting nights of the young season, mixed in with good defense, the No. 10-ranked Lady Cats were able to move their record to 5-1 on the season.

“Bonner is young, athletic and
their coach does a really good job with his girls, but I am also proud of the
way we responded against that,” Louisburg coach Shawn Lowry said. “There were
times where it was really physical and I thought that we responded well to that
and I thought our confidence was good too. At some point, this group is going
to have to start believing what they can be this year.”

The Lady Cats certainly believed Tuesday
as they shot 44 percent from floor and knocked down a season-high eight
3-pointers, despite only going 4-for-14 from the free-throw line. Louisburg
came out strong as it opened the game on a 14-2 run.

Bonner Springs made a run back to
cut it to a two-point advantage to start the second quarter, but the Lady Cats
ended the first half on an 8-2 spurt to take a 25-17 halftime lead. The Braves
would get no closer.

Madilyn Melton led the Lady Cats
in scoring as the Louisburg junior finished with a team-high 12 points and
seven rebounds, to go along with six deflections and three steals. Juniors
Alyse Moore and Megan Foote added nine points in the win.

Senior Haley Cain came off the
bench to also score nine points, all of which came from behind the 3-point
line. Cain also had a team-high four assists.

“I think it is credit to the girls putting in the work,” Lowry said of his team’s offensive success. “They are staying after practice and coming in on the weekends on their own and shooting. This is a group that can be a good shooting team.

“I really thought Haley came off
the bench and gave us a nice spark and it was great leadership from her. I am
really proud of what she did.”

Louisburg also shined defensively
at times as it shut down Bonner Springs’ inside game and forced 26 turnovers
thanks to the Lady Cats’ aggressive zone defense. Those turnovers turned into
25 points for the Lady Cats as they made it difficult for the Braves.

“We didn’t slow them down much
inside at the beginning, but we made some adjustments and that really helped,”
Lowry said. “I have to give credit to the girls because they responded to the
adjustments what we needed to make. They were communicating with each other and
talking on defense. That really was the difference. I made some adjustments,
but it was them talking that was the biggest part of that.”

The schedule will get a lot
tougher for the Lady Cats beginning tomorrow. It will be a battle of ranked
teams as No. 10 Louisburg hosts No. 4 Baldwin (7-1) at 6 p.m. Friday in a
Frontier League matchup.

Louisburg will then turnaround
Saturday to host Frontenac in a makeup contest. Tipoff for that game is set for
4:30 p.m.

“We want to be 6-1 after Friday
and we have to play a good Baldwin team on our home floor,” Lowry said. “We are
excited to play that game and that is the mentality that this group has right
now.

“Baldwin is a fantastic team from
coaching to players, and top to bottom they have such a great program. It is
going to be extremely hard and we are going to have to prepare with that in
mind. We can’t even think about Saturday’s game against Frontenac and we have
to be all in with Baldwin on Friday.”

LOU               17           8             19           8 – 52

BON              12           5             12           5 – 34

LOUISBURG (5-1): Madilyn Melton
5-8 2-6 12; Haley Cain 3-7 0-0 9; Alyse Moore 3-7 1-2 9; Megan Foote 4-7 0-2 9;
Delaney Wright 2-4 0-2 5; Brooklyn Diederich 2-10 0-0 5; Sydni Keagle 1-1 0-0
2; Jordan Mynsted 0-0 1-2 1. Totals: 20-46 4-14 52. 3-point field goals: 8,
(Cain 3, Moore 2, Wright, Diederich, Foote)

Freshman guard Adyson Ross drives to the basket during the Lady Cats’ road game Tuesday against Turner.

KANSAS CITY, Kan. – In its first
game of the new year, the Louisburg girls basketball team couldn’t have asked
for a better start to 2020.

The Lady Cats used a stingy
defense and a deep bench to help them to a 72-18 victory over Turner on Tuesday
at Turner High School. The win moves Louisburg’s record to 4-1 on the year as
it currently holds the No. 10 ranking in Class 4A.

“We worked hard over break and
everyone is in the same boat,” Louisburg coach Shawn Lowry said. “You have to
get back to where you were before break and it is crazy. You have to get that
mentality back and we focused on toughness drills, worked on a lot of defensive
stuff and I thought we took care of business. Offensively we have some stuff to
clean up, but overall it was a good night.”

Defensively, the Lady Cats shined
as they used their 1-3-1 pressure defense to force several Turner turnovers,
which led to easy baskets in transition. Louisburg racked up 47 points in the first
half and held the Golden Bears to just nine.

Junior Brooklyn Diederich had a
big scoring night for the Lady Cats with a game-high 15 points, including three
3-pointers. Juniors Alyse Moore and Madilyn Melton also finished in double
figures with 12 points and sophomores Delaney Wright and Jordan Mynsted added
nine.

Lowry shuffled five players in and
out of the game at different times throughout the contest, which allowed
several younger players to see varsity minutes. Freshman guards Brianne
Kuhlman, Adyson Ross and Emma Lohse all saw playing time and each found the
scoring column.

“It was nice to be able to rotate
a lot of kids,” Lowry said. “I thought the freshmen, like Adyson, Brianne and
Emma, all did a real nice job tonight. It is these kinds of situations where we
can get them some experience that will help them down the road past this
season. For it being our first game out of break, and being on the road, I
think it was good for us.”

The schedule will get quite a bit
tougher for the Lady Cats and it starts tonight when they travel to No. 7
Eudora. The Cardinals have been going through some transition as their head
coach, Richard Ebel, was relieved of his duties before the holiday break and
they currently have a new coaching staff.

Despite the changes, the Lady Cats
know it will be a difficult challenge on the road in Frontier League play.

“Eudora is fantastic and they have
one of the best point guards around,” Lowry said. “They are dealing with some
stuff right now, but I think they are going to be ready to play. It will be
tough for them, but I know they will be ready.

“We have a tough four-game stretch
coming up too. We have Eudora, but then we get three games at home, with Bonner
Springs, Baldwin and Frontenac and Baldwin and Frontenac are back-to-back
nights. It is a gauntlet, but that is the time of year we are in and it is time
to play. We have 80 percent of our games left to play and 60 percent of our
practices are done. It is about improving and getting better and we are going
to be a different team between now and the end of the season. We have a lot of
growth left to happen.”

LOU               20           27           15           10 – 72

TUR               5             4             4             5 – 18

LOUISBURG (4-1): Brooklyn
Diederich 15, Alyse Moore 12, Madilyn Melton 12, Delaney Wright 9, Jordan
Mynsted 9, Brianne Kuhlman 6, Adyson Ross 5, Megan Foote 2, Emma Lohse 2.
Totals: 27 12-22 72. 3-point field goals: 6, (Diederich 3, Wright 2, Ross)

Louisburg senior Garrett Rolofson goes up for a basket during the Wildcats’ 64-52 win Tuesday over Turner. Rolofson finished with 14 points and nine rebounds.

KANSAS CITY, Kan. – Louisburg
opened Tuesday’s road contest against Turner with 10 straight points, only to
see the Golden Bears respond with a big run of their own and put the Wildcats
in hole.

The Wildcats ended the game just
like they started – only bigger.

Louisburg dominated the fourth
quarter and rallied from an eight-point deficit to get a 64-52 victory over
Turner and win in convincing fashion. The Wildcats outscored the Golden Bears
21-5 in the final frame thanks to a different level of intensity.

“It was a great win for our guys,” Louisburg coach Ty Pfannenstiel said. “We got into a funk there for a while after we had such a hot start. With it being the first game after break, you just never know what you are going to get on our end. It has been awhile since we have played, but for us to battle back was great to see and the energy in the fourth quarter was really, really good.”

A lot of that energy came from junior
Ben Guetterman and senior Garrett Rolofson, who both helped the Wildcats
dominate the glass in the fourth quarter, which led to a lot of second chance
points.

Guetterman, one of the team’s
starting guards, finished with a game-high 21 points and also added 16 rebounds
to help spark the Wildcats. Rolofson nearly had a double-double himself as he
added 14 points and nine boards. Both players had seven offensive rebounds on
the night and kept a lot of plays alive.

“Ben played really well and Rolo
played really tough inside,” Pfannenstiel said. “If those guys can continue
that, and then we can piece it together with the other guys, then we should be
alright.

“Ben is going to realize that he
can really score when he hits the offensive glass and he doesn’t just have to
hit from the outside. He has the ability to attack on the offensive rebounds
and get a lot of garbage points. Rolo did a really good job with that too. Our
energy was really good in the fourth quarter, and if we can do that for four
quarters, then we can do this any night out.”

Louisburg (2-3) was without one of
its leading scorers in Julian Margrave, who was out with an illness. Other
players had to fill in and the Wildcats were able to get good production from
their bench.

Sophomore Michael Seuferling saw
his first varsity action of the season and provided the Wildcats with some key
minutes as he finished with seven points. Junior Konnor Vohs also added six in
the win, including a big 3-pointer in the fourth quarter to help jump start the
Wildcats’ run.

Point guard Weston Guetterman
added six points, but also finished with a team-high seven assists and also had
six rebounds.

“We had a couple guys come off the
bench and really gave us some good minutes there in crunch time,” Pfannenstiel
said. “I thought Michael came in and played really well. We had to have some
guys step up with Julian out, so we needed to have some guys score for us. Vohs,
Seuferling and those guys came in and brought good energy and that is what we
needed.”

The Wildcats opened the game on a
10-0 run, but Turner responded quickly as it went on a 17-2 spurt of its own to
take a five-point lead going into the second quarter.

Turner extended its lead to 10
points midway through the second quarter and later had an eight-point lead in the
third, before the Wildcats started to chip away.

Seuferling hit a jumper to cut the Turner lead to one early in the fourth quarter and then the Wildcat defense forced three straight turnovers. Louisburg took advantage as Ben Guetterman and Rolofson both scored on offensive rebounds to give the Wildcats the lead and then Vohs answered with a 3-pointer to put Louisburg up six.

Louisburg didn’t let up as it pulled away from the Bears the rest of the way and recorded its second win on the season.

“We switched to zone for a little bit
and I think that messed with them for a while,” Pfannenstiel said. “They missed
some shots and we were able to rebound out of it. I think we figured out pretty
quick that we need to get going. We played with some great energy in the
fourth.”

The Wildcats will try for
back-to-back wins Friday when they travel to Eudora in Frontier League action.
Tipoff is set for 7:30 p.m.

“Eudora is always very well
coached,” Pfannenstiel said. “They are a great program and have disciplined
players. It is good to go into league play with a win and we have a lot of games
coming up here. It will be a grind and we have a lot to do. Hopefully we can
continue to build some momentum.”

LOU               12           16           15           21 – 64

TUR               16           15           16           5 – 52

LOUISBURG (2-3): Ben Guetterman 9-17
1-1 21; Garrett Rolofson 5-12 4-6 14; Michael Seuferling 2-5 1-1 7; Weston
Guetterman 1-11 4-6 6; Konnor Vohs 2-3 1-2 6; Michael Waldron 2-4 0-0 5;
Charlie Peters 0-1 3-4 3; Maverick Rockers 1-4 0-0 2. Totals: 22-57 15-23 64.
3-point field goals: 5, (B. Guetterman 2, Seuferling, Vohs, Waldron)

Louisburg senior Michael Waldron stretches out for a rebound Friday during the Wildcats’ home contest against Piper.

For two-and-a-half quarters Friday,
the Louisburg boys basketball team had the upper-hand on the defending state
champion and No. 1 team in Class 4A.

The Wildcats had Piper where they
wanted them, but foul trouble and a few turnovers derailed their upset hopes as
the Wildcats fell to the Pirates, 68-61, in the final game of 2019.

Despite the loss, the fact that
Louisburg was able to hang with the state’s No. 1 team for much of the game was
something the Wildcats hope to use as a momentum builder over the holiday
break.

“It gives our kids confidence,” Louisburg coach Ty Pfannenstiel said. “We played with the defending state champs and the No. 1 team in the state that has played some good teams already. Our kids have to be very confident that we can play with, and beat anybody. That is type of team we will have to play in sub-state and there are some very talented teams at the top. We are going to have to execute a game plan like we did against Piper.”

That game plan was to force the
Pirates to pull up for jumpers and keep them out of transition. Louisburg was
able to do that for the most part as Piper was out of rhythm offensively and
the Wildcats were able to take a halftime lead.

The Wildcats (1-3) extended that
lead to seven points midway through the third quarter and all the momentum was in
their favor.

“We played tough,” Pfannenstiel
said. “Our kids played with such good energy, we created a good environment and
our students were really good. We basically went punch for punch with them, and
defensively, this was our best game of the year by far against a really dynamic
offensive team. They can really handle the ball and they have shooters
everywhere.

“That is a good team that we
played. To make them settle for pull-up jumpers, which was kind of our game
plan, and I thought our kids did a really good job of making them play good
help-side defense, packing the lane and making good close outs. It was a lot of
fun out there.”

The Wildcats got a bulk of their
scoring from three different players as junior point guard Weston Guetterman
finished with a team-high 20 points. Sophomore Julian Margrave finished with a
double-double as he had 16 points and 10 rebounds, while junior Ben Guetterman
added 17 points and seven rebounds.

Louisburg had to play with some
adversity early in the third quarter as Weston Guetterman had to sit with four
fouls, which is around the same time Piper went on a big run to take the lead
back.

Piper went on a 16-4 run to end
the third quarter as the Pirates were able to get out in transition and knock
down a couple three-pointers.

“It was definitely tough not
having him out there because he is that important to our team,” Pfannenstiel
said of Weston. “He is very comfortable with the ball in his hands and does a
good job running the offense. He just needs to be a little smarter when it
comes to being more aggressive. Maverick (Rockers) came in and did a good job
handling the ball against very good defenders. We took care of the ball for the
most part against some pretty talented defenders.

“Weston and Julian have been
pretty consistent with what they have gotten every night so far this year and
we need to find that third scorer and Ben can provide that. (Michael) Waldron
can as well, but I think we all played to our strengths. We don’t need everyone
to go off for 18 necessarily, even though that would be nice, but everyone
knows their role offensively and I thought our kids played very well.”

Piper extended its lead to 12
points midway through the fourth quarter. Weston Guetterman scored five
straight points to cut the lead to seven, but it would be as close as the
Wildcats could get.

The Wildcats will try and bounce
back in the new year when they travel to Turner on Jan. 7.

LOU               13           13           14           21 – 61

PIP                 11           14           24           19 – 68

LOUISBURG (1-3): Weston Guetterman
5-8 8-8 20; Ben Guetterman 5-14 5-9 17; Julian Margrave 7-12 2-3 16; Michael
Waldron 2-6 1-2 6; Garrett Rolofson 1-1 0-0 2. Totals: 20-44 16-22 61. 3-point
field goals: 5, (W. Guetterman 2, B. Guetterman 2, Waldron 1)

Louisburg junior Alyse Moore goes up for a basket Friday during the Lady Cats’ final game of 2019 against Piper at Louisburg High School.

It would have been easy for the
Louisburg girls basketball team to realize Friday was just not its night.

The Lady Cats found themselves
down 10 points in the first three minutes of the game against Piper, the No. 2
team in Class 4A and defending state runner-up. Trying to get back in the game
against one of the best teams in the state was going to be a tough task.

Louisburg was up for the challenge
as the Lady Cats rallied to keep the game close, before Piper used a big fourth
quarter to hand Louisburg its first loss of the season, 47-29, at Louisburg
High School.

Piper opened the game on a 10-0
run to put the Lady Cats on their heels, but they were able to respond and
trailed just 16-10 at the end of the first quarter. From there, Louisburg was
able to stay within striking distance, but would get no closer.

“Two things are going to happen in
that situation – you are either going to stand up for yourself or you are just
going to quit and lay down,” Louisburg coach Shawn Lowry said. “The character
of our team is they are going to fight. We really battled the entire game, but
it is just some things that we are doing to ourselves. If we can clean those
things up, I like what this team can be.”

The Lady Cats struggled on the
offensive end of the floor as they shot 27 percent from the field, but they
hurt themselves on the free-throw line as they went 10-for-24.

It was tough to get good looks at
the basket most of the night against a tough Piper defense that applied
full-court pressure for part of the contest.

“We are not that far away,” Lowry
said. “The things we have been talking to the girls about time after time is
finishing plays at the rim, free-throw shooting and we really hurt ourselves
with those two things. Piper is obviously an extremely talented team, with
extremely talented players.

“The message to our girls was when we got down big early, was to settle down and to compete and they did that. We have a lot of progress left to do, both individually and as a team, but I sure like our kids and I like what the rest of the season can look like for us.”

Junior Megan Foote paced the Lady
Cats with a team-high 12 points, while junior Madilyn Melton finished with
seven points and five rebounds. Junior Alyse Moore pulled down a team-high 11
rebounds and senior Haley Cain also had five boards.

Piper took an 11-point halftime
lead and the Pirates were able to build on it into the fourth quarter as they
used a 9-2 run to pull away from the Lady Cats.

Louisburg, which is 3-1 going into
the holiday break, saw a lot of positives to begin its season. The Lady Cats
also realize they will be competing in several difficult games in the Frontier
League when they resume play in early January.

“We wanted to be 4-0, but we like
where we are at,” Lowry said. “We would have liked to have that other game
before break with the Frontenac game being postponed, but we are going to take
some days off here, regroup and get back after it. This group has high
expectations for themselves and you have to love that.

“This league is fantastic and what a great league to compete in. When we come back from break we will face a very good Eudora team, Baldwin is tough, Paola is strong again this year, Spring Hill is good and I think the league is going to be a race this year. I don’t think that anyone is going to run away with it. Piper is out to a good lead, but I think it will be competitive till the end.”

The Lady Cats will continue their
season on Jan. 7 when they travel to Turner. Louisburg will then go to Eudora
on Jan. 10 to start up league play.

LOU               10           7             9             3 – 29

PIP                 16           12           10           9 – 47

LOUISBURG (3-1): Megan Foote 5-7
0-0 12; Madilyn Melton 1-6 5-12 7; Haley Cain 1-7 1-2 4; Alyse Moore 0-3 3-7 3;
Delaney Wright 1-1 0-0 2; Brianne Kuhlman 0-0 1-2 1. Totals: 8-30 10-24 29.
3-point field goals: 3, (Foote 2, Cain 1)

Louisburg junior Ben Guetterman dribbles around an Anderson County defender Friday during the Wildcats’ home opener.

After a pair of difficult losses
to start the season, the Louisburg boys basketball team wanted to try and make
amends.

There was no better place to do
that than in the Wildcats’ home gym.

Louisburg scored 17 of the game’s
first 21 points and the Wildcat defense took care of the rest as they secured a
53-44 win Friday over Anderson County. It was the Wildcats’ first win of the
season and they were happy to get it in their home opener.

“It was a great start for us,” Louisburg coach Ty Pfannenstiel said. “We let them back in it a little bit and they were able to steal some of that energy, but our defense led to our offense. There are going to be nights where you have good offensive nights, and there are some where you are going to struggle, but your defense always has to be a constant. As a team, I think we have bought into that. We have always had that offensive mindset, but now I think we proved we can play that tough on-ball defense. We have a long ways to go, but we definitely made some improvement.”

The Wildcats (1-2) used that full-court pressure into some easy baskets early in the contest. Junior guard Weston Guetterman opened the game with a steal and score, senior Michael Waldron hit a pair of 3-pointers and Guetterman hit 3-pointer near the end of the first quarter to give Louisburg a 15-4 lead after one quarter.

Junior Connor Koesser hit a basket
to make it 17-4 early in the second quarter before Anderson County cut into the
lead. The Bulldogs went on a 12-0 run to cut the Louisburg lead to one point.

The game started to get physical as both teams played aggressive. Late in the first half, both teams went for loose ball on the floor and things got a little heated.

That play seemed to spark the
Wildcats as they went on an 8-0 run to end the second quarter. Sophomore Julian
Margrave was fouled on a 3-point attempt and made all three free throws and
junior Ben Guetterman followed that up with a 3-pointer of his own.

Then, just seconds before the end of the quarter, Waldron dove on the floor for a steal and passed the ball up to Weston Guetterman, who found Ben Guetterman under the basket. Ben made the shot and was fouled to put Louisburg up 25-17 at halftime.

Defense was the difference for the Wildcats as they forced 15 turnovers and scored 23 points off those miscues. They also had nine steals in the game.

“We put a big emphasis in practice the last couple of day of playing aggressive defense and taking the team out of what they want to do,” Pfannenstiel said. “We came out with full-court pressure and I think that brought us a lot of energy. It was a good environment and Anderson County was an aggressive team too. I am just proud of how hard we fought. It was a physical game, and the officials were letting some things go on both ends, but I really thought we grew as a team after this win.”

Louisburg ballooned its lead to 13
points midway through the third quarter, but Anderson County made another run
as it trimmed the Wildcats’ lead to 40-35 early in the fourth. The Bulldogs,
however, could get no closer as the Wildcats held off the Bulldogs thanks to
seven points in the quarter from Margrave.

Margrave led the Wildcats in
scoring with 18 points on the night. Weston Guetterman also had a big night
from the point guard spot as he finished with 11 points, a team-high seven
rebounds, six assists and three steals.

Michael Waldron also had 11 points
in the win, including three 3-pointers. Ben Guetterman had nine points and six
rebounds.

The Wildcats will try and make it two in a row at home Friday when they host Piper. Tipoff is set for approximately 7:30 p.m., and Louisburg is ready to take another step forward.

“Each game we have been in, we
have been right there,” Pfannenstiel said. “Instead of calling them losses, we
have tried to call them learning opportunities. It is a loss, but we have
learned from those. After the Tongie game, we worked on being more patient
offensively, and I think that led to better offense against Burlington. But our
defense wasn’t that good at Burlington and we didn’t take care of the ball.
This game, we really stressed defense, and if we could put both together, I
think we have a shot every night.”

LOU               15           10           15           13 – 53

AC                  4             13           13           14 – 44

LOUISBURG (1-2): Julian Margrave
6-11 6-6 18; Weston Guetterman 4-10 2-3 11; Michael Waldron 4-8 0-0 11; Ben
Guetterman 3-8 1-3 9; Garrett Rolofson 1-4 0-0 2; Connor Koesser 1-1 0-0 2.
Totals: 19-48 9-12 53. 3-point field goals: 6, (Waldron 3, B. Guetterman 2, W.
Guetterman 1)

Louisburg sophomore Delaney Wright races down the floor during a fast break opportunity Friday during the Lady Cats’ home opener against Anderson County.

The Louisburg girls basketball
team wanted to make a good impression in its home opener Friday and the Lady
Cats got everyone’s attention early.

Louisburg scored the first 10
points of the game – all by junior Megan Foote – and the Lady Cats used that
run to pull away for a 47-35 victory over Anderson County. It was also the
third straight victory for the Lady Cats as they remained perfect on the year.

“We were excited to be able to
come out and play on our home floor, have our home opener on a Friday night,”
Louisburg coach Shawn Lowry said. “These three games that we have had to start
our schedule have been scrappy and tough and it has been good for us. We are
progressing, which has been great. I thought we were better defensively this
time around than we were on Tuesday. If we can keep making this progression and
keep learning and fixing our mistakes, then I like what this thing can be.”

Foote got the Lady Cats off to
their blazing start as she drove to the basket three straight times, including
one for a three-point play. She then knocked down a 3-pointer to put Louisburg
up 10-0 and the Lady Cats were off and running.

The Lady Cats (3-0) went on to
score 16 points in the first quarter and the Louisburg defense held Anderson
County to 16 total points in the first half.

“We knew by looking on film that we
wanted to get downhill early,” Lowry said. “I told Megan before the game that
she needed to be the aggressor with the ball and she took it to heart. It was a
great start for us and a great start for her and it was able to get us going.

“I thought our defense was good
and our kids are getting tougher. I have challenged them after every game and
they are responding. We aren’t there by any means in regards to toughness, but
I like where we are going.”

Louisburg forced 34 Anderson
County turnovers and the Lady Cats were able to score 22 points off those
Bulldog mistakes. The Lady Cats also pulled down 20 offensive rebounds that led
to 11 second chance points.

To end the first half, the Lady
Cats went on a mini 6-0 run after back-to-back baskets from junior Madilyn
Melton. Then sophomore Delaney Wright had a steal and score right before the
buzzer to put Louisburg up 31-16 at halftime.

The Lady Cats saw their lead balloon
to 17 late in the third quarter and Anderson County would get no closer than
12.

Foote led the Lady Cats in scoring
with 12 points, while Melton also finished in double figures with 11 points,
seven rebounds and team-high five steals. Senior Haley Cain finished with nine
points, six rebounds and four steals.

Junior Alyse Moore had eight
points, a team-high 10 rebounds and four steals. Junior Brooklyn Diederich also
had four steals in the win.

Louisburg will try and make it four
straight wins Tuesday when it hosts Frontenac. Tipoff is set for 6 p.m.

“It is going to be a challenge on
Tuesday with Frontenac,” Lowry said. “They are going to be physical and tough.
Our next goal is to be 4-0 and that is what we are shooting for.”

LOU               16           15           11           5 – 47

AC                  10           6             9             10 – 35

LOUISBURG (3-0): Megan Foote 5-9
1-2 12; Madilyn Melton 5-13 1-2 11; Haley Cain 3-8 1-2 9; Alyse Moore 4-12 0-1
8; Delaney Wright 2-8 0-0 4; Brooklyn Diederich 1-15 1-4 3; Sydni Keagle 0-2
1-2 1. Totals: 20-67 5-13 47. 3-point field goals: 3, (Cain 2, Foote 1)

Junior Konnor Vohs steals a pass during Tuesday’s road contest in Burlington. The Wildcats fell to Burlington, 72-68.

BURLINGTON – The Louisburg boys basketball team had a good idea what to expect from Burlington when they Wildcats hit the road Tuesday for their second straight away game.

However, turnovers haunted the Wildcats and it sent them to their second straight loss. Despite a late rally, Louisburg came up a couple baskets short in a 72-68 setback to Burlington.

Louisburg went up against a full-court pressure defense from Burlington, which caused the Wildcats to commit 25 turnovers. Those mistakes made it difficult to come back against a Burlington team that shot almost 47 percent for the game.

“We knew coming in that they were
going to be a team that plays hard,” Louisburg coach Ty Pfannenstiel said. “They
don’t have a lot of size, but they are going to be physically tough and
aggressive. We are going to see teams that like to get up and challenge us. At
times, I think we were able to figure it out, but it took us too long to do
that.

“In those kind of games, it comes down to one possession one way or the other and there were times where we built a lead and could have put them away with a bucket. We don’t, and then they go the other way and score. Their press was tough and we have to handle that better.”

It was a close game throughout and
neither team had more than a seven-point lead. Burlington held that seven-point
lead early in the third quarter, but the Wildcats made a big run to pull back
in front.

Louisburg went on an 11-3 run thanks to seven points from senior Garrett Rolofson and a basket from sophomore Julian Margrave. Junior Weston Guetterman then put Louisburg in front, 43-41, with a basket and was fouled.

Rolofson then followed that up
with a dunk to give Louisburg a four-point advantage late in the third. In all,
Rolofson scored nine of his 11 points in the frame and the Wildcats led 49-45
going into the fourth.

Burlington then came alive with a 27-point fourth quarter and took the lead back early in final frame. Junior Ben Guetterman hit a pair of 3-pointers late to try and get the Wildcats back in it, but Burlington was able to knock down its free throws to hold off Louisburg.

“We made some plays that were able
to get us back in it, but those possessions are just as important as the ones
in the first quarter,” Pfannenstiel said. “We have to understand that. Our
point of emphasis was having better shot selection and just being patient, and
when they came out with their press we just kind of forgot about that and
started firing up the first open shot and that fed right into their hand. We
have to do a better job coaching and we will get better at those things.”

The Wildcats shot better than 50
percent for the game, and when they got good looks, they were able to convert.
Margrave led Louisburg with 19 points on the night to go along with five
rebounds and two blocks.

Weston Guetterman had 15 points
and a team-high six assists from the point guard spot. Fellow guard Ben Guetterman
finished with 13 points. Rolofson finished his night with a double-double as he
had 11 points and a team-high 12 rebounds and two blocks.

Louisburg will try and bounce back
tonight when it hosts Anderson County in its home opener.

“They have a different look and
they might be a different style than what they were last year,” Pfannenstiel
said. “We will get back to working hard. There are a lot of things we have to
improve on and our focus is on Anderson County for sure.”

LOU               18           11           20           19 – 68

BUR               16           16           13           27 – 72

LOUISBURG (0-2): Julian Margrave
7-12 5-6 19; Weston Guetterman 5-9 4-6 15; Ben Guetterman 5-9 0-0 13; Garrett
Rolofson 5-11 1-1 11; Maverick Rockers 3-3 0-0 8; Konnor Vohs 1-2 0-0 2.
Totals: 26-49 10-13 68. 3-point field goals: 6, (B. Guetterman 3, Rockers 2, W.
Guetterman 1)

Louisburg junior Megan Foote races the ball up the court during Tuesday’s game at Burlington High School. The Lady Cats picked up their second straight win with a 59-46 win over Burlington.

BURLINGTON – Sometimes it takes
just one play to spark a team to go on a game-clinching run, and on Tuesday in
Burlington, that spark came from Megan Foote.

The Louisburg junior started what
was a big run for the Lady Cats with her aggressive play on both ends of the
floor. The rest of the Lady Cats fed off that as they ran away from Burlington
in the fourth quarter and left with a 59-46 victory.

Foote took a charge midway through
the fourth quarter and then drove to the basket for a score that would break
open a close game. Louisburg went on a 12-0 run and the Lady Cats earned their second
straight win to start the season.

“Our defense was key during that run, but it really started with Megan’s aggressive attack to the basket,” Louisburg coach Shawn Lowry said. “We really hadn’t been the aggressor all night, but that seemed to flip a switch mentality-wise. The next thing you know Alyse (Moore) gets a steal and scores and it turned for us. Runs like that normally start with one play and I thought Megan’s drive to the basket did that for us and then we just took off.”

Junior Alyse Moore was another
catalyst on both ends of the floor for the Lady Cats. Moore finished with a
game-high 22 points, several of which came off steals in transition.

Another junior, Madilyn Melton,
also finished in double figures with 18 points and Foote added eight points –
six of which came in the Lady Cats’ 24-point fourth quarter.

“Alyse played great and she always
plays so hard,” Lowry said. “Alyse will give you every single ounce that she
has and she did that again for us. It was a great performance and I thought
Megan was really solid as well. She was good with the basketball for us and I
thought she did a great job offensively and defensively.”

It was a back and forth game through
the first three quarters as the lead changed hands nine times and neither team
could pull away. It was the type of game Lowry was expecting.

Burlington is a traditionally good
program in Class 3A and the Louisburg coach wasn’t expecting anything different
this time around.

“This is always a tough place to
play, and not to mention that their longtime coach is back now after six-year
hiatus,” Lowry said. “The last time we faced off against him was in my first
year and it was one of the best games I had been a part of in an 86-84 overtime
win. I knew this was going to be a battle and I knew he was going to have his
kids ready to go. The kids really responded well.

“The best part of it is we are 2-0
now, but there is still so much stuff we are doing to ourselves and we are
going to get better at it. It is a lot nicer to be 2-0 and having those issues,
instead of being 0-2.”

Early in the fourth quarter, the Lady Cats found themselves down 40-39 but then came their run. Foote scored four straight points to give Louisburg a three-point lead and then Moore had two steals that led to layups on the other end.

After another bucket from Moore
and Melton, Louisburg all of a sudden found itself up 51-40 in about a three
minute span. From there, the Lady Cats were able to hold on and secure a big
road win.

Louisburg will try for three wins
in a row Friday when it hosts Anderson County in its home opener. Tipoff is set
for approximately 6 p.m.

“They are going to be good,” Lowry
said. “They had young players last year that are juniors this year. They are a
good group and it was a battle the first time we played them last year. It will
be tough. We have a gauntlet coming up where we face a good Anderson County
team, Frontenac is going to be tough and then we finish out with Piper before
the break. We are on our home court though so we are going to defend that place
with everything we have.”

LOU               13           14           8             24 – 59

BUR               14           9             13           10 – 46

LOUISBURG (2-0): Alyse Moore 22,
Madilyn Melton 18, Megan Foote 8, Brooklyn Diederich 6, Delaney Wright 3, Sydni
Keagle 2. 3-point field goals: 1, (Diederich)