Louisburg senior guard Jacob Welsh drives to the basket during the Wildcats’ game with Spring Hill on Thursday at Spring Hill High School. The Wildcats lost to the Broncos 61-36, which is their four straight setback.

SPRING HILL – For the first half, the Louisburg boys basketball team was right with Spring Hill.

On Thursday, Louisburg matched the Broncos shot-for-shot through much of the first half before Spring Hill went into halftime with a slim six-point lead.

The third quarter was a different story

Spring Hill blew the game open as it outscored the Wildcats by 19 points in third and went on to beat Louisburg 61-36 at Spring Hill High School. It was also the fourth loss in a row for the Wildcats.

“For us, it’s about getting back to the basics that led to our successes early in the year,” Louisburg coach Jason Nelson said. “We’re not running the floor like we were, we’re not aggressive on the boards like we were and our secondary movements in our half court sets haven’t been crisp.  All 11 guys on our roster are capable of scoring, and when they’re in the game it’s imperative that they assert themselves in a manner conducive to being a scoring threat.”

Louisburg junior Grant Harding provided a bulk of the Wildcat scoring in the first half as he scored 13 of his team-high 15 points in the first half to keep Louisburg in the contest. Spring Hill held a 19-17 lead at the end of the first quarter and led 29-23 at halftime.

However, after scoring 17 points in the first quarter, Louisburg (6-7) responded with just 19 points in the final three quarters combined and it was the third quarter in which the Wildcats saw the game slip away.

Spring Hill opened the second half on a big run and outscored the Wildcats 22-3 in the third quarter to put the game away.

The Louisburg defense had a tough time containing the Spring Hill duo of Trey Heinrich and Ivan Hughes. Heinrich and Hughes scored 22 points each. Hughes also connected on three 3-pointers.

Along with Harding’s 15 points, junior T.J. Dover narrowly missed double figures as he finished with nine points and four rebounds. Sam Guetterman had a team-high five rebounds from the guard spot.

The Wildcats will try and stop their losing streak tonight, but it won’t be easy. Louisburg will host the No. 3 ranked team in Class 4A-Division I, Paola. Tipoff is set for approximately 7:30 p.m.

LOUISBURG                17           6             3             10 – 36

SPRING HILL               19           10           22           10 – 61

LOUISBURG (6-7): Grant Harding 6-14 0-0 15; T.J. Dover 3-4 2-4 9; Jayce Geiman 2-8 0-0 5; Jacob Welsh 1-4 0-0 2; Mitchell McLellan 1-4 0-0 2; Dalton Ribordy 1-1 0-0 2; Sam Guetterman 0-2 1-2 1. Totals: 14-41 3-8 36. 3-point field goals: 5, (Harding 3, Geiman, Dover)

Madisen Simpson puts up a shot in the lane for the Louisburg girls basketball team Friday during the Top Gun Tournament in Wellsville. Simpson finished with 10 points in the Lady Cats’ 40-36 victory over Anderson County and was selected to the all-tournament team.

WELLSVILLE – The Louisburg girls basketball team left the floor with the same feeling only one other time this season.

The sweet taste of victory has alluded the Lady Cats quite a few times this year, but not on Friday. In the final game of the Wellsville Top Gun Tournament, Louisburg picked up its second victory of the season when it downed Anderson County 40-36 to finish sixth.

However, had it not been for a couple key hustle plays, it might have been a different story.

“I can’t say enough about our effort,” Louisburg coach Shawn Lowry said. “I can’t tell you how many times we were on the floor for loose balls and that really sets the tone for what we do. I think that helped us in the fourth quarter.”

The Lady Cats found themselves down six points with five minutes left in the contest, but junior Paige Buffington dove on the floor for two loose balls, including one in front of the Louisburg bench. Those plays coincided with an 11-1 run to end the game and seal the win.

“We played our hearts out,” Buffington said. “We have been working hard all season and it is really rewarding to get another win. That is how our team has been. If we get down, we know that we can come back if we keep working hard and that is what we did.”

It happened again in the second quarter as the Lady Cats trailed by five points before they hit the boards hard. Junior Emalee Overbay was fouled on a shot, hit her first free throw, but missed the second before freshman Carson Buffington got the offensive rebound.

Sophomore Isabelle Holtzen gets fouled while going up for a shot Friday in Wellsville.

The rebound led to a shot from senior Megan Lemke, who was also fouled– and just like Overbay – made one of two free throws before Carson again pulled down the rebound. After another missed shot and rebound from Carson, her teammates found her open in the corner for a jumper and made it.

That effort sparked the Lady Cats (2-11) to go on a 13-5 run to end the half and take a 24-21 lead into halftime. All this while several players were a little under the weather.

“That was just an amazing effort by her and those are the types of things that sparks our team and that is what it did for us there in the second quarter,” Lowry said of Carson. “It was a team win and everyone participated in it. Carson is as sick as she can be and she goes out and does what she does and that is special. Emalee wasn’t feeling all that well either and she battled through it and gave us some good minutes.”

Junior guard Madisen Simpson gave the Lady Cats a good offensive presence, especially in the second quarter when she scored eight of her game high 10 points during that run to give Louisburg the halftime lead.

During the fourth quarter spurt, Louisburg got production from up and down its lineup. Carson and Paige Buffington each made baskets early in the quarter.

However, Carson fouled out with four minutes left in the contest, which brought on sophomore forward Ryan Caldwell in her place. She quickly contributed as she made a basket to tie the game at 35-all after a pass from Simpson.

Sophomore guard Isabelle Holtzen did the same. Following a Paige Buffington steal, Holtzen hit a jumper to give the Lady Cats their lead back with 2 minutes and 45 seconds left.

Senior Megan Lemke (10) was named to the Top Gun Tournament’s all-academic team.

Simpson hit a pair of free throw and Lemke hit one in the final minute to wrap up the victory.

“They continue to impress with how much they give,” Lowry said. “They continue to say that this is how they are going to play and this is our identity. We may not have the best shooters, best post moves, but no one is going to outwork us.”

After Simpson’s 10 points, Paige Buffington was next on the team with eight points and three steals. Lemke had seven points and six rebounds, while Carson Buffington added six points, a team-high 11 rebounds and three steals.

Louisburg returns to action Tuesday when it hosts Paola. Tipoff is set for approximately 6 p.m.

POST-TOURNAMENT HONORS: For her effort in the three-game tournament, Madisen Simpson was named to the Top Gun Tournament all-tournament team. Simpson averaged just more than 10 points a game to lead the Lady Cats.

Senior Megan Lemke was also awarded a spot on the tournament’s all-academic team. Freshman Bailey Kern participated in the free-throw contest and finished fourth overall.

LOUISBURG                10           14           5             11 – 40

AND. COUNTY           14           7             8             7 – 36

LOUISBURG (2-11): Madisen Simpson 3-12 2-4 10; Paige Buffington 3-10 0-0 8; Megan Lemke 2-11 2-7 7; Carson Buffington 3-3 0-0 6; Isabelle Holtzen 1-3 2-4 4; Emalee Overbay 1-4 1-2 3; Ryan Caldwell 1-4 0-0 2. Totals: 14-47 7-17 40. 3-point field goals: 5, (Simpson 2, P. Buffington 2, Lemke 1).

Lansing downs Louisburg in consolation bracket

Louisburg faced an uphill battle in its second game of the Top Gun Tournament on Thursday.

The Lady Cats, who were scheduled to face Veritas Christian, instead faced off with Lansing after Veritas dropped out of the tournament. The tournament had to pool out the back side of the bracket therefore Louisburg had to play both Anderson County and Lansing in back to back days.

Lansing, a Class 5A school, proved to be too much for Louisburg as it downed the Lady Cats 63-37. Madisen Simpson led Louisburg in scoring with 15 points, including five 3-pointers. Freshman Kennia Hankinson added nine points in the loss.

Carson Buffington was big on the boards for Louisburg as she finished with a team-high 12 rebounds.

LOUISBURG                8             8             11           10 – 37

LANSING                     17           16           13           17 – 63

LOUISBURG: Madisen Simpson 5-11 0-0 15; Kennia Hankinson 2-9 2-4 9; Paige Buffington 1-8 3-5 5; Emalee Overbay 1-2 1-5 3; Carson Buffington 1-5 0-1 2; Megan Lemke 0-4 2-2 2. Totals: 10-44 10-20 37. 3-point field goals: 7, (Simpson 5, Hankinson 2)

State-ranked Piper beats Lady Cats in opener

Louisburg had its toughest test of the Wellsville Top Gun Tournament first as it opened with Piper, the No. 4-ranked team in Class 4A.

Piper showed why it was ranked so high as it outscored Louisburg by 24 points in the first half on its way to a 54-23 victory over the Lady Cats on Jan. 26.

Carson Buffington nearly finished with a double-double for the Lady Cats. Buffington had a team-high eight points and 14 rebounds in the loss.

Piper held Louisburg scoreless in the second quarter and jumped out to a 32-8 halftime lead.

LOUISBURG                8             0             8             7 – 23

PIPER                           18           14           12           10 – 54

LOUISBURG: Carson Buffington 4-7 0-0 8; Madisen Simpson 2-5 0-0 6; Isabelle Holtzen 1-5 2-2 4; Megan Lemke 0-12 2-4 2; Emalee Overbay 1-5 0-2 2; Paige Buffington 0-3 1-2 1. Totals: 8-39 5-10 23. 3-point field goals: 2, (Simpson 2)

Louisburg senior Alex Dunn dives on the floor for a loose ball with a Bishop Ward player Saturday during the seventh-place game of the Baldwin Invitational. The Wildcats went 0-3 on the week.

BALDWIN CITY – It was supposed to be the perfect time for the Louisburg boys basketball team to take an even bigger step forward.

Louisburg entered the Baldwin Invitational Tournament last week looking to build on its three-game winning streak. Instead, the Wildcats went the opposite direction.

Dealing with different illnesses and injuries in the three games, Louisburg wasn’t able to take advantage of that momentum as it went 0-3 in the tournament, including a 51-44 loss to Bishop Ward on Saturday in the seventh-place game.

Louisburg (6-6) lost to Harmon in the opener on Jan. 20 and then to Wellsville on Friday in the consolation semifinals.

“I could not be more disappointed at the outcome of the tourney,” Louisburg coach Jason Nelson said. “Coming in playing the best ball I’ve seen an LHS team play since I’ve been here, at 6-3 and as the No. 2 seed, I felt we were ready to do damage.

“For whatever reason, we deviated from our game plans and practice principles and were tentative and lacking the mentality as a team that led us to the success we’d experienced to this point.”

It is difficult for many teams to get prepared to play a seventh-place game and both teams looked the part early on Saturday. Louisburg scored just six points in the opening frame, but held a one-point lead despite eight turnovers.

Sophomore Dalton Ribordy puts up a shot over a Harmon defender on Jan. 20 in Baldwin.

In the second quarter, Bishop Ward came to life as they outscored Louisburg 21-10 before halftime to take a 10-point lead. After a back-and-forth third quarter, the Wildcats started to chip away at Ward’s lead in the fourth.

Louisburg went on a 10-3 run to start the final quarter thanks to six points from junior forward T.J. Dover and four from junior Grant Harding. The Wildcats trailed by just three points with 3 minutes and 30 seconds left in the game, but Ward went on a 8-1 run of its own to push the lead back up.

Junior guard Jayce Geiman hit a pair of 3-pointers down the stretch to keep the game close in the final seconds, but the Wildcats couldn’t get all the way back.

Geiman and Harding each led Louisburg with 12 points on the day and Dover added six in the loss. Senior starting guard Mitchell McLellan was forced to sit out the final two games of the tournament with an injury, while different players were under the weather throughout the week.

However, Nelson knows he watched a different team last week.

“In our previous, successful games, we valued each possession and exerted our will on teams,” Nelson said. “In the tournament, we were reactive rather than proactive and we suffered because of it. Our boys fought hard, but our team mentality wasn’t syncing and we forgot our identity.”

The Wildcats will try and stop their losing streak Thursday when they travel to Spring Hill for their lone contest of the week. Tipoff is set for approximately 7:30 p.m.

“We need to get back to being us,” Nelson said. “The team that attacked the rim in transition and in the 1/2 court game, moved the ball with the pass and rotated the defense is the team we need to be, and I need to do a better job of getting us there, I guess.

“Defensively, we played pretty well, though we did allow a few too many offensive boards, but we just couldn’t translate that into the energy needed on the offensive end, and for that, the onus has to fall on me.”

LOUISBURG                6             10           7             21 – 44

BISHOP WARD           5             21           7             18 – 51

LOUISBURG (6-6): Jayce Geiman 12, Grant Harding 12, T.J. Dover 6, Dalton Ribordy 4, Ben Minster 4, Jacob Welsh 3, Alex Dunn 2, Jake Hill 1. Totals: 15 10-19 44. 3-point field goals: 4, (Geiman 4)

Wellsville edges Louisburg

Despite a 26-point performance from junior Grant Harding, Louisburg couldn’t quite overcome Wellsville on Friday in a 60-55 loss in the consolation semifinals.

After an even first quarter, the Wildcat offense couldn’t get going as Wellsville outscored Louisburg 12-5 before halftime and took a seven-point lead. The Wildcats came to life with 19 points in the third quarter to cut the Wellsville lead to one, but Louisburg couldn’t get the stops it needed in the final period.

Harding finished with 26 points after he shot 10 for 21 from the floor, including three 3-pointers. Junior Sam Guetterman, senior Alex Dunn and junior T.J. Dover all had six points.

LOUISBURG                15           5             19           16 – 55

WELLSVILLE               17           12           11           20 – 60

LOUISBURG: Grant Harding 10-21 3-5 26; Sam Guetterman 3-6 0-1 6; Alex Dunn 3-4 0-1 6; T.J. Dover 3-6 0-0 6; Jayce Geiman 2-5 0-0 5; Dalton Ribordy 2-2 0-0 4; Ben Minster 1-1 0-0 2. Totals: 24-46 3-7 55. 3-point field goals: 4, (Harding 3, Geiman)

Turnovers haunt Louisburg in opener

Louisburg got off to the start it was looking for in the opener of the Baldwin Invitational on Jan. 20 against Harmon, but it didn’t have the finish.

Harmon scored 18 points off Louisburg turnovers and the Wildcats didn’t have enough to catch up in a 62-47 loss.

The Wildcats held a 12-11 advantage at the end of the first quarter, but Harmon went on a 13-2 run to end the first half and took a 10-point lead into halftime.

Louisburg faced the same deficit going into the fourth, but Grant Harding hit a pair of 3-pointers and Sam Guetterman made a basket to cut the Harmon lead to four with 4:23 left in the game.

Turnovers and missed shots led to a 14-0 Harmon run to all but put the game out of reach for Louisburg.

Harding led Louisburg with 18 points, including four 3-pointers, while Guetterman and T.J. Dover also scored in double figures with 10.

LOUISBURG                12           6             14           15 – 47

HARMON                    11           17           15           19 – 62

LOUISBURG: Grant Harding 7-16 0-0 18; Sam Guetterman 4-8 2-3 10; T.J. Dover 5-8 0-3 10; Mitchell McLellan 3-5 0-0 6; Ben Minster 1-2 0-0 2; Dalton Ribordy 0-1 1-2 1. Totals: 21-44 3-8 47. 3-point field goals: 4, (Harding 4)

Louisburg senior Megan Lemke drives around a Spring Hill player Wednesday during the Lady Cats’ game in Spring Hill. Louisburg fell 58-44, but the Lady Cats outscored Spring Hill in the second half.

SPRING HILL – The Louisburg High School girls basketball team made its way to Spring Hill on Wednesday for a league matchup and left with some positives to take away from it.

Although the Lady Cats fell to Spring Hill 58-44, they put together a strong second half performance on both ends of the floor. Louisburg outscored the Broncos in the second half and improved on the defensive end.

“We weren’t as disciplined on defense as we needed to be in the first half,” Louisburg coach Shawn Lowry said. “However, the girls responded by playing much better in the second half. Despite a big size disparity these last couple of games, this group continues to play with great toughness and effort.”

Spring Hill used a late first quarter spurt to help pull away from Louisburg. The Broncos went on a 12-1 run to end the frame and go up 19-7 to start the second quarter.

It turned out to be the difference in the game as the Lady Cats played Spring Hill even for the remaining three quarters. Louisburg (1-9) trailed 29-13 at halftime, but came back out inspired and came alive offensively – especially in the fourth quarter.

Louisburg scored 23 points in the fourth, with a lot of those coming from the free-throw line thanks to its rebounding efforts and aggressive play. For the game, the Lady Cats were 16 of 21 from the free-throw line.

“I really like that our offensive rebounding and free throw shooting was much improved,” Lowry said. “That speaks to their hustle in crashing boards and the shooting work they have all put in.”

Juniors Madisen Simpson and Paige Buffington each led the Lady Cats in scoring with 10 points each and senior Megan Lemke added eight, despite dealing with foul problems for most of the game.

Freshman Carson Buffington continues to lead the Lady Cats in the rebounding department. Buffington pulled down a team-high 12 rebounds to go along with seven points and also added two steals.

It will be a busy week for the Lady Cats as they take part in the Top Gun Tournament in Wellsville, beginning Tuesday. Louisburg, the No. 8 seed, will face No. 1 seed Piper at 5:15.

Win or lose, the Lady Cats will play again Thursday and Saturday. Teams in the tournament include Lansing, Baldwin, Wellsville, Veritas Christian, Anderson County and Spring Hill.

2016 Top Gun Tournament

LOUISBURG                7             6             8             23 – 44

SPRING HILL               19           10           10           19 – 58

LOUISBURG (1-9): Madisen Simpson 3-10 2-2 10; Paige Buffington 2-8 5-7 10; Megan Lemke 2-8 3-4 8; Carson Buffington 2-7 3-4 7; Emalee Overbay 2-4 1-2 5; Julianne Finley 1-1 0-0 2; Bailey Kern 0-1 2-2 2. Totals: 12-47 16-21 44. 3-point field goals: 4, (Simpson 2, P. Buffington 1, Lemke 1)

Louisburg senior Megan Lemke fights a De Soto player for a loose ball Friday during the Lady Cats’ 50-29 loss against De Soto. Lemke led Louisburg with 12 points on the night.

DE SOTO – The Louisburg girls basketball team was a little short-handed during Friday’s contest in De Soto.

The Lady Cats had just 13 players suited up for both the varsity and junior varsity games due to injury or prior commitments. It wasn’t an ideal situation going up against a bigger De Soto squad that can score from all over the floor.

Lack of depth wasn’t the only reason, but Louisburg couldn’t keep up with De Soto in a 50-29 loss. De Soto used its size inside to build a 33-14 halftime lead and it never looked back.

“De Soto has some nice players and they have some big girls,” Louisburg coach Shawn Lowry said. “Size hurt us early, and add that size to the fact that they have some shooters too, it is a tough group to face.”

Louisburg did get one player back from injury as junior Paige Buffington worked her way back from a sore ankle to start as the team’s point guard. Buffington finished with 11 points and played a majority of the minutes.

“Paige is so unselfish,” Lowry said. “She is hurting right now. She is better, but she is not 100 percent. She is the heart of our team and it was evident on the first day of practice when she wasn’t there. She is that glue for us and when she is not there you can tell.

“She is that kid they look to settle things down. I trust her and she did a nice job. Hopefully she will be able to continue that the rest of the season.”

Louisburg’s Emalee Overbay (left) and Carson Buffington go up for a rebound Friday in De Soto.

De Soto jumped on Louisburg early as it went on a 15-0 run to start the game, but the Lady Cats were able to settle down some thanks to Megan Lemke. The Louisburg senior scored six of her team-high 12 points in the final two minutes of the first quarter to cut the De Soto lead to 20-7.

“I will say this after every game, but our kids give so much and are so tough,” Lowry said. “They are very unselfish. You have a kid like Megan Lemke who tries to get her team going by driving to the basket and if she missed the shot, she is the first back on the other end. You could tell she was just so exhausted, but she busted her tail. We are going to keep working hard to get better as a team.”

Although she didn’t score, freshman Carson Buffington did a lot of her work on the defensive end. Carson led Louisburg with nine rebounds on the night, including three steals. Junior Emalee Overbay also had three steals in the loss.

Louisburg returns to action Wednesday when it travels to Spring Hill. The Lady Cats will take part in the Wellsville Top Gun Tournament next week.

LOUISBURG                7             7             8             7 – 29

DE SOTO                     20           13           11           6 – 50

LOUISBURG (1-8): Megan Lemke 4-11 2-5 12; Paige Buffington 2-6 6-8 11; Julianne Finley 1-1 0-0 2; Emalee Overbay 1-7 0-0 2; Madisen Simpson 0-4 1-2 1; Bailey Kern 0-2 1-2 1. Totals: 8-41 10-17 29. 3-point field goals: 3, (Lemke 2, P. Buffington)

Senior guard Jacob Welsh goes up for a reverse layup during Friday’s road contest in De Soto. Louisburg rallied in the second half to get past De Soto 53-48 and picked up its third consecutive win in the process.

DE SOTO – It was late in the third quarter and Jayce Geiman hadn’t even attempted a shot.

Geiman, one of Louisburg’s starting guards, wanted to let the game come to him. So when the ball came his way behind the arch, he was open and took the open 3-pointer.

His shot found the bottom of the net and it was the spark the Wildcats needed the most Friday in De Soto. The made basket cut De Soto’s lead one point.

Louisburg’s offense, which was sluggish up until that point, awoke to get a big 53-48 Frontier League win on the road. Missed close shots turned into makes and the Wildcats hit their free throws down the stretch to pull it out.

“It was huge,” Louisburg coach Jason Nelson said of Geiman’s shot. “The kids that can shoot the three know who they are and they know how I feel about threes. But Jayce’s shot there was monumental and it was at that point that everyone settled in and calmed down offensively.”

The victory was also noteworthy as the Wildcats have already matched their season total from a season ago. The win improved Louisburg to a 6-3 record on the season and have now won three consecutive games.

“It was much needed,” Geiman said of the win. “We matched our season total on wins last year so it was a big win for us, plus it was a league win so it was definitely nice to get this one. This is the high point of the season so far for sure.”

Louisburg also got another spark in the third quarter – but this one was off the bench. Sophomore Ben Minster scored all of his seven points in the third to push the Wildcats in front.

Sophomore Ben Minster lays the ball up for two points during the third quarter of the Wildcats’ game Friday in De Soto.

Following Geiman’s 3-pointer that cut the De Soto lead to 30-29 with 2 minutes and 33 seconds left in the third, Minster drove the lane twice for two baskets and junior Grant Harding added another to push the Louisburg lead to 35-30.

“Ben was fantastic off the bench,” Nelson said. “He is so athletic. A lot of times, and part of it is my fault, I expect too much of him sometimes instead of just letting the game come to him. He is just a fantastic athlete and he gave us some big minutes. He and Grant are just so fast with that dribble.”

The lead didn’t last long as De Soto responded with a mini 5-0 run to tie the game going into the fourth quarter.

Harding, who scored 13 points and pulled down 10 rebounds to finish with a double-double, opened the final quarter with a basket and the Wildcats never lost their lead. Senior Mitchell McLellan scored six of his eight points in the quarter, and Geiman hit another 3-pointer to push the lead to eight.

De Soto would hit back-to-back 3-pointers to cut the lead to two, but junior T.J. Dover pushed it back to four when he hit a shot and was fouled.

Louisburg coach Jason Nelson gets excited on the Wildcat bench with players Korbin Hankinson (30) and Jake Hill after a late basket from T.J. Dover.

Geiman, senior Jacob Welsh and junior Sam Guetterman each hit free throws down the stretch to seal the win for Louisburg.

“Mentally they are so tough,” Nelson said of his team. “I ask a lot of them and to be able to battle through adversity when our bunnies aren’t falling was great to see. Our execution on offense was fantastic up until the shot, which is maddening sometimes.

“They are in position and doing everything right, but it is what it is and it will come. We are still young and a lot of these guys are just in their ninth varsity game. I couldn’t ask for a better group of guys right now.”

It wasn’t an easy win as the Wildcats had to play catch up for most of the game. De Soto decided to slow the game down and made each possession difficult on the Louisburg defense.

De Soto worked the ball around the floor and took close to 30 seconds off the clock with each possession before getting the shot it wanted.

“De Soto moved the ball really well,” Nelson said. “We had a couple really good defensive series when we were in man and zone, but they were just so methodical, patient and found the open man. It was a little frustrating at times, but I thought we played pretty well defensively for the most part.”

Louisburg returns to action Tuesday when it begins play in the Baldwin Invitational. The No. 2 seed Wildcats open against Harmon at 4 p.m.

Baldwin Invitational Tournament Bracket

LOUISBURG                13           8             14           18 – 53

DE SOTO                     16           6             13           13 – 48

LOUISBURG (6-3): Grant Harding 6-14 1-2 13; Jayce Geiman 2-2 2-3 8; Mitchell McLellan 4-4 0-0 8; Ben Minster 3-4 1-2 7; Dalton Ribordy 3-7 0-0 6; Jacob Welsh 0-2 5-6 5; T.J. Dover 2-8 0-1 4; Sam Guetterman 0-1 2-2 2. Totals: 20-42 11-16 53. 3-point field goals: 2, (Geiman 2)

Louisburg senior Mitchell McLellan goes up for a layup during a home game earlier this season. The Wildcats defeated Frontenac on the road Tuesday in a 49-41 victory. It was Louisburg’s second win in a row.

FRONTENAC – The Louisburg boys basketball team couldn’t have gotten off to a better start during Tuesday’s road game at Frontenac.

The Wildcats scored the game’s first eight points and were well on their way to a big win. Louisburg got the win it was looking for, but it got a fight from Frontenac in the process.

Frontenac made the game interesting on several occasions, but the Wildcats always had an answer on both ends of the floor in a 49-41 victory.

“Our perimeter defense was fantastic,” Louisburg coach Jason Nelson said. “We were aggressive while not jumping passes and giving them advantageous situations.  Also, they were never able to get comfortable in their sets because of the pressure and consistent help defense we had. 

“We did give up 10 points on second-chance opportunities, including eight in the first half, but to their credit, our boys fixed this when challenged.”

Grant Harding, who led Louisburg in scoring and rebounding with 14 points and nine rebounds, got the Wildcats off to go a good start as he scored five straight points. After a Jacob Welsh jumper, Louisburg took an 8-0 lead.

Louisburg (5-3) took a 13-7 lead into the second quarter and held a 22-18 halftime lead after a late Frontenac run. The Wildcats took an eight-point lead to start the third quarter and the Louisburg defense buckled down, holding Frontenac to just five points in the frame.

“We’ve really been stressing going through our sets, and through our secondary looks and when we did this, we got high quality, high percentage looks,” Nelson said. “When we came down, didn’t move the ball with the pass, and didn’t attack a rotating defense, our shot selection and percentage suffered. 

“Given that we only scored 49 points, I was overly critical of us after the game, however, I didn’t realize how good our defense was.”

The Wildcats also did a good job taking care of the ball as they finished with just six turnovers on the night. Frontenac had several mini-runs in the fourth quarter, but each time the Wildcats had an answer.

Junior forward T.J. Dover scored two big baskets to stop runs in the fourth quarter, while senior Mitchell McLellan scored most of his 11 points in the second half to spark the Louisburg offense.

Junior guard Sam Guetterman scored nine points in the first half as he was among the team’s scoring leaders. Sophomore Dalton Ribordy also gave Louisburg some good play underneath the basket with six points and six rebounds.

Louisburg, now on a two-game winning streak, will try for its third straight win Friday when it travels to De Soto. Tipoff is set for approximately 7:30 p.m.

LOUISBURG    13    9    10    17 – 49

FRONTENAC    7    11    5     18 – 41

LOUISBURG (5-3): Grant Harding 6-16 1-4 14; Mitchell McLellan 4-6 3-5 11; Sam Guetterman 3-6 3-4 9; Dalton Ribordy 3-4 0-0 6; T.J. Dover 2-3 0-1 4; Jacob Welsh 1-2 1-3 3; Jayce Geiman 0-7 2-2 2. Totals: 19-44 10-19 49. 3-point field goals: 1, (Harding).

Louisburg junior Madisen Simpson drives the lane during a home game earlier this season. Simpson scored a team-high 13 points in the Lady Cats’ 56-43 loss to Frontenac on Tuesday at Frontenac High School.

FRONTENAC – The Louisburg girls basketball team was already young and lacking experience coming into the season, but going into Tuesday’s road contest with Frontenac, the Lady Cats were without one of their more experienced players.

Junior guard Paige Buffington was out with an ankle injury and the Lady Cats had to go deeper into their bench. Louisburg stayed within striking distance, but Frontenac eventually pulled away for a 56-43 victory.

Despite having Buffington out, several Lady Cats stepped up in her absence.

Junior guard Madisen Simpson scored a team-high 13 points, including three 3-pointers. Freshman Carson Buffington finished in double figures again with 11 rebounds to go along with her six points. Junior Emalee Overbay also pulled down seven rebounds.

Freshman guard Kennia Hankinson also had six points on the night, including two 3-pointers. Senior Megan Lemke finished with five points and performed well on the defensive end.

“Our overall play was solid in the first half of last night’s game and with Paige out we had several girls step up their play,” Louisburg coach Shawn Lowry said. “Carson and Emalee were very strong on the boards and their effort in the post was excellent. Megan Lemke is always tasked with defending the other team’s best player, regardless of size, and I thought she was very good.

“Madisen, Isabelle (Holtzen) and Kennia handled their zone pressure well. There are several younger girls coming off the bench that are gaining more confidence with each experience.”

The Lady Cats (1-7) got off to a good start as they took an 11-9 lead into the second quarter, but Frontenac started to pull away. The Raiders went on a 7-0 run late in the first half to take a 26-21 lead.

Frontenac then opened the third quarter with back-to-back 3-pointers to increase its lead to double digits. The Raiders outscored Louisburg 17-8 in the third quarter to pull away for the win.

It will be tough for the Lady Cats on Friday as they return to Frontier League play at De Soto. The Lady Cats will be without a couple players due to state debate, but Lowry hopes Paige Buffington can return.

“She was getting around better yesterday and we will see how she feels these next couple of days before we make a decision about Friday,” Lowry said.

Tipoff for the Lady Cats game at De Soto is set for approximately 6 p.m.

LOUISBURG       11      10      8      14 – 43

FRONTENAC      9       17     17       13 – 56

LOUISBURG (1-7): Madisen Simpson 5-17 0-0 13; Carson Buffington 3-3 0-0 6; Kennia Hankinson 2-10 0-0 6; Megan Lemke 2-9 0-0 5; Emalee Overbay 2-5 0-0 4; Ryan Caldwell 1-1 1-1 3; Isabelle Holtzen 1-9 0-2 2; Megan Roy 1-1 0-0 2; Bailey Kern 1-2 0-0 2. Totals: 16-58 1-3 43. 3-point field goals: 5, (Simpson 3, Hankinson 2).

Louisburg junior T.J. Dover drives to the basket for two points during the Wildcats’ game with Baldwin on Friday at Baldwin High School. Dover scored 13 points and pulled down seven rebounds in Louisburg’s 54-52 victory.

BALDWIN CITY – Just looking at the stats, the Louisburg boys basketball team probably should have lost Friday’s game with Baldwin.

The Wildcats committed 18 turnovers and converted just 8 of 30 free throws. Instead, they pulled out a 54-52 victory on the road at Baldwin High School because of something that didn’t show up in the stat sheet.

“It was heart, all heart,” Louisburg coach Jason Nelson said. “This is what I am proud about. This is the first time in three years that we didn’t have our best game, but we somehow had the wherewithal to win. It is what it is.

“We had 11 turnovers in the first half, which is not like us. We weren’t very good from the free-throw line, we are missing bunnies and it just wasn’t us. You saw glimpses of us pushing the ball and getting our secondary movements, but the kids battled. We have always had heart, but the heart is what won the game.”

The victory was big for the Wildcats as they moved their record (4-3) back above the .500 mark and they got contributions from everyone who saw the floor. Ten different players scored for Louisburg and it got some big free throws down the stretch.

Baldwin cut the Louisburg lead to two with a minute left in the game, but junior guard Sam Guetterman hit two free throws to keep the Bulldogs at bay.

Louisburg also had to overcome the shooting of Baldwin’s Jackson Barth who scored nine of his 17 points in the final quarter. Baldwin had one last shot to win or tie the game with four seconds left after a Guetterman free throw, but couldn’t get a good enough look.

Sophomore Ben Minster goes up for two points during the Wildcats’ game with Baldwin on Friday at Baldwin High School.

“We didn’t have our best game, but really everyone contributed to the win,” Nelson said. “When you look up and down the bench, that was as much of a team game as we can have.”

The Wildcats held the lead from the opening tip and actually got out to a fast start. Louisburg took a 15-5 lead in the first quarter thanks to several different players.

T.J. Dover, Grant Harding, Mitchell McLellan and Korbin Hankinson each scored baskets during the run and Guetterman converted a 3-point play.

Baldwin started to creep back into the game in the second quarter as it trimmed the Wildcat lead to 21-20 with two minutes left in the first half. Dover helped Louisburg expand its lead with a pair of baskets, along with scores from McLellan and Ben Minster to take a 29-20 halftime lead.

In the fourth quarter, Barth hit a basket for Baldwin to cut the Wildcat lead to one with five minutes left in the game, but Harding responded with a pair of free throws and Dover added a basket to push the lead back to five.

It was the second time the Wildcats defeated Baldwin this season, with the first time coming in the championship game of the Wildcat-Bulldog Classic in December. Louisburg won by 17 on that day, but Nelson is just happy to get a road win.

“This shows how far our team has come in the last few years,” Nelson said. “We didn’t play our best game by far, but we were able to win a league game on the road and that is big for us. We showed a lot of heart and I was proud we were able to pull out the win.”

Harding led the Wildcats in scoring with 14 points, four rebounds, three assists and two steals. Dover also finished in double figures with 13 points and had a team-high seven rebounds and three steals from the forward spot.

Louisburg will try for its second win a row tonight when it travels to Frontenac. Tipoff is set for approximately 7:30 p.m.

LOUISBURG                17           12           15           10 – 54

BALDWIN                    10           10           17           15 – 52

LOUISBURG (4-3): Grant Harding 5-11 4-7 14; T.J. Dover 6-8 1-5 13; Mitchell McLellan 3-5 0-2 6; Sam Guetterman 1-3 3-5 5; Jayce Geiman 2-3 0-2 4; Jacob Welsh 2-3 0-0 4; Alex Dunn 1-1 0-2 2; Ben Minster 1-1 0-1 2; Korbin Hankinson 1-2 0-2 2; Dalton Ribordy 1-1 0-4 2. Totals: 23-38 8-30 54. 3-point field goals: none

Louisburg guard Isabelle Holtzen goes up for a shot during Friday’s road contest against Baldwin. The Lady Cats fell 66-35 to the Bulldogs.

BALDWIN CITY – As Shawn Lowry walked out of the locker room following Friday’s game with Baldwin, he had a grin from ear to ear.

He couldn’t stop smiling.

By looking at him, no one could tell that his Louisburg girls basketball team had just lost 66-35 to the Bulldogs. No, it wasn’t about the score to Lowry or to the rest of his players.

It was about what the Lady Cats left on the court – nothing.

“Score isn’t even really an issue for me,” Lowry said. “For what they gave, I will take that any time, any day and with any team that I coach. I couldn’t have asked for them to give any more than what they just did. I loved it.”

Whether it was early in the game, or in the final seconds of their 31-point loss at Baldwin High School, the Lady Cats made Baldwin work for every point. With the game already out of reach in the fourth quarter, the Louisburg players found themselves on the floor for loose balls, going after rebounds – trying anything they could to get something positive to go their way.

The Lady Cats (1-6) also battled foul problems most of the game and had to go deep in their bench on several occasions. Those players did the same thing the starters did – they made things uncomfortable for Baldwin at times.

Senior Megan Roy gets on the floor for a loose ball during Friday’s contest with Baldwin at Baldwin High School.

Baldwin also did the same for Louisburg as the Lady Cats had to go up against a full-court press most of the night.

“That is one of the better pressure teams we will probably face this year,” Lowry said. “They are very quick and athletic. I saw Baldwin play earlier this year and they give everyone a hard time. We got a little wore down at the end, and foul trouble hurt us a little bit, but for what those kids gave, especially the younger ones and even the younger, younger ones. It was awesome.”

It wasn’t the best of starts for the Lady Cats as Baldwin displayed their athleticism early and they jumped out to a 9-0 lead two minutes into the contest. Louisburg didn’t back down, however, as it went on a mini 7-0 run of its own to cut the lead to two on a 3-pointer from Kennia Hankinson and baskets from Madisen Simpson and Isabelle Holtzen.

Baldwin brought the lead back out to 11 going into the second quarter and the Lady Cats had to deal with foul problems as starter Emalee Overbay had three fouls in the first quarter and three other players had two each.

Megan Lemke, Holtzen and Hankinson would also pick up their third foul in the second quarter and the Lady Cats were forced to go to their younger players as freshmen Julianne Finley and Bailey Kern each saw time, along with sophomore guard Lexie Reece.

Still, by the time halftime came around, the Lady Cats found themselves down just nine points.

“I will tell you this, everyone that sat up there and watched that game is talking about how tough those kids are,” Lowry said. “I just told the girls how proud I am of what they just gave. They never backed down and never quit playing. We were pressured the entire game, up until the last minute, which is fine by us. We showed a lot of toughness out there.”

A lot that toughness came in the rebounding department and from freshman Carson Buffington. The Louisburg forward pulled down a team-high 11 rebounds to go along with seven points and two steals.

Simpson led Louisburg in scoring with nine points, while Holtzen added seven points in the loss.

“This group is not done working and they showed that,” Lowry said. “That is what I love about this group. Carson Buffington is rebounding the ball like crazy and we are getting to balls that no one else wants to get after. It is really fun to coach that.”

Baldwin started to pull away from the Lady Cats in the third quarter as it went on an 11-2 run to take a 14-point lead going into the third quarter. Louisburg also lost starter Paige Buffington with an ankle and knee injury in the second half.

The Lady Cats continued to fight, but a deeper Baldwin team pulled away in the fourth quarter. Still, Louisburg gave it everything it had until the final buzzer.

“They had nothing left,” Lowry said. “It was great to see and I will take that any day of the week. They showed me a lot out there.”

Louisburg tries to get back on track tonight when it travels to Frontenac. Tipoff is set for 6 p.m.

LOUISBURG                11           11           8             5 – 35

BALDWIN                    22           9             18           17 – 66

LOUISBURG (1-6): Madisen Simpson 4-10 0-2 9; Carson Buffington 3-10 1-4 7; Isabelle Holtzen 2-7 3-6 7; Kennia Hankinson 1-11 0-0 3; Lexie Reece 1-1 1-2 3; Paige Buffington 1-4 0-1 2; Megan Roy 1-3 0-2 2; Emalee Overbay 1-4 0-2 2. Totals: 14-55 5-23 35. 3-point field goals: 2, (Hankinson, Simpson)