Louisburg senior Dylan DeShazer puts up a shot in the lane Tuesday against Turner at Louisburg High School. DeShazer was one of five Wildcats in double figures and ended with 11 points.

It wasn’t the start Louisburg boys basketball coach Ty Pfannenstiel had hoped for Tuesday in the Wildcats’ home game against Turner.

The Wildcats turned the ball over 12 times in the first half, and although they had the lead, it wasn’t what Pfannenstiel was hoping for.

Louisburg’s third quarter was exactly what it was looking for.

The Wildcats scored 32 points in the third quarter and they were able to pull away from Turner for an 80-48 victory in their final game before the holiday break.

“I think we started off slow, but credit Turner a little bit and they were able to get some turnovers,” Pfannenstiel said. “We were really sloppy with the ball, especially early. We had 12 turnovers in the first half and that is just too many. That was our point of emphasis at halftime was to make the simple plays and try not to do too much.The second half we only had three turnovers and that was a big difference.”

Turner had a two-point lead midway through the first quarter and the Wildcats couldn’t seem to find a rhythm offensively. So Pfannenstiel went to his bench and put in five reserves in senior Noah Hill, junior Michael Waldron, sophomores Ben Guetterman, Andy Hupp and Connor Koesser.

Those players gave the Wildcats a lift off the bench as they went on a 9-1 run to end the quarter and give Louisburg a 17-11 lead.

“Those guys came in and gave us a spark there,” Pfannenstiel said. “You know when those guys get their opportunity, you know they are going to play hard. That kind of sent a message to those older guys and I am proud of that younger group that came in. Noah was in there with them, and he had been out with an illness and that is why he came off the bench, but it was good to have him lead that group. They were just doing the little things right and that is what we have to do as a group.”

The message was heard loud and clear as the Wildcats opened the second quarter on an 11-2 run and eventually built a 37-20 lead at halftime.

Louisburg’s offense caught fire in the third quarter as it racked up 32 points. Senior Kohl Vogel got things going with three consecutive steals that led two baskets to open the second half and the Wildcats were off and running.

The Wildcats all but sealed the win as the buzzer sounded in the third quarter when sophomore Weston Guetterman sank a 3-pointer from three or four steps in front of the half-court line. Louisburg led 69-38 and forced a running clock the rest of the way.

“I think we only missed three shots in that third quarter and we were able to get some things going there,” Pfannenstiel said. “It really started on the defensive end and that sparked us offensively. We preach that every day that our defense has to be a constant every time. There will be times where we don’t shoot the ball well and we have to be good on the defensive end every time.”

Louisburg had five players score in double figures and Vogel and Hill led the way with 14 points each. Vogel also had five rebounds, five assists and three steals, while Hill had six rebounds.

Junior Madden Rutherford finished with 12 points and a team-high seven rebounds, while senior Dylan DeShazer and Weston Guetterman scored 11 and 10 points, respectively. Senior Brayden Gage added eight points, six rebounds and five assists.

The Wildcats have already doubled their win total from a season ago as they currently have a 4-2 record and have gotten off to a good start. However, Louisburg realizes there will be plenty more tests in the weeks to come.

“Every game has been a good game,” Pfannenstiel said. “Even in our two losses, we have been right there. I think our kids are playing confident, unselfish and team basketball. We are doing the right things on both ends of the floor and now we have a stretch to work and get better before we get into the brunt of the Frontier League. We come back from break and we play Eudora and Bonner Springs right away and both are really, really good teams. We have to have ourselves ready and keep moving forward.”

LOU               17           20           32           11– 80

TUR               11           9             18           10– 48

LOUISBURG (4-2): Kohl Vogel 6-10 0-2 14; Noah Hill 7-10 0-0 14; Madden Rutherford 5-8 2-4 12; Dylan DeShazer 4-10 2-3 11; Weston Guetterman 4-6 0-0 10; Brayden Gage 3-4 1-2 8; Michael Waldron 3-5 0-0 7; Konnor Vohs 1-1 0-0 2; Ben Guetterman 1-3 0-0 2. Totals: 34-59 5-11 80. 3-point field goals: 7, (Vogel 2, W. Guetterman 2, Gage, Waldron, DeShazer)

Louisburg senior Carson Buffington drives to the basket during the Lady Cats’ home contest against Turner on Tuesday at LHS. Buffington finished with a game-high 12 points.

The best way for the Louisburg girls basketball team to shake off a 40-plus point loss was to record a blowout win of its own.

After losing a tough game to state-ranked Piper last week, the Lady Cats bounced back nicely Tuesday in their final game before the holiday break. Louisburg jumped to an early lead against Turner and never looked back in a 57-23 win at Louisburg High School.

“We will take this one and move on, especially after last Friday’s game and sometimes when you come back like this, you are not sure what to expect after having just one day of practice,” Louisburg coach Shawn Lowry said. “With all that said, we had moments of playing hard. Over this break, we have to do some things in regards to our team’s toughness and our effort all the time. There are times when it is good, but we have to work on it being good all the time.”

The Lady Cats (4-2) controlled the game from the opening tipoff as they jumped out to a 16-4 lead to start the game. Louisburg used its defense to get out to a big lead as sophomore Alyse Moore recorded three straight steals to end the quarter and give the Lady Cats a 20-8 lead.

It was much of the same in the second quarter as Louisburg outscored Turner 20-6 and built a 40-14 lead at halftime.

Although the game was all but wrapped up, the Lady Cats came out slow to start the second half and scored just one point through the first four minutes of the third quarter. Lowry decided to bring in five new players and it jumped start the Lady Cat offense.

Junior Sydni Keagle, sophomores Megan Foote, Brooklyn Diederich, and freshmen Delaney Wright and Jordan Mynsted gave the Lady Cats a lift as they ended the quarter on an 11-0 run to put Louisburg up 52-22.

“It was one of those times where if kids on the floor aren’t giving what I think they need to give, then there are kids on that bench that are willing to give that and they want their opportunity,” Lowry said. “Those girls worked really hard there and gave us a spark.”

Senior Carson Buffington and Diederich led the Lady Cats in scoring with 12 points. Buffington also added a team-high six rebounds, four assists and four steals, while Diederich recorded a team-high five steals.

Moore also finished in double figures with 10 points, six rebounds and four steals, while sophomore Madilyn Melton had nine points and four rebounds.

The Lady Cats have had a good start to their season as they were able to put together a winning record through their first six games, but they realize the schedule will only get harder.

“To be 4-2, and to have the upside that we have yet to come, I am happy going into break with where we are,” Lowry said. “It gives us some things to work on over break, but overall I am happy with our record and we will see what happens later.”

LOU               20           20           12           5– 57

TUR               8             6             8             1– 23

LOUISBURG (4-2): Carson Buffington 4-7 1-4 12; Brooklyn Diederich 4-11 3-7 12; Alyse Moore 2-4 6-12 10; Madilyn Melton 3-7 3-4 9; Kennia Hankinson 2-5 0-0 5; Sydni Keagle 2-4 0-3 4; Megan Foote 1-1 0-0 3; Delaney Wright 0-0 2-4 2. Totals: 18-42 15-34 57. 3-point field goals: 6, (Buffington 3, Diederich, Hankinson, Foote)

Louisburg junior Madden Rutherford battles two Piper players for a rebound Friday during the Wildcats’ road contest at Piper High School. The Wildcats pushed the No. 2-ranked Pirates, but fell 57-44.

KANSAS CITY, Kan. – The Louisburg boys basketball team found itself in a situation Friday that not a lot of teams in the state will find themselves in.

Louisburg went on the road to Piper High School and the Wildcats held a two-point halftime lead over the No.2-ranked Pirates and were on the verge of one of the biggest upsets of the season.

Although it was a one-point game in the fourth quarter, the Wildcats couldn’t hang on in a 57-44 loss to Piper. As good as the Wildcats’ effort was, they didn’t want to talk about the silver linings when it was all over.

“Our expectations are really high,” Louisburg coach Ty Pfannenstiel said. “There is no one in that locker room that is happy about a moral victory. We said that we aren’t into moral victories anymore. They were disappointed because they knew if they played well for two halves that we had a chance to beat a really good team.

“I really do think our kids are confident players and they are going to continue to work hard every day. Playing as well as we did should make us a confident team and know that we can go toe-to-toe with any team that we play.”

The Wildcats did that for much of the game, especially in the first half, as they slowed the Pirates down offensively. Louisburg ran a lot of set plays to get good looks at the basket.

On the defensive end, Louisburg forced Piper to knock down shots from the outside and took advantage of the Pirates slow start offensively. The Wildcats (3-2) jumped out to a 7-2 lead on baskets from Kohl Vogel and Madden Rutherford.

Late in the first quarter, Piper went on a 7-2 run to take the lead back, but senior Noah Hill scored back-to-back baskets to put Louisburg back up 13-10.

The Wildcats went up six after a 3-pointer from Rutherford and held that lead after another 3-pointer from Vogel. Piper knocked down a 3-pointer late in the second quarter to cut Louisburg’s lead to 25-23 at halftime.

“We knew they were a good team,” Pfannenstiel said of Piper. “We knew they were a confident team and they have a lot of athleticism. We knew we were going to have to slow them down because they like to get out and run. I feel like we did a really good job of that the entire game. We played very well defensively and our plan the whole time was to try and keep them in front of us, make them shoot from the outside and get every rebound and I thought we executed that really well.”

Piper went on a 11-1 run to start the second half to get out to an eight-point lead, but the Wildcats were able to battle back early in the fourth quarter. Baskets from Vogel and Hill were able to trim the Pirate lead to one with six minutes remaining.

However, the Pirates finished the game on an 18-6 run that included several late free throws that were able to seal the win for Piper.

“I told them at the end of the third quarter that we weathered the storm and we eventually got down eight,” Pfannenstiel said. “For us to fight back and answer there was really good to see. I think if we just knock down a few more shots then maybe it is a little bit different. The final score really wasn’t indicative of how close the game was. It was just kind of slugfest.

“The second half our shots just didn’t fall. Piper got a little more aggressive defensively and we turned the ball over a little bit. We did a really good job in the first half with only six turnovers and then we turned it over about 11 times in the second half and that gave them a few more opportunities and gave them some confidence. Plus, we didn’t shoot it really well in the second half, either.”

Vogel led the Wildcats in scoring with 17 points and Rutherford nearly had a double-double with nine points and 10 rebounds. Hill and senior Dylan DeShazer each finished with six points and Hill added six rebounds.

Louisburg will try and bounce back tonight when it hosts Turner for a 7:30 p.m. tipoff, in what is the Wildcats’ final game before the holiday break.

LOU               13           12           9             10– 44

PIP                 10           13           16           18– 57

LOUISBURG (3-2): Kohl Vogel 7-15 1-3 17; Madden Rutherford 3-12 2-2 9; Dylan DeShazer 1-6 4-7 6; Noah Hill 3-5 0-0 6; Weston Guetterman 2-7 0-1 4; Brayden Gage 1-8 0-4 2. Totals: 17-53 7-13 44. 3-point field goals: 3, (Vogel 2, Rutherford).

Louisburg senior Kennia Hankinson looks to make a pass during the Lady Cats’ game with Piper on Friday at Piper High School. Piper handed Louisburg a 66-17 loss.

KANSAS CITY, Kan. – The Louisburg girls basketball team knew it was going to have its hands full when it traveled to Piper to face off with Class 4A’s second-ranked program.

Piper certainly lived up to its ranking as the Pirates caused problems for the Lady Cats and handed them their second loss of the season, 66-17.

The Pirates made things difficult from the opening tip as they outscored the Lady Cats 20-4 in the first quarter and went into the locker room with a 35-6 lead at halftime.

Piper senior Ryan Cobbins celebrated a milestone during the game as she scored her 1,000^th career point late in the first quarter. Cobbins was a difficult matchup the entire night as she scored the game’s first seven points and finished with 19 points.

Louisburg senior Kennia Hankinson led the Lady Cats in scoring with six points, while senior Carson Buffington and Haley Cain each finished with three.

The Lady Cats return to action tonight when it hosts Turner in their final game of 2018. Tipoff is set for 6 p.m. at Louisburg High School.

LOU               4             2             5             6– 17

PIP                 20           15           23           8– 66

LOUISBURG (3-2): Kennia Hankinson 2-5 2-3 6; Carson Buffington 1-3 0-0 3; Haley Cain 1-4 1-4 3; Alyse Moore 0-2 2-7 2; Erin Lemke 0-1 2-2 2; Brooklyn Diederich 0-2 1-2 1. Totals: 4-22 8-19 17. 3-point field goals: 1, (Buffington)

Louisburg sophomore Weston Guetterman dribbles past a defender during a game earlier this season. The Wildcats outscored Frontenac 43-20 in the second half Tuesday to record their third win of the season.

FRONTENAC – For the second game in a row, the Louisburg boys basketball team found itself in a tight game.

Well, at least until halftime anyway.

After falling in overtime last week, the Wildcats put it into a different gear Tuesday at Frontenac High School. Louisburg, which trailed by a point at halftime, recorded 43 points in the second half and left with a 69-47 win over Frontenac.

It was a dominant second half that saw the Wildcats outscore the Raiders, 43-20, in the final two quarters to pull away for an easy win.

“I thought we played a complete game,” Louisburg coach Ty Pfannenstiel said. “We started off a little slow. It took us awhile to figure out their 1-3-1 zone, but we finally started attacking it instead of trying to just pass it around. We were really good in the second half. We went with a bigger lineup so we tried out a 2-3 zone and it was really effective.”

The Wildcats put their three biggest players in Madden Rutherford, Noah Hill and Dylan DeShazer, on the back side of that 2-3 zone and it caused problems for the Raiders. Their size allowed guards Brayden Gage and Kohl Vogel to harass the ball up top.

Louisburg forced 19 turnovers on the night and scored 27 points off those mistakes as they were able pull away in the second half. Louisburg went on a 13-2 run late in the third quarter to get up on the Raiders.

“Those three (Noah, Dylan, Madden) are really long and can take up space, so it allowed Brayden and Kohl to be more aggressive up top,” Pfannenstiel said. “It really frustrated Frontenac and they didn’t ever seem to get into a rhythm. We played great team basketball.”

Vogel was a the team’s catalyst offensively for the second straight game as he led Louisburg with 19 points and had three assists and three steals. DeShazer, who missed the last game with an injury, was effective for the Wildcats as he finished with 17 points and led the team with nine rebounds.

Gage also scored in double figures for Louisburg with 13 points and had a team-high four assists and four steals. Hill was close to a double-double with eight points and eight rebounds. As a team, the Wildcats connected on eight 3-pointers.

“Our kids do not care who gets the stats,” Pfannenstiel said. “We are rebounding the ball pretty well so far this season. We have confidence that if they miss, we can get the defensive rebound and go. I was very proud of our effort and energy. The kids represented Louisburg well.”

Louisburg will face a tough test this
Friday when it travels to Piper, which is currently ranked No. 2 in Class 4A.
Tipoff is set for 7:30 p.m.

LOU               17           9             24           19– 69

FRN               14           13           13           7– 47

LOUISBURG (3-1): Kohl Vogel 7-14 3-4 19; Dylan DeShazer 5-8 5-5 17; Brayden Gage 5-9 0-0 13; Noah Hill 3-6 2-4 8; Weston Guetterman 1-3 3-6 5; Ben Guetterman 1-1 0-1 3; Andy Hupp 1-1 0-0 2; Madden Rutherford 0-0 1-4 1; Connor Koesser 0-0 1-2 1. Totals: 23-44 15-26 69. 3-point field goals: 8, (Gage 3, Vogel 2, DeShazer 2, B. Guetterman)

Louisburg junior Erin Lemke drives to the basket during a game earlier this season. The Lady Cats earned its second consecutive win Tuesday when it downed Frontenac, 57-51.

FRONTENAC – It was the second straight road challenge for the Louisburg girls basketball team Tuesday when it made the trek to Frontenac, and just like the one last Friday, the Lady Cats passed another test.

The Lady Cats got out to a strong start in the first quarter and they were able to hold off Frontenac for a 57-51 victory and moved their record to 3-1 on the season.

“I was looking forward to playing Frontenac early in our season because it is a tough environment to play in and their kids are always very physical and tough,” Louisburg coach Shawn Lowry said. “This kind of game was going to provide us the opportunity the find out more things about our team. 

“The girls embraced the challenge and battled with great toughness and effort. I really like how all the girls are pushing, challenging and competing because of their commitment and their togetherness.”

Louisburg controlled the action early as it took an 11-3 lead at the end of the first quarter and eventually led 24-15 at halftime. Frontenac clawed its way back and eventually took a 48-47 lead with 3 minutes left in the game.

The Lady Cats built a 3-point lead with under two minutes remaining and were able to hold Frontenac off to preserve the win.

Sophomore Madilyn Melton provided a bulk of the scoring for Louisburg as she led the way with a team-high 21 points. Fellow sophomore Brooklyn Diederich finished with 13 points, including a pair of 3-pointers.

Alyse Moore, another sophomore, was a force on both ends of the floor for Louisburg as she recorded a double-double with 11 points and 12 rebounds to go along with four assists. Senior Carson Buffington had eight points and a team-high with 13 rebounds and also had seven assists.

“It was very proud that all three levels of our program competed the way they did and all three came away with wins,” Lowry said.

Louisburg will hit the road again Friday when it travels to Piper for its third consecutive away game. The Lady Cats will face the No. 2-ranked Pirates in a 6 p.m. tipoff at Piper High School.

LOU               11           13           16           17– 57

FRN               3             12           17           19– 51

LOUISBURG (3-1): Madilyn Melton 21, Brooklyn Diederich 13, Alyse Moore 11, Carson Buffington 8, Erin Lemke 3, Kennia Hankinson 1. Totals: 24 7-22 57. 3-point field goals: 2, (Diederich 2)

Louisburg senior Kohl Vogel rises up for a shot around four Anderson County defenders Friday in Garnett. Vogel scored a game-high 27 points in the Wildcats’ loss to Anderson County

GARNETT – Friday’s game between Louisburg and Anderson County featured more twists and turns than your traditional soap opera.

Both teams went on big runs and went back and forth at each other on the scoreboard. Neither team could pull away, and one knocked down a shot in the final seconds in regulation to force overtime.

It was a contest where both teams had an opportunity to put the game away in their favor, but unfortunately for Louisburg, the Wildcats just ran out of time.

Anderson County went on a big run to start overtime and knocked off Louisburg, 80-74, and the Wildcats suffered their first loss of the season.

“The locker room is dead in there,” Louisburg coach Ty Pfannenstiel said. “They are hurting for sure. If you want to try and spin it as a positive, it is good to know that they care. As coaches, we know that they do because of the time that they put into this and the summer that they had. To be able to play well in this type of game is good to see.

“We are going to see these types of games in the Frontier League all season. We are going to continue to get better and use this as a momentum builder and not a step back. Our program took a step forward with how we played.”

The Wildcats (2-1) got big performances from several players throughout the game. Senior Kohl Vogel had his best game offensively as a Wildcat as he scored a game-high 27 points and pulled down nine rebounds.

Fellow senior Brayden Gage hit several big shots as he finished with 18 points and junior Madden Rutherford was big on the glass with a career-best 23 rebounds. Senior Noah Hill was also close to a double-double with seven points and nine rebounds.

However, the biggest moment came thanks to a sophomore.

With the Wildcats down by three points, and less than five seconds left, sophomore guard Weston Guetterman knocked down a 3-pointer to keep the Wildcats in it and sent the game to overtime.

“It was huge shot and it takes a lot of confidence for a kid to step up and shoot that shot,” Pfannenstiel said. “That is kind of kid that Weston is. Playing freshman basketball last year, he hit a half-court shot to win the game, so he is that big shot guy. It was a great job by our kids to get the ball to him and to execute that.”

After the opening tip, it appeared the Wildcats were going to run away with their third straight win. Louisburg jumped out to a 14-0 lead to start the game after big baskets from Vogel and Gage.

The lead didn’t last long,however, as Anderson County went on a 20-9 run the rest of the first quarter to cut the Louisburg lead to three.

“We started the game about as well as we have started a game since I have been here,” Pfannenstiel said. “We came out confident and were making plays. Hats off to Anderson County for responding and they made a little run themselves and got it to a back and forth basketball game. I am proud of our guys with how we competed in this type of environment. We were never in this type of game last year and for our kids to play that well in that big of an environment was good to see.”

The Wildcats encountered some foul trouble in the second quarter as Guetterman and Vogel both had to sit with three fouls. Louisburg was already without senior Dylan DeShazer, who was out with an injury, so its bench had to respond and it did.

Sophomore Ben Guetterman came off the bench to score 10 points, all of which came in the second quarter, to help give Louisburg a 43-37 lead at halftime.

However, turnovers were a problem for Louisburg most of the evening, including the second half. The Wildcats committed 30 turnovers on the night, including ones in the fourth quarter and overtime that allowed Anderson County to come back and take the lead.

“Anderson County wants to speed you up and they want you to play fast, and to be honest that is how we like to play, but there are times where we would have had an advantage in the halfcourt,” Pfannenstiel said. “At the same time, it is hard for our kids to get out of that attack mode. We were out of control at times and I think we committed like (30) turnovers and you aren’t going to win many games doing that.

“Anderson County just made some plays there in the second half and overtime to get the win. We had opportunities too, but they just rimmed out and that is how the game of basketball goes sometimes.”

Louisburg will try and get back on the winning track tonight when it travels to Frontenac for a 7:30 p.m. tipoff.

LOU               23           20           9             15           7 – 74

AC                  20           17           13           17           13– 80

LOUISBURG (2-1): Kohl Vogel 10-19 5-7 27; Brayden Gage 7-12 1-4 18; Ben Guetterman 4-6 2-2 10; Noah Hill 2-7 3-4 7; Weston Guetterman 2-6 0-1 5; Madden Rutherford 2-9 1-2 5; Garrett Rolofson 1-1 0-0 2. Totals: 28-61 12-20 74. 3-point field goals: 6, (Gage 3, Vogel 2, W.Guetterman 1).

Louisburg sophomore Brooklyn Diederich drives past an Anderson County player Friday in Garnett. The Lady Cats pulled away for a 53-43 victory over the Bulldogs.

GARNETT – For most of the game’s 32 minutes, the defense of the Louisburg girls basketball team made things difficult on Anderson County.

The Lady Cats forced Anderson County into 33 turnovers on the road and it led to a 53-43 victory Friday at Anderson County High School. As nice as those stats were for Louisburg, the game still left plenty for the Lady Cats to work on.

Offensively, Louisburg turned the ball over 19 times and several players were saddled with foul trouble for most of the first half. Still, despite those things, a win away from home trumps everything.

“Any time you can compete and win a game on the road, it is a good win,” Louisburg coach Shawn Lowry said. “Anderson County is a program that is getting better and you can see that in the way they were playing. Any time you can go on the road and play that hard, make a lot of mistakes and still come away with a win is great.”

It was a rough start for both teams as both scored just seven points in what was a turnover-filled first quarter. The Lady Cats were able to settle down offensively in the second quarter and put some distance between themselves and the Bulldogs.

Louisburg outscored Anderson County 21-10 in the second quarter and took a 28-17 lead at halftime. The Lady Cats were able to do that despite the fact they had three players with three fouls in the first half.

Sophomore Brooklyn Diederich, junior Sydni Keagle and senior Kennia Hankinson came off the bench to provide crucial minutes for Louisburg. Diederich scored a season-high 11 points and was active defensively.

“Brooklyn came off the bench and I thought she played really hard,” Lowry said. “Offensively she did some good things, but defensively she helped us a lot there. Kennia came off the bench, and since it is her first game back, it is going to take her a little bit to get going, but I think she worked through the nerves and contributed a lot. I was really proud of what Sydni did out there as well. They all gave us big minutes.”

Sophomore Madilyn Melton was a steady force offensively for the Lady Cats as she finished with a game-high 20 points and had five rebounds.

Junior Erin Lemke had a game-high seven rebounds for Louisburg, while sophomore Alyse Moore and junior Haley Cain each had six rebounds. Senior Carson Buffington and Moore both finished with seven points to help the Lady Cats, while Buffington and Diederich led the way defensively with four steals each.

Louisburg (2-1) continued to put away Anderson County in the third quarter as it tallied 18 points in the frame and forced 12 Bulldog turnovers that helped the Lady Cats build a 49-28 lead early in the fourth quarter.

“We still have a lot of stuff to clean up rotation-wise and we are not flying to the ball like we need to, but with that said, the base stuff we are doing I really like,” Lowry said of his defense. “The girls are seeing more all the time and are working hard at it. This is only our third game running it, so we will only get better at it.

“We have to get better at scoring the ball. We are getting opportunities, but we just need to be able to finish. We will work on that and part of it is mentality to be able to finish.”

It was the best of both worlds for Lowry on Friday as his team was able to get a win, but also gave him a list of things to work on at practice as the Lady Cats prepared for their game at Frontenac today.

“I am excited to watch film with the girls on this one because there are plethora of teaching moments in this game,” he said. “I think it still speaks to how inexperienced we are in some places and some of the things that we are doing. We can fix all that stuff and work on it, but I still like their effort and toughness in making those mistakes. We are going to keep getting better.”

LOU               7             21           18           9 – 53

AC                  7             10           11           15 – 43

LOUISBURG (2-1): Madilyn Melton 8-10 3-3 20; Brooklyn Diederich 4-10 3-3 11; Carson Buffington 3-10 0-0 7; Alyse Moore 2-10 3-8 7; Erin Lemke 1-4 1-2 3; Haley Cain 0-2 2-2 2; Sydni Keagle 1-1 0-0 2; Kennia Hankinson 0-5 1-2 1. Totals: 19-52 13-20 53. 3-point field goals: 2, (Melton, Buffington)

Madisen Simpson, a Louisburg High School graduate, is currently averaging nine points a game for the Hannibal-LaGrange women’s basketball team this season.

Madisen Simpson’s first year of collegiate basketball was a memorable one – that was until it was cut short due to injury.

Simpson, a 2017 Louisburg High School graduate, tore her ACL last season while planning for Hannibal-LaGrange. The road to recovery was a difficult one for Simpson, but now she is starting to see the fruits of her labor.

Now in her second season with the NAIA program out of Hannibal, Mo., Simpson is fully healthy and among one of the top players on the Trojan squad.

“The injury was difficult for me,” Simpson said. “I think it was something that I never thought would happen to me and I couldn’t imagine being off the court for 6 to 8 months. Coming back took some time, and it wasn’t the easiest. But I knew I was ready to be back, and all I had to do was push myself. Luckily, I have some amazing teammates who were by my side and my parents did everything they could for me.”

Simpson is averaging nearly nine points a contest for the Trojans and is one of the top outside shooters in the NAIA. She is currently 13^th in the nation with 26 3-point field goals made and 25^th in 3-pointers made per game.

Although the Trojans are just 2-8 to start their season, Simpson is excited to be back playing the sport she loves and watching her team grow throughout the season.

“Being back on the court is an amazing feeling,” she said. “I was counting down the days after surgery, but I think I came back a little timid, so it took some time getting used to it all again. I definitely had some things, and still do, that I need to work on. But I am glad to be back with my team again on the court.”

Simpson, who plays most of her games hours away from her hometown, will get a home game of sorts Saturday. Hannibal-LaGrange will travel to Park University on Saturday, which is only about 45 minutes away from Louisburg, and she hopes to see some familiar faces for the 1 p.m. tipoff.

“I love coming to Park and play,” Simpson said. “Being close to home is always a good feeling and I loved seeing the support from the community when I played there last year. Louisburg is so supportive and I couldn’t have asked for a better community to grow up in.”

Louisburg junior Haley Cain gets on the floor for a loose ball Tuesday during the Lady Cats’ home game against Burlington. The Lady Cats lost their first game of the season, 48-32.

The Louisburg girls basketball team encountered its first major test of the season Tuesday when it hosted the No. 3-ranked team in Class 3A, Burlington.

Burlington pressed the Lady Cats through much of the first half, and knocked down several open looks off turnovers, as it handed the Lady Cats their first loss of the season, 48-32.

“Our heads weren’t right before the game started and that falls on me,” Louisburg coach Shawn Lowry said. “We have to do a better job of preparing them mentally to be ready to go into a game like that against a really good team. We can’t be psyched out before the tipoff. We knew what they were going to do and it is a program that has run that stuff for many years. I thought we were ready to go, but obviously we weren’t.”

Burlington jumped on the Lady Cats early as it took a 20-4 lead at the end of the first quarter, with many of those points coming off Louisburg turnovers. Louisburg wasn’t able to dig out of the hole as Burlington outscored the Lady Cats 14-6 and took a 34-10 lead at halftime. Burlington also knocked down seven 3-pointers in the game.

The Lady Cats had a difficult time getting their offense going against a Burlington team that pressured the ball and weren’t able to score much in transition. Only three players scored for Louisburg and bulk of the points came thanks to Carson Buffington and Madilyn Melton.

Buffington nearly finished with a double-double as she scored 14 points, pulled down eight rebounds and also added four steals. Melton also recorded double figures with 13 points, and was second on the team with five rebounds, along with junior Haley Cain.

Sophomore Megan Foote came off the bench to score five points in the second half in which the Wildcats were able to chip into Burlington’s lead. Louisburg won the second half 22-14, but the Lady Cats weren’t able to overcome the big deficit.

“We didn’t play defense very well compared to last Friday,” Lowry said. “We have to do a much better job with stances and rotations and flying to the ball. At the same time, Burlington has a great senior class with some really nice players.

“For me, I want us to feel that feeling the bottom of your stomach that you don’t like very much after a loss. This group doesn’t like this very much, so I am happy to see that. I think they will come back to practice to work really hard and get ready for Friday’s game. Our preparation has to be at a higher level in preparing for every game we are going in to.”

Louisburg will try to get back on track this Friday when it travels to Anderson County for its first road contest. Tipoff is set for 6 p.m.

LOU               4             6             14           8 – 32

BUR               20           14           10           4 – 48

LOUISBURG (1-1): Carson Buffington 4-8 4-5 14; Madilyn Melton 4-14 5-6 13; Megan Foote 2-2 0-0 5. Totals: 10-43 9-11 32. 3-point field goals: 3, (Buffington 2, Foote)