Louisburg senior Brock Vohs gets fouled going up for a shot Friday against Spring Hill.

The meetings between the Louisburg and Spring Hill boys basketball teams has had their fair share of drama this season.

It started last month when the Wildcats went on to road to beat Spring Hill in overtime. During the Wildcats’ homecoming game last Friday, there were more late game heroics.

Unfortunately for the Wildcats, those heroics came from the Spring Hill side.

Spring Hill’s Chase Bond knocked down a 3-pointer with 10 seconds left in the game and the Broncos handed Louisburg a 44-42 loss.

The Wildcats had one final attempt to tie it up. Louisburg senior Nathan Parker put up a 3-point shot with three seconds left, and appeared to be fouled, but no call was made and the game was over.

“The end of the game was pretty upsetting, especially when Nate got clobbered and they didn’t call a foul,” Louisburg coach Ben Doll said. “But every coach knows, and I know, that there was a lot of stuff earlier in the game that we could have done a better job at, like taking care of the basketball. Turnovers are always something we come back to and say this is why we lost because we turn the ball over too much and at the wrong time.”

Before those two plays, the Wildcats found themselves down a point, but with a minute left Luke Hill passed the ball inside to Conlee Hovey who scored to give the Wildcats the lead.

Hovey had a big night for the Wildcats inside as he finished with a team-high 12 points to go along with 11 rebounds and three blocked shots.

“The guys executed that play perfectly,” Doll said. “Conlee was so good and he should have had more touches and we are trying to get him the ball more. Got the bucket, got them to miss and then we just didn’t take care of the ball after that. But if we take care of business earlier in the game, it should have never been that tight.”

Turnovers hurt the Wildcats at different times as they committed 16 for the game, but they did the job on the glass as they outrebounded Spring Hill by 11.

Louisburg got out to a good start as it took an 11-8 lead at the end of the first quarter, but the Broncos went on a 13-6 run in the second half to take four-point lead at halftime.

The Wildcats trailed 28-22 in the third quarter, but went on a mini 9-2 run. It started on a basket by Hovey and was followed up by a 3-pointer from Hickey.

Hickey added with a pair of free throws to make it a one point game and then another Hovey basket put Louisburg in front. Spring Hill eventually held the lead until a minute left in the fourth.

Hickey was second on the team with nine points and four rebounds. Junior Myles Vohs had eight points and a pair of steals.

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

“We beat (Spring Hill) earlier in the year and I feel that we are a better team than we were before,” Doll said. “We are at that point now where we are looking at sub-state standings. We move on to Eudora and hopefully we can play well.”

LOU 11 6 15 10 — 42

SH 8 13 13 10 — 44

LOUISBURG (7-10): Conlee Hovey 6-7 0-0 12; Brady Hickey 2-7 3-4 9; Myles Vohs 3-5 2-2 8; Nathan Parker 2-6 0-0 6; Jaymes Melton 2-2 0-0 4; Luke Hill 0-5 1-2 1; Luke Schultz 0-3 1-2 1; Brock Vohs 0-0 0-0 1. Totals: 15-35 8-12 42. 3-point field goals: 4, (Parker 2, Hickey 2)

Louisburg junior Jillian Asher drives to the basket and puts up a shot Friday during the Lady Cats’ home game against Spring Hill.

The first half wasn’t exactly what the Louisburg girls basketball team was hoping for Friday against Spring Hill.

Turnovers haunted the Lady Cats as Spring Hill took a double digit lead into halftime. That all changed for Louisburg in the second half.

Louisburg cut down the mistakes and outscored Spring Hill in the final two quarters, but it wasn’t quite enough in a 43-37 loss to the Broncos.

“I thought we played good in the second half, but we just had way too many turnovers in the first half,” Louisburg coach Adrianne Lane said. “We probably had 15-plus going into halftime and we took better care of the basketball in the second half. We also ran some different stuff and the girls handled that well.”

It was a much a different scenario than when the teams met a month ago. Spring Hill won the game by double digits, but the Lady Cats made it more difficult this time around.

“We are a better team than when we played them last, but I think Spring Hill is a better team as well,” Lane said. “Both teams have gotten better, but we played them closer this time around. I think the girls see these things and they know they are getting better.”

Spring Hill led Louisburg by just four going into the the second quarter, but the Broncos went on a 15-5 run to take a 14-point lead. Louisburg junior Shylar Whiting hit a 3-pointer in the final seconds of the first half to give the Lady Cats a little momentum going into halftime.

Louisburg (4-13) was better defensively in the second half and took care of the ball. Although the Lady Cats had 23 turnovers for the game, many of those came in the first two quarters.

They outscored the Broncos 20-15 in the second half, but could never get closer than six. A pair of 3-pointers from Sami Lane helped close the gap in the fourth quarter.

Spring Hill’s Sydney Buscher and Isla Herman had big nights last time around, but the Lady Cats tried to focus more on slowing the Broncos’ two players down. Buscher still had 16 points to lead all scorers, but limited Herman to just nine.

“We guarded Buscher differently,” Lane said. “We wanted to be more physical and keep her away from the basket as much as possible. I thought the girls did a good job with that. We did foul her more, but she didn’t make her free throws so that worked for us. We face-guarded Herman and were able to get couple offensive fouls on her as well. They are fast though and we had a hard time getting back sometimes, especially when we are face guarding a couple different players.”

Louisburg sophomore Morgan Latham had a good night in the post as she finished with a team-high 10 points to go along with five rebounds. Sami Lane and Ashlyn Kuhlman each had eight points, while Kuhlman pulled down five rebounds.

Junior Sabra Brueggen had a team-high seven rebounds to lead Louisburg.

The Lady Cats will try and bounce back tonight as they host Eudora. Tipoff is set for 7:30 p.m.

LOU 9 8 8 12 — 37

SH 13 15 6 9 — 43

LOUISBURG (4-13): Morgan Latham 5-8 0-0 10; Ashlyn Kuhlman 2-6 2-2 8; Sami Lane 3-5 0-0 8; Jillian Asher 1-2 2-2 4; Sabra Brueggen 1-4 2-4 4; Shylar Whiting 1-8 0-0 3. Totals: 13-35 4-6 37. 3-point field goals: 5, (Kuhlman 2, Lane 2, Whiting)

Louisburg junior Luke Schultz pulls up for shot Tuesday on the road at Tonganoxie. The Wildcats got a 45-40 victory over the Chieftains.

TONGANOXIE — The Louisburg boys basketball team likes a little bit of a challenge.

In many of their wins this season, the Wildcats have found themselves playing catch-up. Not exactly the ideal place to be and they found themselves in that same spot early in Tuesday’s game at Tonganoxie.

“Coach (Barry) O’Brien said before the game that digging ourselves out of hole is seems to be all we know,” Louisburg head coach Ben Doll joked. “We just set ourselves up that way, we dig out and luckily this team keeps fighting and is good at doing that.”

The Wildcats did it once again against the Chieftains. Louisburg rallied from an early 10-point deficit and held on for a 45-40 victory, which snapped a two-game losing skid.

“It was a good win,” Doll said. “This league is just tough, especially when you go on the road. We knew it was going to be tough considering it was a two-point game the last time we played. We knew Tongie was going to play tough and we are in that part of the season where everyone is fighting for position and sub-state.”

Louisburg (7-9) found itself down 14-4 to start the game, before the Wildcats started to battle back. They cut the Chieftain lead to just one early in the the third quarter, only to see Tonganoxie stretch it back out to eight.

Down 28-20, the Wildcats put together one big run to take control of the game. Louisburg outscored Tonganoxie 19-4, which lasted into the fourth quarter and took a 39-32 advantage with three minutes left in the game.

To start the run, Myles Vohs got a layup in transition, Luke Schultz knocked in a free throw and then Schultz hit a 3-pointer to give them a 31-28 lead late in the third.

Senior Brady Hickey made it a 33-30 contest with a runner in the lane. After a Tongie basket made it a one point game, Schultz got an offensive rebound and put back to make it 35-32.

Senior Brock Vohs then added two straight baskets to push the Louisburg lead to 39-32. Tonganoxie cut the lead to one with one minute remaining, but Hickey drove in for a layup and was fouled with 13 seconds left.

Hickey missed the free throw, but Schultz tapped the miss out for an extra possession for Louisburg. Luke Hill went on to make two free throws to put the game away.

Hovey was big on the inside for Louisburg as he finished with a double-double. He led the Wildcats with 10 points and 14 rebounds, while Brock Vohs finished with nine points.

Schultz and Hickey each finished with seven points and Myles Vohs took on the point guard duties for most of the second half to help run the offense.

It was performances from several different players that helped the Wildcats leave with a big road win.

“We had big rebounds from Conlee throughout the game,” Doll said. “Luke Hill played really good defense on their guy that was shooting a lot, and shut him down late in the game. Then Luke Schultz got a big tap out for us that was just as huge as an offensive rebound. It wasn’t about scoring points, it was about doing the little things it took to win.

“Myles played some really good defense as well and did a good job running the offense. We are figuring people’s roles and they are figuring them out a lot better. Brady has been a consistent guys for us and hopefully we can get Gavin (Lohse) back on Friday. Understanding roles and being healthy is what you need with four games to go and March right around the corner.”

Louisburg will try for back-to-back wins tonight as the Wildcats host Spring Hill for homecoming. It is a rematch of what was a Louisburg overtime victory earlier in the season.

“It will be a tough one,” Doll said. “Just like Tongie, I think they will come in confident because of what happened last time. That was another game where we had to dig ourselves out of a hole. Nothing is easy down the stretch, but I think we are a much better team right now than when we played last.”

LOU 5 10 16 14 — 45

TON 14 5 11 10 — 40

LOUISBURG (7-9): Conlee Hovey 5-11 0-0 10; Brock Vohs 4-5 1-3 9; Brady Hickey 3-5 0-1 7; Luke Schultz 2-4 2-6 7; Nathan Parker 1-5 2-2 4; Myles Vohs 2-7 0-1 4; Luke Hill 1-4 2-2 4. Totals: 18-41 7-15 45. 3-point field goals: 2, (Hickey, Schultz)

Louisburg junior Shylar Whiting puts up a shot in the lane Tuesday at Tonganoxie. Whiting finished with eight points, with six of those coming in the final quarter.

TONGANOXIE — It wasn’t the best shooting night of the year for Louisburg.

Shots weren’t falling, free throws rimmed out and the Lady Cats lost the turnover battle Tuesday against Tonganoxie. Despite all that going against them, Louisburg found a way a win — on the road.

Against a Tonganoxie team they lost to by double digits in the season opener, the Lady Cats traveled to Tonganoxie and left with a gritty 40-39 victory over the Chieftains.

“They have no quit in them and I think that is the theme for the season,” Louisburg coach Adrianne Lane said. “Our fourth quarters have been awesome, so if we can put together a complete game like we play in the fourth then we would be hard to beat. But the girls hung in there despite a tough shooting night. We couldn’t make anything around the basket. They just did a great job.”

It was looking like a tough road loss with under a minute left and the Lady Cats down by two points. However, junior Ashlyn Kuhlman got a wide open look from 3-point range with 16 seconds left and knocked it down to put Louisburg up one.

Tonganoxie had two different opportunities to try and take the lead in the final seconds, but the Lady Cat defense came up big and Kuhlman’s shot was the game-winner.

“That was a huge shot,” Lane said. “Ash hadn’t had a great shooting night until then and I was very proud of her to have the confidence to shoot it. That would have been a hard spot for anyone and she didn’t hesitate. Shooters have to keep shooting and I am glad that she did. When she shot it I knew it was going in.”

Louisburg did have a difficult shooting night as the Lady Cats converted just 25 percent of their shots and were under 50 percent from the free-throw line. Mix that in with 15 turnovers and it was a recipe for loss.

Instead, the Lady Cats found a way to get an important win that helps them in the postseason standings and to try and get a playoff spot with four games remaining.

It didn’t look promising for Louisburg as it found itself down six points late in the third quarter. With the offense struggling, juniors Jillian Asher and Shylar Whiting gave it a jump start.

Asher hit a 3-pointer at the end of the third quarter to cut the lead to three, then Whiting hit a pair of jumpers to start the fourth quarter to give Louisburg a 34-33 advantage.

After a Tonganoxie basket that put the Chieftains in front, the Lady Cats answered right back when Asher found Whiting for a layup and Louisburg had a 36-35 lead midway through the fourth.

Tonganoxie had an 39-37 lead late in the contest, but Kuhlman had a wide open look at the top of the key and knocked down what turned out to the be the game-winning 3-pointer with 16 seconds remaining.

It was a victory the Lady Cats (4-12) needed and were able to avenge a loss from earlier in the season at the same time.

“Our defense was just a lot better than the last time we played them,” Lane said. “We contained a lot better than we did the first time. The first game it seemed like they were just kicking it out and shooting 3s and I don’t even know that they did a lot of that. Our goal was to contain and not let them kick out and shoot wide open 3-pointers.”

Asher was big offensively for Louisburg as she scored a game-high 13 points, including three 3-pointers and was 4-for-4 from the free-throw line.

Kuhlman finished with eight points, but was active on the glass as she recorded a team-high 15 rebounds. Whiting also had eight points and two steals.

Junior Sabra Brueggen and sophomore Zyleigh Melton each had five rebounds, while Brueggen had a team-high three assists.

Louisburg will try for back-to-back wins tonight as the Lady Cats host Spring Hill. Tipoff is set for 6 p.m.

LOU 5 15 10 10 — 40

TON 7 12 14 6 — 39

LOUISBURG (4-12): Jillian Asher 3-4 4-4 13; Ashlyn Kuhlman 3-16 1-2 8; Shylar Whiting 4-14 0-0 8; Morgan Latham 2-7 0-2 4; Sami Lane 1-6 0-0 3; Ally Brown 1-2 1-1 3; Zyleigh Melton 0-2 1-4 1. Totals: 14-56 7-15 40. 3-point field goals: 5, (Asher 3, Kuhlman, Lane)

Here is the Louisburg Sports Zone Athlete of the Week for week eight of the winter sports season, sponsored by Dr. Laura’s Orthdontics.

BRADY HICKEY, SENIOR, BOYS BASKETBALL

Louisburg senior Brady Hickey helped lead the Wildcat boys basketball team in what was a busy 3-game week. Hickey scored 36 total points on the week, including a 15-point performance last Saturday against Lee’s Summit.

Hickey nearly recorded a double-double Friday against Ottawa as he finished with 12 points and added eight rebounds from the point guard spot. In a win over Paola on Jan. 30, Hickey scored nine points and had three assists to help lead the Wildcats.

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

Week 7: Ashlyn Kuhlman

Louisburg sophomore Zyleigh Melton goes up for a shot Friday during the Lady Cats’ game at Ottawa.

OTTAWA — The Louisburg girls basketball team was riding a mini 2-game winning streak heading into Friday’s contest at Ottawa. 

However, the Cyclones are one of the top teams in the Frontier League and were poised to end that streak. Ottawa used a big second quarter and pulled away to hand Louisburg a 45-29 loss.

Ottawa outscored Louisburg, 18-5, in the second quarter and made it difficult for the Lady Cats to get back in the game.

“Ottawa is a very talented team and playing at Ottawa is always a hard environment to play in,” Louisburg coach Adrianne Lane said. “I thought we played hard and did a good job defending them with different defenses.”

Louisburg trailed by just seven after the first quarter, but an Ottawa run pushed the Cyclones’ lead to 20 points at halftime.

The Lady Cats didn’t give in, however. Louisburg held Ottawa to just 14 points in the second half and outscored the Cyclones, 14-4, in the final quarter.

“This team does not give up,” Lane said. “I love their heart and their grit. They battled the fourth quarter and did a great job running offense and not quitting.”

Louisburg got the opportunities on offense it wanted at times, but couldn’t get the shots to fall as the Lady Cats shot 23 percent from the field. Combined with 23 turnovers, that made it difficult to get the road win.

Junior Sami Lane led Louisburg in scoring with six points on a pair of 3-pointers, while junior Ashlyn Kuhlman had a team-high eight rebonds and three assists.

Jillian Asher and Zyleigh Melton each chipped in five points in the loss, while Sabra Brueggen had five rebounds and two assists.

Louisburg will go on the road tonight as the Lady Cats travel to Tonganoxie for a Frontier League contest. It will be a rematch of the Lady Cats’ season opening loss from back in December.

“The game at Tongie is a big game,” coach Lane said. “We need to get this win to help us get a spot in the postseason. I also think if we could play with Tongie it will show how much we have improved throughout the season.”

LOU 6 5 4 14 — 29

OTT 13 18 10 4 — 45

LOUISBURG (3-12): Sami Lane 2-7 0-0 6; Jillian Asher 2-2 0-0 5; Zyleigh Melton 1-5 3-3 5; Ashlyn Kuhlman 2-12 0-0 4; Sabra Brueggen 2-7 0-0 4; Ally Brown 1-3 0-0 3; Morgan Latham 1-4 0-0 2. Totals: 11-47 3-5 29. 3-point field goals: (Lane 2, Asher, Brown)

Louisburg junior Conlee Hovey goes up for a shot Friday during the Wildcats’ game at Ottawa.

OTTAWA — The Louisburg boys basketball team ventured into Friday’s game at Ottawa on an upswing.

The Wildcats had won two straight and wanted nothing more than to get a big league road victory. Instead, a tough second quarter haunted Louisburg in a 62-52 loss to the Cyclones.

Louisburg found itself down by nine at halftime and the Wildcats were unable to get much closer in the second half.

“The second quarter was definitely a problem for us, but the third quarter we were scoring and getting the ball inside and finishing,” Louisburg coach Ben Doll said. “But we had three possessions there where they got offensive rebounds that turned into points. When you are trying to beat a really good team, you can’t give up offensive rebounds and not get loose balls. To me that was the difference in the game. We were scoring, we just weren’t getting stops and it was second chances for them.”

It was an up-and-down game to start as the Wildcats trailed Ottawa, 19-18, at the end of the first quarter.

The Cyclones outscored the Wildcats 18-10 in the second quarter to pull away for the halftime lead. Turnovers were the culprit for Louisburg as the Wildcats turned the ball over 15 times in the game, which led to 17 Ottawa points.

In what was an evenly-played second half, the Wildcats were able to trim the lead to seven, but couldn’t get any closer.

Junior Conlee Hovey led the Wildcats in scoring as he was effective underneath the basket with a team-high 13 points and five rebounds. 

Senior Brady Hickey made an impact in several different areas for the Wildcats. He finished with 12 points, but pulled down a team-high eight rebounds from the guard spot.

Senior Nathan Parker had a team-high three assists to go along with eight points

“To take the positives out of it, was that Ottawa is a really good team,” Doll said. “Where we were a few weeks ago, where we lost four in a row, we lost to teams that weren’t anywhere as close to as good as Ottawa. I really like the way we competed against Ottawa and how hard the guys played. Ottawa beat a really good Baldwin team the night before, so there were some positives to take away.”

Louisburg will try and get back on the winning track today when the Wildcats travel to Tonganoxie for another Frontier League matchup. Tipoff is set for 7:30 p.m.

LOU 18 10 14 10 — 52

OTT 19 18 16 9 — 62

LOUISBURG (6-9): Conlee Hovey 6-7 1-3 13; Brady Hickey 5-10 1-2 12; Nathan Parker 3-13 2-2 8; Luke Hill 2-7 0-0 6; Brock Vohs 3-4 0-0 6; Luke Schultz 2-5 1-3 5; Jaymes Melton 0-1 2-2 2. Totals: 21-49 7-12 52. 3-point field goals: 3, (Hill 2, Hickey)

Wildcats fall in 810 Showcase to Lee’s Summit

LEE’S SUMMIT, Mo. — In what was late addition to the schedule, Louisburg squared off with Lee’s Summit High School during the 810 Varsity Showcase on Saturday at Lee’s Summit West High School.

Louisburg head coach Ben Doll wanted his team to get an opportunity to go up against a larger school in a classic that featured some of the top teams in the Kansas City metro area.

For one half, the Wildcats were able to stay with Lee’s Summit, but the Tigers pulled away in the second half and handed Louisburg a 71-46 setback.

“In the first half we were definitely holding our own,” Doll said. “We followed the game plan, we knew they were a driving team so we did a good job playing gaps and played really good defense. We just made some silly turnovers, which turned out to be the difference in the first half. In the second half, our defense let down and our turnovers continued. I think the whole season it has been turnovers that has been the difference between us winning and losing.”

Louisburg trailed 28-20 at halftime, but the Wildcats were able to say with the Tigers. Turnovers, unfortunately haunted the Wildcats as they committed 23 for the game and it turned into 21 points on the other end.

Lee’s Summit outscored Louisburg 24-13 in the third quarter to pull away.

Senior Brady Hickey paced the Wildcats offensively as he scored a team-high 15 points, including seven points in the first quarter to keep his team in it.

Senior Nathan Parker finished in double figures with 10 points, while Myles Vohs and Luke Schultz each added six. 

Junior Conlee Hovey had a team-high 11 rebounds,  while seniors Jaymes Melton, Brock Vohs and Parker each added six rebounds. Parker also had four assists.

“Brady is getting more confident in being able to create his own shot,” Doll said. “In the second half, he did some good things too and did a good job driving to the basket. Conlee did a good job rebounding, which he has been doing a lot lately.

“The thing for us was the opportunity to go up against a bigger school to prepare us for the postseason and atmosphere that it brings. That is where we need to be thinking right now, which is good, I just wish our second half had been a little better. Playing back to back nights is hard and we played really good teams on both nights.”

LOU 12 8 13 13 — 46

LEE 18 10 24 19 — 71

LOUISBURG: Brady Hickey 5-8 4-6 15; Nathan Parker 4-14 1-1 10; Myles Vohs 3-6 0-2 6; Luke Schultz 2-6 2-4 6; Conlee Hovey 1-6 2-2 4; Bristol Barbour 1-1 0-0 2; Brock Vohs 1-3 0-1 2; Jaymes Melton 0-2 1-2 1. Totals: 17-47 10-18 46. 3-point field goals: 2, (Parker, Hickey)

Louisburg seniors (from left) Brock Vohs and Brady Hickey team up to double team a Paola player Tuesday in Louisburg.

Ben Doll has coached basketball for more than two decades, but what he, and the rest of the Louisburg team, experienced Tuesday was something of a first.

The Wildcats hosted rival Paola and put together a defensive performance to remember. Louisburg jumped out to a big lead at halftime and cruised to a 47-16 victory over the Panthers.

Louisburg never let the Panthers get going as they held them scoreless in the second half and the Wildcats picked up their second straight win.

“It was interesting and wasn’t something we really realized until we got into the fourth quarter,” Doll said. “I’ve spent 25 years coaching high school basketball, and I don’t think I have ever seen something like that on the varsity level for an entire half.”

The Wildcats (5-7) controlled the game from start to finish as they took a 17-7 after one quarter and led 33-16 at halftime. 

It was the type of effort Doll was looking for as the Wildcats put together a complete game performance.

“They played really good,” he said. “The second half we were just trying to keep up with what we did in the first half. I thought they played great in the first half and scored 33 points, which is good for us. We just spent most of the second half trying to work clock and work on our offense. We could have scored more, but that wasn’t the goal and it was to work on other stuff and play good defense. Our defense was great in the first half too.”

Louisburg had a balanced scoring performance from up and down its lineup.

Senior Brady Hickey led the Wildcats in scoring with nine points and three assists. Junior Myles Vohs and senior Nathan Parker each finished with eight points and Vohs had a team-high four assists.

Senior Brock Vohs, along with juniors Gavin Lohse and Luke Schultz, each finished with six points. Schultz and senior Jaymes Melton each tallied five rebounds to lead Louisburg.

After an upset win against Bonner Springs last Friday, Doll sees confidence building in his group as they hit the final stretch of games this month.

“There is confidence for sure,” Doll said. “The win against Bonner was as big one for us and we were able to keep that going against Paola. The key in basketball is to play your best at the end of the season and that is what we are trying to do.”

Louisburg will try to keep its winning streak going this Friday when it travels to Ottawa. The Wildcats then turn around and play Saturday against Lee’s Summit at Lee’s Summit West High School in the 810 Varsity Showcase.

“Ottawa is really good,” Doll said. “It will be a great test for us. They really like to run and it is going to be similar to what we saw against Bonner, so we are going to have to do a good job of getting back on defense.”

LOU 17 16 12 2 — 47

PAO 7 9 0 0 — 16

LOUISBURG (5-7): Brady Hickey 3-5 0-0 9; Nathan Parker 2-7 3-3 8; Myles Vohs 3-5 0-0 8; Gavin Lohse 3-5 0-0 6; Luke Schultz 2-6 2-2 6; Brock Vohs 3-6 0-0 6; Conlee Hovey 1-2 0-0 2; Jaymes Melton 1-1 0-1 2. Totals: 18-42 5-6 47. 3-point field goals: 6, (Hickey 3, M. Vohs 2, Parker)

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