Here is the Louisburg Sports Zone Athlete of the Week for week one of the winter sports season, sponsored by Edward Jones-Craig Holtzen.
GAVIN LOHSE, SENIOR, BASKETBALL
Louisburg senior Gavin Lohse and the Wildcats got out to a good start to the 2024-25 basketball season last Friday at home against Tonganoxie. Lohse was one of three Wildcats to score in double figures in their 77-50 win over the Chieftains as he led the way with 20 points as he played limited minutes to due early foul trouble.
Lohse also made a difference on the defensive end of the floor as well. The Wildcat forward pulled down eight rebounds and had a team-high five steals and six deflections.
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.
Wildcat girls fall short in season opener to Tonganoxie
Louisburg junior Morgan Latham goes up for a shot Friday in the Wildcats’ season opener against Tonganoxie in Louisburg.
The Louisburg girls basketball team found itself just minutes away from getting a win Friday in its season opener against Tonganoxie.
Louisburg had seven-point lead with just over three minutes left in the contest, but the Chieftains took advantage of some Wildcat turnovers and second-chance opportunities to hand Louisburg a 44-42 loss.
“That was a super tough loss,” Louisburg coach Adrianne Lane said. “The girls have been working so hard and they really wanted that win.”
The Chieftains went on an 13-4 run to end the game as it earned points at the free-throw line and on offensive rebounds to key the comeback.
A big part to that comeback to for Tonganoxie was its point guard, Alyssa Schoeneck. The Chieftain junior scored a game-high 16 points as she keyed the late game run.
“We needed to do a better job rebounding,” Lane said. “We allowed Tongie so many second chances and it really hurt us in the fourth quarter. Tongie’s point guard was super quick and she was hard for us to guard. The posts did a great job helping in the lane.”
It was a back and forth contest throughout as Tonganoxie took an early 12-6 after the first quarter, but the Wildcats responded in a big way as they outscored the Chieftains 12-4 in the second and took a 2-point halftime lead.
The Chieftains led by one after the third quarter, but the Wildcats went on a run to start the fourth. Ashlyn Kuhlman began by hitting a jumper, and then back-to-back layups by Jillian Asher put the Wildcats up five.
Louisburg senior Addy Stohs pulls down a rebound Friday against Tonganoxie.
After a couple free throws by Tonganoxie, Louisburg senior Sami Lane knocked in a 3-pointer to put the Wildcats back up 37-31. McKenna Lohse knocked in a free throw to make it 38-31 with 3:29 left in the game.
Tonganoxie went on a 6-0 run to tie it and ended in a lay-in from Schoeneck. Louisburg senior Ally Brown gave the Wildcats the lead back on jumper with 1:30 left in the game, but Schoeneck responded with a 3-point play to put the Chieftains right back up and that is where they would stay.
Kuhlman led the Wildcats in scoring as she finished with 15 points to go along with eight rebounds and six blocked shots. Asher and senior Shylar Whiting each finished with six points for the Wildcats.
Lohse led Louisburg with nine rebounds to go along with a team-high four assists. Senior Sabra Brueggen finished with six rebounds.
It was a tough shooting night for the Wildcats as they were just 28 percent from the field and 6-for-14 from the free-throw line. However, the Wildcats were able to battle through that.
“Overall I felt like the girls played hard,” coach Lane said. “They did not quit and they fought back after getting behind in the first quarter. I also thought the girls did a great job playing together.”
Louisburg will try and bounce back tonight as the Wildcats travel to Ottawa for a Frontier League matchup. Tipoff is set for 6 p.m.
Three seniors lead Wildcats in season opening win over Tonganoxie
Louisburg senior Gavin Lohse drives to the basket for two of his team-high 20 points Friday at home against Tonganoxie.
It wasn’t exactly the offensive output Louisburg head coach Ben Doll was expecting from his team Friday during the Wildcats’ season opener against Tonganoxie.
Before the game even started, the Wildcats found out they would be down one of their starters with an illness, and Doll wasn’t sure how his young team would respond.
Leave it to three seniors to lead the way. Gavin Lohse, Myles Vohs and Luke Schultz all scored 16 or more points in the 77-50 rout of the Chieftains. Not only was it a strong start to the season, but it was more points than the Wildcats scored at any point last year.
The Wildcats also got big shots and minutes from senior Ethan Kush, along with junior Owen Marsh and senior Billy Vohs.
“It is an incredible way to start the season,” Doll said. “Winning is hard at this level and in this league. We start the night with Derek Frederick, who was gonna start and play a lot for us, going home sick, so then we’re down one guy there. So we had to have some other guys step up and they did. Owen Marsh stepped up really well, along with Billy Vohs, so we had some guys come off the bench that we didn’t think we were gonna play that much. Owen played almost the whole game.
“Then the the big three of Myles, Luke and Gavin just paced us and we also faced foul trouble with them, so I’m just feeling really fortunate that we were able to win the game with their foul trouble and with the sickness of a starter and everything else. We discovered a lot about this group today.”
Louisburg senior Luke Schultz recorded a double-double Friday in the Wildcats’ win over Tonganoxie.
Lohse, who had to sit most of the second quarter with foul trouble, was a force on the inside for Louisburg. He nearly finished with a double-double as he scored a team-high 20 points and pulled down eight rebounds, to go along with a team-high five steals.
Myles Vohs flirted with a triple-double as the Wildcat point guard played all 32 minutes and finished with 17 points, a team-high nine assists and eight rebounds.
As for Schultz, the Wildcat forward finished with a double-double as he had 16 points and 11 rebounds as he was a constant fixture on the inside.
Louisburg also controlled the boards as it out rebounded Tonganoxie by 17, and had 12 offensive rebounds.
“Gavin scored 20 points and he missed basically the whole second quarter with foul trouble, so that’s pretty impressive,” Doll said. “We’ve been working with those guys in practice about just, you know, putting the pad on them and finishing around the basket, and him and Luke both did a pretty good job and they they absolutely controlled the boards.
“Myles did a good job running the team and really did a little bit of everything for us. I’m just really, really happy because there were a lot of things that could have gone differently for us if we let negative stuff get to us. And then we shot the ball from the outside pretty well, too. I mean that obviously helps.”
The Wildcats hit several shots from the outside as it knocked down seven 3-pointers, including three from Kush. Billy Vohs had two and sophomore Lance Callahan hit one in the first half for his first varsity basket.
Louisburg also got strong play from Marsh, who filled in for Frederick, and played all but two minutes of the game and scored six points, had three assists and three steals.
The Wildcats took a 41-25 lead at halftime, and Tonganoxie was able to chip away at the lead a little in the third quarter as it switched to a zone defense. Louisburg eventually figured it out and built a 29-point lead in the second half.
“In the first half, guys like Lance came off the bench and Ethan hit some big shots, so we were able to build a lead,” Doll said. “That forced them to have to do some different things. And in the past, you know, teams would throw some zone at us and stuff like that, and we might not know what to do, but we did a better better job at taking care of the basketball against the zone and just understanding time score and situation. Then we hit a couple of shots and got them out of it.”
Louisburg will see its schedule start to toughen up and that starts Tuesday when it travels to Ottawa, which is currently ranked No. 4 in Class 4A.
“It’s good to get this one and it’s a huge confidence builder,” Doll said. “So hopefully the guys will enjoy this one for a little bit. The schedule gets a lot tougher for sure, and hopefully this builds some confidence that we can work with in practice and get ready for Tuesday.
Louisburg senior Myles Vohs drives the lane during a game last season. Vohs is one of six seniors for the Wildcats in the 24-25 campaign.
Despite its ups and downs last season, the Louisburg boys basketball team found itself one victory away from earning a spot in the state tournament.
The Wildcats fell to Baldwin, the eventual fourth place finisher at state, in the sub-state championship and ended its season strong under then first-year coach Ben Doll.
This season, Doll and the Wildcats will face a new set of challenges. Louisburg will have to figure out how to replace the production from seven departing players, including five seniors that all played big roles on last year’s team.
Louisburg does return three players who saw significant varsity minutes, and even started at times, in point guard Myles Vohs and forwards Luke Schultz and Gavin Lohse.
“I mean it will look a lot different because we basically have no returning starters, but we do have three returning guys who played a lot last year and started at moments, so that’s good. We will be working around those three guys to start out with and Myles, Luke and Gavin will have to play a lot and they understand that.
“We will be doing a lot of things to try to try to get them shots and then also, hopefully we can avoid foul trouble and things like that. Those guys, I think we’ll be huge for our team this year and will carry us.”
Vohs was one of the team’s top defenders last season as he led the way with 30 steals, while Lohse was the team’s second leading rebounder. Schultz, who missed part of last season with an injury, still averaged close to five points per game and had 42 rebounds.
Doll knows those numbers will only grow for those three players and is excited to see who will fill those voids in the lineup.
“Myles is just a good leader and he just runs the show and is athletic and kind of understands what we’re supposed to be doing,” Doll said. “The things I’m starting to see in practice is I think actually we’re probably gonna rebound pretty well because Gavin’s a great rebounder and Luke has knack for getting to the right spots and at good angles and stuff like that. So I’ve been really excited, even though we lost some size from last year, that we still got two guys that can get a lot of get a lot done.”
Senior Ethan Kush, who saw a handful of varsity games last season, will contribute. Senior newcomer Aiden Kennedy, who stands at 6-4, will give the Wildcats some size in the paint.
Senior guard Billy Vohs, another newcomer, could also see some minutes along with junior guard Derek Frederick.
Louisburg senior Gavin Lohse is the team’s top returning rebounder from a year ago.
“Aiden Kennedy is coming on this year and he’s a big body and he definitely will grab a fair share of rebounds so I kind of feel like we’re going to get a lot of second chances,” Doll said. “Hopefully most teams that we play don’t have the same amount of bigs or athleticism that we have and we should be pretty good at controlling the boards.
“There’s a few younger guys that are stepping in and coming up from the JV that that have done a good job like Derek Frederick. He is filling a good role as a shooter and kind of taking up some of the scoring that we had last year. I think he’ll do a good job there as a new guy coming into the lineup.”
It will be a challenging schedule for the Wildcats this season as they will play every Frontier League team twice. The league currently has three teams ranked in the top 10 in Class 4A in Baldwin (No. 2), Ottawa (No. 4) and Eudora (No. 10). Louisburg will open its season Friday at home against Tonganoxie.
“Baldwin, obviously, I think is still the best team and with the best player in the league, so it’ll be tough to stop,” Doll said. “They’ll be really good and then Ottawa will be as well and we have both those teams before the break. So we’re gonna get right to it, and the rest of the schedule is always just tough.”
For a younger, inexperienced team, Doll knows it will be a challenge early, but knows they will be a different team later in the year.
“Expectations are gonna evolve through the year because the nice thing about basketball at the high school and college level is you want to be playing your best at the end when it comes playoff time,” Doll said. “So that’s going to be our main goal, is to keep building and getting stronger. Going 5-0, 2-3 or 1-4 in December, it doesn’t seem to matter as much when you get to February, so we just want to use these first games and everything to keep building on something that will be sustainable in February and March. I think we have enough young guys that are going to eventually add to us that I think will be a lot better in February.”
Wildcat girls hope learning year catapults them to success this season
Louisburg’s Shylar Whiting pulls up for a shot during a game last season. Whiting is one of seven returning seniors for the Wildcats this year.
It was a learning year for the Louisburg girls basketball team last season.
With no returning varsity players and a roster with no seniors, the Wildcats were forced to grow up fast. After a tough start to the year, the Wildcats saw improvements in the final half.
Although Louisburg finished with six wins on the year, five of those came in the month of February .
Now for the 2024-25 campaign, the Wildcats all of sudden have a lot of varsity experience and a roster filled with seven seniors.
“It is very nice to have all the girls back from last year,” Louisburg coach Adrianne Lane said. “We had a great summer and off-season and I think they are very excited to get another opportunity this season.”
The Wildcats will have a good amount of depth this season as they bring back a pair of all-league honorees.
Senior Ashlyn Kuhlman was an honorable mention player last season as she led Louisburg with eight points a game, including a team-high 29 3-pointers. The Wildcat guard also led the team in rebounds with 98 and blocked shots with 45.
Louisburg senior Ashlyn Kuhlman is a returning all-league player for the Wildcats this season.
Another senior, Sami Lane, also returns after being named to the All-Frontier League defensive team a year ago.
Senior guards Jillian Asher, Shylar Whiting and Ally Brown will all see time on the wing, and Asher returns as the team’s primary ball-handler. Sophomore Maddie Yoder, who saw limited minutes a season ago as a freshman, could also see time on the varsity level.
Sabra Brueggen and Addy Stohs, a pair of senior forwards, will also see a lot of time underneath the baskets. They will be joined by juniors Morgan Latham and McKenna Lohse, who both saw a lot of varsity minutes as sophomores.
“I think our experience will be a strength this year and our depth,” coach Lane said. “We have several girls who will get minutes on the varsity team.
“I feel that we have a great balance of posts and guards, and we have been working really hard on our inside-outside game. The girls have been working great together and I do feel like we will have some success playing inside-outside.”
There will also be a little change to the schedule from a year ago. The Wildcats will play every Frontier League team twice, in a league that currently has two teams ranked in the top 10 of Class 4A in Ottawa and Eudora, along with a strong Class 5A program in Spring Hill.
It is a difficult slate of games for the Wildcats, including three in a row to begin the season — at Ottawa, home to No. 6 Wamego and home to Baldwin. Louisburg opens its season Friday at home against Tonganoxie.
“Our league will be super tough this season, but I do think we will be able to compete with all the teams,” coach Lane said. “I feel our game play has improved since last year and I am super excited to see how we play as a team.”
The Wildcats traveled to Piper on Monday for a preseason jamboree with Shawnee Mission West, and were able to shake some of the preseason rust off. Lane liked what she saw from her team during that and in practice.
“Practice has been going great this year,” Lane said. “The girls work very hard every day. We ask a lot out of them and I feel they have really stepped up this year and are giving their best each day.”
KSHSAA approves several postseason changes
KANSAS STATE HIGH SCHOOL ACTIVITIES ASSOCIATION PRESS RELEASE
TOPEKA – Changes to postseason formats and championship sites for basketball, football, wrestling and track and field highlight actions approved at the June 12-13 KSHSAA Executive Board Meeting. The postseason formats are set by the KSHSAA Executive Board each year.
Basketball – Beginning in March of 2026, the state basketball tournaments will be moving to four total sites. Four facilities will play host to the seven classifications, 14 championships. By honoring the KSHSAA membership voted in the fall of 2023 to qualify eight boys teams and eight girls teams involved at the final site, modifications to the daily schedule will be developed. The schedule and other event details, including classification designations for each site and venue selection will be determined and announced following the 2024-25 basketball season.
Another basketball postseason change effective with the 2024-25 season will come at the 3A, 2A, 1A DI and 1A DII classifications. Each class will be divided into four regions and then seeded into two sub-states within the region: Substate A: 1, 4, 5, 8, 9, 12, 13, 16; Substate B: 2, 3, 6, 7, 10, 11, 14, 15. The winner of each substate will advance to the state basketball tournament. Further format details and dates will be sent to member schools.
Football – As announced in January, the state football championships will be moving to three sites with three games being played at each site. The executive board approved the following sites and schedule for 2024:
Emporia State University:
Class 6A = Friday, November 29 at 2:00pm
Class 4A = Saturday, November 30 at 1:00pm
Class 5A = Saturday, November 30 at 7:00pm
Hutchinson Community College:
Class 2A = Friday, November 29 at 6:00pm
Class 3A = Saturday, November 30 at 12:00pm
Class 1A = Saturday, November 30 at 5:00pm
Kiowa County High School, Greensburg:
Class 8-player DII = Saturday, November 30 at 11:00am
Class 6-Player = Saturday, November 30 at 3:00pm
Class 8-Player DI = Saturday, November 30 at 7:00pm
Wrestling – Girl’s wrestling will now include four classes to mirror the boy’s classification designations. The addition of another class for girl’s wrestling necessitates the addition of another championship site. 6A, 5A, 4A and 3-1A will each have their own site to determine a champion. 3-1A state wrestling will be in Hays and 4A will be in Salina. Park City Arena and one other facility to be named later will house either 6A or 5A. State sites and regional dates will be determined at the September KSHSAA Executive Board meeting. The state wrestling tournament will take place February 28 – March 1, 2025.
Track and Field – Qualification for the state meet was adjusted to now be the top 3 plus the next four best regional performance in each event.
Two committees will be formed to gather input from membership school leaders. One to discuss the details behind the implementation of Esports prior to the possible adoption as a KSHSAA sanctioned activity. The second committee will review the KSHSAA calendar to consider possible alternatives to dates of postseason activities.
Wildcats earn 3 spots on all-league; Parker named first team
Louisburg senior Nathan Parker was recently named to the All-Frontier League first team.
The Louisburg boys basketball team had to weave through some difficult opponents throughout its Frontier League schedule, but the Wildcats more than held their own and some of their opposition took notice.
The All-Frontier League team was released Sunday and the Wildcats had three earn league honors. Senior Nathan Parker was selected to the first team, while junior Conlee Hovey was named as an honorable mention. Senior Brady Hickey was selected to the All-Defensive Team.
“When you broke it down and looked at everyone, there were a lot of really good players in the league,” Louisburg coach Ben Doll said. “It was impressive to see Nate get on the first team. I was hoping Conlee could get a little better, but getting honorable mention in a tough league is a big deal.
“It is also really cool they do an all-defensive team to recognize some of the best defenders in our league, especially some who might not recognized otherwise. Brady had a great year for us in that department, and really all-around he did some great things for us.”
Parker was a big part of the Wildcat offense all season, as he not only scored, but facilitated the offense at times. He finished with a team-best 12.6 points a game and he also tallied a team-high 51 assists.
“Nate did great job throughout the season and was someone who can get on streaks,” Doll said. “When was on, he was hard to stop. Against Coffeyville and Frontenac, he really got going and he kept our team in games. Not only that, he led our team in assists. He had a great knack of getting inside and finishing, or he found guys for open shots. He really had a great year.”
As for Hovey, the Louisburg forward improved as the season went along and was third on the team in scoring with 7.2 points a game and led the Wildcats with 162 rebounds.
He became more a focal point for the Wildcats as the season went along and other teams started to take notice.
“Conlee was the guy that got the most attention about doing extra things,” Doll said. “We had other guys like Nate they had to stop, but they had to start doubling on Conlee and would do things to bracket him and take him out of the play. His rebounding was really good as the season went along. The key to our success were getting extra opportunities and he was a big reason for that. He is definitely a football first kid, but with a little bit of work in the summer, I think he can be one of the best players in the league next year.”
Hickey was one of the Wildcats’ top defenders and most consistent players throughout the season. As the team’s starting point guard, he had 16 steals and was third on the team with 76 rebounds.
He was also the team’s second leading scorer, averaging 8.4 points a contest.
“He was huge for us all year and had a great season,” Doll said. “He was our primary ball handler. He handled pressure teams tried to throw at us and did a great job with it. We put him on the best player on almost every team. He would guard different kinds of guys in different ways. He was our second leading scorer too. He was the only one that started every game and he was most consistent player.”
ALL-FRONTIER LEAGUE
FIRST TEAM
Cooper Carr, Baldwin, sophomore
Logan Sullivan, Eudora, senior
Kalen Streit, Bonner Springs, senior
Aiden McCullough, Ottawa, sophomore
Nathan Parker, Louisburg, senior
SECOND TEAM
Chase Bond, Spring Hill, senior
Alex Crowley, Tonganoxie, senior
Talan Torrez, Baldwin, senior
Jason Jones, Bonner Springs, sophomore
Caleb Hepner, Ottawa, junior
HONORABLE MENTION
Joey Ziembicki, Baldwin, senior
Errol Siemon, Eudora, junior
Caden Stedry, Eudora, junior
Conlee Hovey, Louisburg, junior
Owen Blaine, Ottawa, senior
Carter Hepner, Ottawa, junior
Caden Cohee, Paola, junior
ALL-DEFENSIVE TEAM
Leo Schoenberger, Baldwin, sophomore
Kalen Streit, Bonner Springs, senior
Errol Siemon, Eudora, junior
Brady Hickey, Louisburg, senior
Carter Hepner, Ottawa, junior
Eli Richmond, Paola, senior
Jordan Miller, Spring Hill, sophomore
Alex Crowley, Tonganoxie, senior
Two Lady Cats earn all-league basketball honors
Louisburg junior Ashlyn Kuhlman was named to the honorable mention All-Frontier League basketball team.
The Louisburg girls basketball had a strong finish to its season in 2024 and a pair of Lady Cats were recognized for their efforts.
Junior Ashlyn Kuhlman was named to the All-Frontier League team that was released on Saturday as she was selected to the honorable mention squad.
Another junior, Sami Lane, was named to the all-defensive team as one player from each league school was recognized for their efforts on the defensive side of the ball.
Ottawa, which earned a spot at the state tournament last week, had two players named to the first team in freshman Leah Adkins-Dieterich and senior Foster Nichols. Baldwin senior Alyssa Reichard, Eudora freshman Brynn Deterding and Spring Hill junior Sydney Buscher rounded out the first team.
As for Kuhlman, she led the Lady Cats in three different statistical categories. She led Louisburg in scoring with eight points a game, 5.5 rebounds and also had 45 blocked shots.
Kuhlman was also second in the team in steals with 16 and paced the Lady Cats with 29 3-pointers on the season.
“The Frontier League was tough this year, so I was so happy to see Ashlyn receive honorable mention,” Louisburg coach Adrianne Lane said. “She definitely deserved this honor. Ashlyn was the offensive leader on our team this year and her being recognized by the Frontier coaches is very meaningful.”
Louisburg junior Sami Lane was named to the Frontier League All-Defensive Team.
Lane was one of eight selections on the all-defensive team as she finished the year with eight steals to go along with 15 deflections. She also pulled down 68 rebounds on the season.
“Sami being chosen by the coaches as all defensive team was nice to see as well,” coach Lane said. “Sami did a great job on the defensive side of the ball. She played great team defense this season.”
ALL-FRONTIER LEAGUE
FIRST TEAM
Alyssa Reichard, Baldwin, senior
Brynn Deterding, Eudora, freshman
Foster Nichols, Ottawa, senior
Leah Askins-Dieterich, Ottawa, freshman
Sydney Buscher, Spring Hill, junior
SECOND TEAM
Isla Herman, Spring Hill, sophomore
Pirsten Leslie, Bonner Springs, senior
Alyssa Schoeneck, Tonganoxie, sophomore
Peyton Wright, Baldwin, freshman
Kenzie Yoder, Eudora, senior
HONORABLE MENTION
Bailey Smith, Baldwin, senior
Nya Anderson, Bonner Springs, sophomore
Chasitee Sambol, Bonner Springs, sophomore
Ashlyn Kuhlman, Louisburg, junior
Emery Keebaugh, Ottawa, senior
Dylan Nichols, Ottawa, sophomore
Audra Downum, Paola, sophomore
ALL-DEFENSIVE TEAM
Bailey Smith, Baldwin, senior
Nya Anderson, Bonner Springs, sophomore
Jayla Erpelding, Eudora, senior
Sami Lane, Louisburg, junior
Emery Keebaugh, Ottawa, senior
Abby Ediger, Paola, junior
Sydney Buscher, Spring Hill, junior
Emerson Maslak, Tonganoxie, sophomore
Week 12 Athlete of the Week: Conlee Hovey
Here is the Louisburg Sports Zone Athlete of the Week for week 12 of the winter sports season, sponsored by Landmark National Bank.
CONLEE HOVEY, JUNIOR, BASKETBALL
Louisburg junior Conlee Hovey has been a force inside for the Wildcat basketball team all season and it continued this past week as the Wildcats advanced to the sub-state championship game. Hovey pulled down a team-high 12 rebounds in a sub-state win over Field Kindley on the road on Feb. 28, and then followed it up with an 11 rebound performance in the championship game against Baldwin last Saturday.
Hovey has pulled down 162 rebounds on the season in 20 games and is third on the team in scoring as he averages 7.2 points a contest. He also registered three double-doubles on the year as he helped Louisburg to a sub-state runner-up finish.
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.
Upset-minded Wildcats fall short to Baldwin in sub-state championship
Louisburg junior Myles Vohs dives on the floor for a loose ball Saturday against Baldwin.
BALDWIN CITY — For the first three quarters, No. 10 Louisburg had the No. 2 seed in its sights for a potential upset.
It was the final frame where Baldwin started to pull away. The Bulldogs built a 14-point lead in the fourth quarter and time ran out on the Wildcats’ season in their 59-49 loss in the Class 4A sub-state championship game at Baldwin High School.
Louisburg pushed Baldwin for much of the game as it trailed by just four points at halftime and seven going into the fourth. The Wildcats couldn’t get the stops they needed down the stretch to pull off the upset.
“It is still very disappointing because I really believe that we had a chance to win the game,” Louisburg coach Ben Doll said. “We played tough the whole time and we kept it close for most of the game. We had a game plan for certain personnel and there were times we lost track of them. They hit some big shots where we weren’t supposed to go under screens. We weren’t perfect, but we kept it close the entire way and that is a really good team. They have a lot of parts that make them really good.”
Baldwin’s Cooper Carr and Joey Ziembicki did a bulk of the damage for the Bulldogs. Carr and Ziembicki each finished with 24 points and scored 48 of the team’s 59 points. Only four players scored for Baldwin on the night.
Louisburg senior Brady Hickey pulls up for a 3-pointer Saturday in the Class 4A sub-state championship game in Baldwin.
“We had a very solid game plan that we were able to stick to, but we weren’t perfect,” Doll said. “We knew Cooper was going to get his, but didn’t want to let the others get theirs and I think that is where we let down a little bit.”
The Wildcats (9-13) stayed within striking distance for most of the game, but the Bulldogs never let the lead get closer than four.
Every time Louisburg would responded with a run, the Bulldogs would stop it — many times coming on Ziembicki’s five 3-pointers.
Turnovers also haunted the Wildcats as they committed 17 for the game, which turned into 15 Baldwin points. Still, Louisburg put the pressure on for all four quarters.
Louisburg forced 15 turnovers of their own and also got several second chance opportunities with 14 offensive rebounds.
Senior Brady Hickey led Louisburg in scoring with 10 points and he also had five rebounds and three assists. Senior Nathan Parker finished nine points and three assists.
Louisburg junior Conlee Hovey goes up for a shot Saturday against Baldwin.
Junior Myles Vohs came off the bench to give the Wildcats a spark on both ends of the floor. Vohs had six points, but he also finished with a team-high seven steals and a team-best five assists.
Another junior, Conlee Hovey, controlled the boards as he pulled down a team-high 11 rebounds to go along with six points. Senior Brock Vohs finished with seven points for Louisburg.
It was also the final game for five Wildcat seniors in Hickey, Parker, Luke Hill, Brock Vohs and Jaymes Melton.
“I thanked the guys after the game and told them that I was really proud of them,” Doll said. “I would go to battle with these guys any time. The record doesn’t show what we were at the end. The boys were so close to getting to Salina. They kept growing and did what was asked of them.
“I am proud of our five seniors and we have a lot to fill in for next year. We are going to miss a lot of good minutes, scoring and defense. They are five all-around good players. We could start all five of those guys on Senior Night and we didn’t miss a beat. They will be missed for sure.”
LOU 10 14 9 16 — 49
BAL 15 13 12 19 — 59
LOUISBURG (9-13): Brady Hickey 3-9 2-4 10; Nathan Parker 4-15 0-0 9; Brock Vohs 3-5 0-0 7; Conlee Hovey 3-6 0-0 6; Myles Vohs 2-8 2-3 6; Luke Hill 2-8 0-0 5; Luke Schultz 1-2 2-2 4; Gavin Lohse 1-1 0-0 2. Totals: 19-54 6-9 49. 3-point field goals: 5, (Hickey 2, Parker, Hill, B. Vohs)
