It was a tough season at times for the Louisburg basketball teams, but one Wildcat did get recognized by the Frontier League coaches.

All-Frontier League lists were released Sunday following the conclusion of the state tournament and senior Ashlyn Kuhlman earned a spot among the league’s best.

Kuhlman was an all-league honorable mention selection for the second year in a row as she led the Wildcats in three different statistical categories. 

The Louisburg senior averaged 10.3 points per game to lead the Wildcats and recorded a team-high five rebounds a contest. Kuhlman, who played mainly the guard spot, also tallied a team-best 41 blocks.

Baldwin led the way with five all-league spots. Spring Hill, who finished second in the Frontier League and fourth overall at the Class 5A state tournament, had four selections. Frontier League champion Eudora had three all-league honorees.

Spring Hill senior Sydney Buscher and junior Isla Herman, Eudora sophomore Brynn Deterding and freshman Avah Dye, along with Tonganoxie’s Alyssa Schoeneck were all named to the all-league first team.

As for the boys, Louisburg did not have a player selected to the 18-member all-league team. 

Ottawa, who took third at the Class 4A state tournament and was the Frontier League champion, led the way with four all-league selections.

Baldwin juniors Cooper Carr and Leo Schoenberger, Ottawa junior Aiden McCullough and sophomore Caleb Hepner, Bonner Springs junior Kelan Bruver and Spring Hill sophomore Jackson Bruce were all named to the first team. 

ALL-FRONTIER LEAGUE GIRLS BASKETBALL

FIRST TEAM

Isla Herman, Spring Hill, junior

Brynn Deterding, Eudora, sophomore

Avah Dye, Eudora, freshman

Alyssa Schoeneck, Tonganoxie, junior

Sydney Buscher, Spring Hill, senior

SECOND TEAM

Leah Askins-Dieterich, Ottawa, sophomore

Brylynn Wicker, Paola, senior

Izzy Brunkow, Eudora, sophomore

Chloe Neufeld, Baldwin, junior

Nya Anderson, Bonner Springs, junior

HONORABLE MENTION

Addy Thompson, Bonner Springs, junior

Chasitee Sambol, Bonner Springs, junior

Emmerson Nigh, Baldwin, sophomore

Lauren Berg, Baldwin, senior

Natalie Price, Ottawa, sophomore

Peyton Wright, Baldwin, sophomore

Addie Bond, Spring Hill, senior

Amaya Burris, Bonner Springs, junior

Aubrey Meder, Spring Hill, junior

Ashlyn Kuhlman, Louisburg, senior

Audrey Searl, Baldwin, sophomore

Addy Schooler, Tonganoxie, sophomore

ALL-FRONTIER LEAGUE BOYS BASKETBALL

FIRST TEAM

Cooper Carr, Baldwin, junior

Leo Schoenberger, Baldwin, junior

Kelan Gruver, Bonner Springs, junior

Aiden McCullough, Ottawa, junior

Caleb Hepner, Ottawa, sophomore

Jackson Bruce, Spring Hill, sophomore

SECOND TEAM

Jason Jones, Bonner Springs, junior

Carter Hepner, Ottawa, senior

Caden Cohee, Paola, senior

Ryan Osburn, Eudora, sophomore

Cash Schneider, Eudora, freshman

Lachlan McRae, Tonganoxie, junior

HONORABLE MENTION

Colton Collum, Baldwin, junior

Jaiden Jones, Bonner Springs, freshman

Errol Siemon, Eudora, senior

Jayce Mourning, Ottawa, sophomore

Micah Sanders, Paola, senior

Talon Langford, Tonganoxie, senior

EUDORA — The task was never going to be an easy one for the Louisburg girls basketball team.

The Wildcats, the No. 15 seed, had to travel to Frontier League champion, Eudora, for the first round of sub-state action. Louisburg held strong in the first half, but a difficult third quarter ended the Wildcats’ season in a 56-26 loss to the Cardinals. 

Eudora went on to defeat Wamego for the sub-state championship Saturday and advanced to the state tournament.

“Eudora is a great team and I wish them the best of luck at the state tournament,” Louisburg coach Adrianne Lane said. “I felt like we played hard against them and we never gave up.”

Louisburg battled in the first half, despite getting down 11 after the first quarter. The Wildcats were outscored just 12-9 in the second period and trailed 27-13 at halftime.

“We face-guarded two of their players and I thought the girls who face-guarded played their roles well,” Lane said. “The other 3 girls who were not face-guarding did a great job helping and playing man to man on the remaining players. Overall the girls did a great job playing a different defense and played together.”

Eudora found a way past that defense in the third quarter as it outscored Louisburg 20-4 to all but seal the win. The Cardinals helped get that lead thanks to their defense.

Eudora forced 20 Wildcat turnovers and turned those mistakes into 22 points. The Cardinals also shot 47 percent from the floor compared to just 25 for Louisburg.

Louisburg senior Ashlyn Kuhlman led the Wildcats in scoring with nine points to go along with eight rebounds. Junior Morgan Latham finished with six points.

It was also marked the end for seven Wildcats seniors as Jillian Asher, Ally Brown, Sabra Brueggen, Ashlyn Kuhlman, Sami Lane, Addy Stohs and Shylar Whiting all played their final game in a Louisburg uniform.

“This season was a fun season for the girls and our program,” coach Lane said. “I thought we played hard and battled in every game. Losing 7 seniors will be tough moving forward, but I know the seniors will all work hard to in their futures and I am excited to see where they go in life.

“The underclassmen I know will put in the work this summer and next fall to be ready to battle next year. I am excited to see what next year brings and excited for the younger girls to show their skills.”

LOU 4 9 4 9 — 26

EUD 15 12 20 9 — 56

LOUISBURG (5-16): Ashlyn Kuhlman 3-8 0-0 9; Morgan Latham 2-5 2-2 6; Sabra Brueggen 2-6 0-0 4; Ally Brown 1-7 0-0 3; McKenna Lohse 1-4 0-0 2; Sami Lane 1-5 0-0 2. Totals: 10-39 2-2 26. 3-point field goals: 4, (Kuhlman 3, Brown)

Here is the Louisburg Sports Zone Athlete of the Week for week 11 of the winter sports season, sponsored by Edward Jones and Craig Holtzen.

LUKE SCHULTZ, SENIOR, BASKETBALL

Louisburg senior Luke Schultz had a strong season for the Wildcat boys basketball team. Schultz led the team in scoring and rebounding for the 2024-25 campaign as one of the Wildcat post players. He averaged more than 10 points a game to go along with more than seven rebounds a contest. Schultz also scored 27 points during the Wildcats’ 3-game week to end their season.

During the season, Schultz recorded a 30-point performance in a win in January and also pulled down a team-high 18 rebounds in another contest. He shot 37 percent from the floor for the year.

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: Gavin Lohse

Week 2: Colin Brown

Week 3: Jay McCaskill

Week 4: Brayden Yoder

Week 5: Andrew Jamison

Week 6: Ashlyn Kuhlman

Week 7: Ashton Moore

Week 8: Brooklyn DeWeese

Week 9: Leola Eslinger

Week 10: Colton Prettyman

After a pair of rough losses earlier in the week, the Louisburg girls basketball team wanted to end its regular season the right way on Friday.

The Wildcats hosted rival Paola on Senior Night as they had a chance to honor their seven seniors. Unfortunately for the Wildcats, it wasn’t the way they wanted to send their seniors out.

Paola rallied past Louisburg with a late fourth quarter run and handed the Wildcats a 52-49 loss in their regular season finale. 

“Friday was a tough loss for our team,” Louisburg coach Adrianne Lane said. “We played hard and played well, but just came up short. Losing on Senior Night was not ideal, but I do feel like we played well and had a good game.”

Jillian Asher, Ally Brown, Sabra Brueggen, Ashlyn Kuhlman, Sami Lane, Addy Stohs and Shylar Whiting all played their final game on their home floor as many of those players have seen varsity time the last three seasons.

“This senior group has really been a huge part of this program the past four years,” coach Lane said. “They played varsity since they were sophomores and they have contributed and worked hard for the past three years. As sophomores they all worked hard to make the older girls better and they continued to work hard as juniors and seniors. It has been a lot of fun coaching them and I wish them all the best of luck in their futures.”

The Wildcats jumped out on the Panthers early as they opened the game on a 10-1 run and took a 15-11 lead going into the second. Louisburg led by just one going into halftime.

It was a one-possession game for much of the third quarter, but the Wildcats started to separate themselves again in the fourth quarter as they built a six-point lead with under four minutes left. 

Paola put one more run together as it outscored Louisburg 13-4 down the stretch. The Wildcats did have one last chance to tie the game with under 10 seconds left, but were unable to get a shot off.

The Wildcats had tough time containing Paola’s inside attack and it started with senior Brylynn Wicker. She led all scorers with 22 points and 14 rebounds.

“Wicker is a very active and physical player,” coach Lane said. “She does a great job scoring in the lane. I thought we did a good job guarding her in the second half. We tried to not let her catch the ball, and I thought Sabra did a good job guarding her.”

Kuhlman had a strong showing for the Wildcats in her final home game as the Louisburg guard was able to score on the inside. She finished with 18 points and also had nine rebounds to go along with four assists and three blocks.

Brueggen also had success in the paint for Louisburg as she tallied 13 points with five rebounds. Asher was third on the team in scoring with seven.

Brown led the Wildcat offense with five assists to go along with four rebounds and also had two steals and two blocked shots.

As much success as the Wildcats had on the inside, they struggled from the outside as they were just 1-for-12 from behind the 3-point line. They were also 10-for-23 from the free-throw line.

Louisburg begins postseason play Wednesday as it travels to No. 2 Eudora for the first round of sub-state. Tipoff is set for 7 p.m.

“Eudora is a great team,” coach Lane said. “They are fast and have several great players in their program.”

LOU 15 9 11 14 — 49

PAO 11 12 13 16 — 52

LOUISBURG (5-15): Ashlyn Kuhlman 5-16 8-10 18; Sabra Brueggen 6-10 1-5 13; Jillian Asher 3-7 0-0 7; McKenna Lohse 2-2 0-4 4; Ally Brown 1-6 1-2 3; Shylar Whiting 1-1 0-0 2; Sami Lane 1-6 0-0 2. Totals: 19-51 10-23 49. 3-point field goals: 1, (Asher)

Wildcats fall to Eudora, Blue Valley Southwest

It wasn’t the best start for the Louisburg girls in what was a busy week for the Wildcats. 

They played three games in four days and it started on Feb. 25 when the Wildcats traveled to Blue Valley Southwest. The Class 5A program used a big second quarter to pull away from Louisburg for a 72-33 win.

The Timberwolves outscored the Wildcats 25-4 in the second quarter to pull away for the victory.

Ashlyn Kuhlman led Louisburg in scoring with 13 points, while Morgan Latham and Sami Lane scored six and five points, respectively.

Then, on Feb. 26, the Wildcats hosted No. 3-ranked Eudora in a make-up game and the Cardinals showed why they are one of the top teams in the state. Eudora held Louisburg scoreless in the first half and handed the Wildcats a 42-10 loss.

Sabra Brueggen led Louisburg in scoring with four points.

LOU 0 0 5 5 — 10

EUD 12 10 14 6 — 42

LOUISBURG: Sabra Brueggen 1-6 2-4 4; Ellia Gibbons 1-1 0-0 3; McKenna Lohse 1-4 0-0 2; Jillian Asher 0-4 1-2 1. Totals: 3-38 3-8 10. 3-point field goals: 1, (Gibbons)

LOU 14 4 8 7 — 33

BVSW 22 25 15 10 — 72

LOUISBURG: Ashlyn Kuhlman 4-12 3-4 13; Morgan Latham 2-7 2-2 6; Sami Lane 2-5 0-0 5; McKenna Lohse 2-3 0-0 4; Kinley Scott 1-1 1-1 3; Sabra Brueggen 1-3 0-2 2. Totals: 12-43 6-9 33. 3-point field goals: 3, (Kuhlman 2, Lane)

The emotions were all over the place Friday for the Louisburg boys basketball team.

Not only was it Senior Night against one of their rivals in Paola, but the Wildcats were coming off a buzzer-beating loss two days earlier that all but ended their hopes of making the state playoffs.

Still, they wanted nothing more than to end their season with a win. Unfortunately for the Wildcats, Paola pulled away as it scored 21 third quarter points and handed Louisburg a 53-47 loss on Senior Night.

It was also the final game for five Wildcat seniors in Myles Vohs, Luke Schultz, Gavin Lohse, Billy Vohs and Will Goode.

“I thought they did a really good job because it was just so heartbreaking what happened on Wednesday,” Louisburg coach Ben Doll said. “The goal on Friday was to start and play those five seniors a lot and those guys did a really good job playing together. They executed a lot of stuff, hit some shots and we had a lead through a big portion of the game. Billy, who hadn’t played a lot of minutes before Friday, did a really good job and was happy for all them to be able to play together and play well for most of the game.”

The Wildcats (3-17) just couldn’t get much going offensively, but did take a 22-21 lead at halftime. The Panthers caught fire in the third quarter and Louisburg couldn’t recover as they shot just 27 percent for the game.

“It was just the story of our season,” Doll said .”We weren’t the greatest shooting team and we missed a lot of things around the basket and that is a big difference between winning and losing. That was definitely evident in that game. I thought our defense was pretty good. We got into some foul trouble, but still we had some other guys fill in and did a solid job overall, especially at the end.”

Louisburg jumped out strong on Paola as it took at 13-5 lead after one quarter and held on for the 1-point halftime lead. The Panthers outscored Louisburg 21-12 in the third quarter to pull away.

Myles Vohs led the Wildcats on both ends of the floor as he scored a team-high 12 points to go along with six steals. He also had four rebounds and three assists.

Schultz added nine points in the loss, while junior Derek Frederick added eight. Lohse and Goode each had seven points, while Lohse had a team-high nine rebounds and Goode had seven.

It was a senior class that Doll has gotten to know quite a bit in his two years as head coach.

“Gavin, Luke and Myles played a lot of minutes, not just this year, but last year as well,” Doll said. “They provided a lot to our team and I’m definitely going to miss those guys. All those seniors brought important things to our program that we needed. The wins and losses really didn’t go the way we wanted them to this season, but the four seniors that were there with us all season were always ready to go at practice. We lost some close games in the last week of the season, but those guys gave us the opportunity to get us where we needed to go. We just fell short in these last few.”

LOU 13 9 12 13 — 47

PAO 5 16 21 11 — 53

LOUISBURG (3-17): Myles Vohs 5-13 2-5 12; Luke Schultz 1-8 6-10 9; Derek Frederick 2-4 2-2 8; Gavin Lohse 2-6 3-4 7; Will Goode 2-6 2-4 7; Billy Vohs 1-7 0-0 3; Lance Callahan 0-1 1-3 1. Totals: 14-47 16-28 47. 3-point field goals: 5, (Frederick 2, B. Vohs, Goode, Schultz) 

Wildcats fall at the buzzer to Eudora

The Louisburg boys needed a win last Wednesday against Eudora in the worst way.

The Wildcats found themselves on the outside looking when it came to the playoffs and they had to beat the Cardinals to give themselves a reasonable shot.

Louisburg was right where it wanted to be as it held a 2-point lead with less than five seconds left. It turned out to be too much time for Eudora.

The Cardinals passed the ball up the court and Ryan Osburn hit a running 3-pointer that banked off the backboard and went in as Eudora handed Louisburg a tough 47-46 loss at the buzzer.

“It was a big blow and was incredibly deflating for everyone involved,” Louisburg coach Ben Doll said. “We had chances all through the game to give ourselves more of cushion than just a two point game there at the end. Crazy things can happen in that situation and you see it at all levels of basketball.

“You look back and wonder what you could have different at the end of the game, but there were so many other opportunities earlier as well that would have put us in a better spot,” Doll said. 

Louisburg found itself down most of the second half, but made big plays in the fourth quarter to take the lead, including a 3-point play from Luke Schultz and an acrobatic drive by Myles Vohs to put the Wildcats up 37-36.

Eudora came back to take a 40-37 advantage, but Vohs tied it with a 3-pointer. Gavin Lohse and Derek Frederick each hit a pair of free throws to put Louisburg 46-42.

With under 30 seconds left, Eudora scored on a second chance opportunity to make it 46-44. The Cardinals got the ball with another chance to tie or take the lead, but missed two shots and had to foul with 4.9 seconds left.

The Wildcats couldn’t take advantage at the line as they missed both chances, which gave Eudora one last opportunity that it would convert.

The Wildcats played another close game the day before against Blue Valley Southwest, but lost 55-47 to the Class 5A program.

Louisburg used a 13-4 third quarter to get back in the game and take a 40-36 lead,  but Southwest went on a 17-7 run in the fourth quarter to pull away.

Will Goode led the Wildcats with a double-double of 17 points and 13 rebounds. Luke Schultz and Gavin Lohse each tallied nine points and Schultz had seven rebounds. Myles Vohs had eight points and three assists.

LOU 8 10 12 16 — 46

EUD 7 15 12 13 — 47

LOUISBURG: Myles Vohs 6-12 3-4 16; Gavin Lohse 3-7 5-6 11; Luke Schultz 3-8 2-3 9; Lance Callahan 2-6 0-0 6; Derek Frederick 0-5 2-2 2; Will Goode 1-6 0-2 2. Totals: 15-47 12-17 46. 3-point field goals: 4, (Callahan 2, Vohs, Schultz)

LOU 17 10 13 7 — 47

BVSW 18 16 4 17 — 55

LOUISBURG: Will Goode 7-15 2-2 17; Gavin Lohse 3-9 3-6 9; Luke Schultz 3-7 3-4 9; Myles Vohs 3-14 1-1 8; Derek Frederick 1-4 0-0 2; Lance Callahan 1-3 0-0 2. Totals: 18-54 9-13 47. 3-point field goals: 2, (Vohs, Goode)

SPRING HILL — For most of the season, the Louisburg boys basketball team hasn’t been able to put their full team on the floor, whether due to injury or illness.

It has been a tough stretch at times for the Wildcats to battle through and Louisburg was faced with that again on Feb. 14 when they traveled to Spring Hill.

Louisburg was without one of its top scorers and rebounders in senior Gavin Lohse, while another senior, Luke Schultz was limited with an injury himself. 

Still, the Wildcats made the best of a tough situation as they fought the Broncos on their home floor, but fell short in a 57-41 loss. 

“Yes, being without Gavin again put us in a bind,” Louisburg coach Ben Doll said. “He has been our most consistent producer in the games he has played, but just snake bitten with injuries and other stuff all season. Luke wasn’t 100 percent but did a great job with some scoring and on the glass.”

Louisburg got out to a good start as it took a 13-12 lead after one quarter and trailed by just one points at halftime. Unfortunately, the Broncos picked up the pace offensively as they outscored Louisburg 34-19 in the second half, including a 17-7 run in the fourth to pull away.

Wildcat senior point guard Myles Vohs led the way for Louisburg with a team-high 11 points and also had seven rebounds and three assists. Schultz also had 10 points to go along with six rebonds. 

The Wildcats (3-14) did get some reinforcements however as senior Will Goode played his first game for Louisburg as a late season transfer. Goode, a 6-foot-10 forward, will give the Wildcats a boost they need on the inside as he led the team with nine rebounds to go along with seven points.

“Adding Will into the mix really helped that night,” Doll said. “We made things basic and let him try to fit in the best he could. It is unusual to get a transfer that can play right away this late in the season, but we believe he will help us a lot, especially when Gavin is in the lineup.”

Louisburg will try and get back on the winning track Tuesday as the Wildcats travel to Blue Valley Southwest. Tipoff is set for 7 p.m.

LOU 13 9 12 7 — 41

SH 12 11 17 17 — 57

LOUISBURG (3-14): Myles Vohs 3-11 4-4 11; Luke Schultz 4-9 0-0 10; William Goode 3-12 1-1 7; Derek Frederick 2-7 0-0 6; Ethan Kush 2-7 0-0 5; Owen Marsh 1-2 0-0 2. Totals: 15-48 5-5 41. 3-point field goals: 6, (Frederick 2, Schultz 2, Vohs, Kush)

SPRING HILL — The Louisburg girls basketball team put together one of their better offensive showings of the season on Feb. 14

The Wildcats shot better than 43 percent from the floor and knocked down 10 3-pointers. Unfortunately, it wasn’t quite good enough against one of the Frontier League’s top teams. 

Louisburg ventured to Spring Hill, and while the Wildcats shot well, they couldn’t keep up with a bigger Bronco team in a 72-60 loss.

“I thought overall we played Spring Hill tougher than the first time we played them,” Louisburg coach Adrianne Lane said. “I felt like we gave them a great game.”

The Wildcats (5-12) played right with Spring Hill (14-2) for much of the first half and trailed just 31-26 at halftime. 

Louisburg couldn’t keep Spring Hill off the glass as the Broncos pulled down 24 offensive rebounds, which led to 21 second chance points.

A bulk of those points and rebounds came from Spring Hill senior Sydney Buscher, who scored a game-high 27 points and had 11 rebounds. Buscher also scored her 1,000th career point in the second half.

“Spring Hill is a great rebounding team,” Lane said. “They are tough and they outsize us at every position, so rebounding is always hard when we play them. Sydney is a great all-around player and she is very hard to keep off the glass and she does a great job reading the rebounds.”

Despite all that, the Wildcats still tried to keep pace with the Broncos from behind the 3-point arch and Louisburg senior Ashlyn Kuhlman was a big part of that.

Kulhman scored a team-high 19 points, which included five 3-pointers, and also had a team-high five rebounds. 

Junior McKenna Lohse was second on the team with nine points, while junior Morgan Latham finished with eight. Senior Ally Brown also had eight points and a team-high two steals.

Seniors Sabra Brueggen and Sami Lane had seven and six points, respectively, while senior Jillian Asher led the team with four assists.

Louisburg will have a busy final week with three games and that begins Tuesday with an out-of-league game against Blue Valley Southwest. Tipoff is set for 5:30 p.m.

LOU 12 14 18 16 — 60

SH 19 12 22 19 — 72

LOUISBURG (5-12): Ashlyn Kuhlman 7-19 0-0 19; McKenna Lohse 3-5 3-4 9; Morgan Latham 4-8 0-1 8; Ally Brown 3-5 0-0 8; Sabra Brueggen 2-6 3-4 7; Sami Lane 2-5 0-0 6; Jillian Asher 1-3 0-0 3. Totals: 22-51 6-9 60. 3-point field goals: 10, (Kuhlman 5, Lane 2, Brown 2, Asher)

TONGANOXIE — For three quarters, the Louisburg girls basketball team was well on its way to a fourth straight victory. 

Louisburg took an 8-point lead — its biggest of the game — going into the fourth quarter and had a chance to avenge a loss from earlier in the season.

Tonganoxie had other ideas as the Chieftains went on a big run in the final period and handed the Wildcats a 42-39 loss. The Chieftains went on an 18-3 run to begin the fourth quarter and took a 7-point lead midway through the fourth.

The Wildcats did battle back and cut the deficit to one with under 30 seconds left, but couldn’t get over the hump.

“Losing to Tongie was tough,” Louisburg coach Adrianne Lane said. “We had a very hard time guarding their quick guards and rebounding versus their tall players. This loss was hard because we had a pretty good lead going into the fourth quarter and I felt like we should have gotten that win.”

Louisburg had a tough time slowing down Tonganoxie guard Alyssa Schoeneck, who was a big reason for the Chieftains’ comeback.

Schoeneck scored 16 of her game-high 26 points in the fourth quarter and the Wildcats didn’t have much of an answer. She also pulled down a game-high 10 rebounds.

“She is a great player,” Lane said of Schoeneck. “She is super quick, she does a great job finishing in the lane, and she is a great shooter. She was also very active on the boards in the fourth quarter. She is hard to guard. Her first step is super quick and she finished well in the lane even with pressure on her.”

For the first half, the Wildcat defense held strong as it held the Chieftains to just 13 first half points and just 20 points through three quarters.

Offensively, the Wildcats couldn’t take advantage and build a big lead as they were up just 17-13 at halftime, but did eventually take an 8-point lead late in the third. Louisburg shot 20 percent from the field.

The Wildcats had success getting the ball inside, especially in the first half. Junior McKenna Lohse provided Louisburg with a nice scoring punch inside as she scored 11 points and had six rebounds.

Senior Ashlyn Kuhlman led the Wildcats in scoring with 12 points and had five rebounds, while senior Sami Lane was next with five points. 

Senior Sabra Brueggen led Louisburg with nine rebounds on the night and senior Ally Brown had a team-high three steals. Seniors Jillian Asher and Shylar Whiting had six and five rebounds, respectively.

“I felt like we did a good job taking care of the basketball when we were pressured throughout the game,” coach Lane said. “We also did a good job running the floor and scoring some transition points early in the game.”

Louisburg will try and bounce back tonight when it travels to Spring Hill. Tipoff is set for 6 p.m.

LOU 7 10 11 11 — 39

TON 6 7 7 22 — 42

LOUISBURG (5-11): Ashlyn Kuhlman 3-12 4-6 12; McKenna Lohse 4-7 3-4 11; Sami Lane 2-4 0-0 5; Sabra Brueggen 0-9 4-8 4; Jillian Asher 1-5 0-0 3; Morgan Latham 0-4 2-2 2; Shylar Whiting 1-6 0-0 2. Totals: 11-54 13-20 39. 3-point field goals: 4, (Kuhlman 2, Asher, Lane)

TONGANOXIE — Tuesday’s road contest at Tonganoxie was an important one for the Louisburg boys basketball team.

Not only would a win stop a four-game losing streak, but it would give the Wildcats a leg up on getting into the state playoffs. Both teams had the same amount of wins and are vying for spots in the top 16.

Neither of those came to fruition for Louisburg. Tonganoxie used a big third quarter to separate itself and hand Louisburg a 55-48 loss.

Tonganoxie earned its fourth win of the season, while the Wildcats are 3-13 with four games remaining and a game back of earning a playoff spot.

Of all things, it was the free-throw line that made a big difference in the game as Tonganoxie made 18 of 25 attempts to just 8 of 13 for Louisburg.

“That was a tough one due to the substate standings and the fact that we had plenty of chances to win the game,” Louisburg coach Ben Doll said. “In the end we just fouled too much. They took 25 free throws to our 13. That makes a big difference in a tight game.”

Louisburg got out to a good start as it scored 17 points in the first quarter and held a one-point lead at halftime. It was the third quarter where the Chieftains began to pull away.

Tonganoxie outscored Louisburg 19-10 in that third period as the Wildcat struggled to get much going offensively. The Wildcats shot 30 percent from the floor, compared to 50 percent for Tonganoxie.

The Wildcats were also down starter Luke Schultz, one of the team’s top rebounders and scorers, as he was out with an injury. 

Senior Gavin Lohse tried to fill that void for the Wildcats as he made it tough on the Chieftains with a team-high 13 points and 18 rebounds.

Unlike the first matchup between the two teams, the Wildcats were just 4-for-24 from behind-the-arch as they couldn’t get those shots to fall from the outside. 

Senior Ethan Kush, who started in place of Schultz, made two 3’s and finished with eight points. Senior Myles Vohs and junior Derek Frederick also each scored eight and each had a team-high four assists.

“Gavin had another strong night for us in the paint and grabbing rebounds,” Doll said. “He was a warrior for sure. Also, it was nice to see Ethan Kush hit a couple big shots from 3 when we needed them.”

Louisburg will try and break that losing skid Friday when it travels to Spring Hill in another Frontier League matchup. Tipoff is set for 7:30 p.m.

LOU 17 9 10 12 — 48

TON 14 11 19 11 — 55

LOUISBURG (3-13): Gavin Lohse 6-11 1-2 13; Derek Frederick 4-9 0-0 8; Myles Vohs 2-10 3-4 8; Ethan Kush 3-10 0-1 8; Billy Vohs 1-4 0-0 3; John Guetterman 0-1 3-4 3; Owen Marsh 1-8 1-2 3; Lance Callahan 1-5 0-0 2. Totals: 18-60 8-13 48. 3-point field goals: 4, (Kush 2, B. Vohs, M. Vohs)

If you were to look at the stat sheet, the Louisburg girls had one of their tougher shooting performances of the season.

The Wildcats shot just 22 percent for the game and trailed Ottawa for much of the night Friday during Louisburg’s homecoming contest. Not exactly the recipe for success.

They needed a spark.

Louisburg got it from many different players as the Wildcats pulled away in the fourth quarter to get a 46-40 win over the Cyclones and avenged a loss from earlier in the season. 

Whether it was a 3-point shot, a big rebound, a steal or making key free throws, the Wildcats got production from several different players.

It was also the third straight victory for the Wildcats (5-10) and they have also won four of their last five games.

“I think this win was the biggest of the season so far,” Louisburg coach Adrianne Lane said. “I feel like this will help the girls see what they are capable of as a team and this will also help their confidence moving forward.”

Ottawa held the lead for the entire first half, but the Wildcats were able to jump in front late in the third quarter. Senior Jillian Asher knocked down a 3-pointer with just over a minute left in the third to give Louisburg its first lead at 32-29.

The Cyclones didn’t back down as sophomore Leah Askins-Dietrich put her team on her back and led them on a 9-2 run into the fourth quarter that gave them the lead back at 38-34.

Louisburg senior Ally Brown hit a 3-pointer with 5 minutes left to cut the Ottawa lead to one and start a Wildcat run. Asher then nailed a 3 of her own with 4:32 left to put Louisburg up 40-38 and the Wildcats wouldn’t relinquish the lead.

Brown and Asher scored eight and seven points, respectively in the game, and all came in the second half. 

“The shooting was great in the second half and we hit the shots that we needed to,” Lane said. “Ally and Jill’s confidence really showed when they were finishing their shots down the stretch.”

The Wildcat defense held strong as they allowed just two points in the final four minutes. 

“We did have a rough start, but I felt like our defense kept us in the game and we came out the second half running a different play and having girls play in different positions, and the girls capitalized on this,” Lane said. “We did a great job rebounding offensively second half and keeping the ball alive, and our second effort was fantastic.”

Ottawa was forced to foul down 41-38, and was called for an intentional foul, which gave Louisburg free throws and the ball. 

Senior Ashlyn Kuhlman stepped to the foul line and made of 5 of 6 attempts in the final 40 seconds to help give the Wildcats the victory. Kuhlman also scored in double figures for the game with 12 points, including 8-for-9 from the line.

“Free-throws win games and we had some big ones to go ahead in the fourth quarter,” Lane said. “Kenna (Lohse) hit two big ones to tie us up in the third. Jill hit one big one to put us up by 3 and Ashlyn finished the game by making several at the end. Great effort by all of them.”

Another senior, Sabra Brueggen was an important piece on the inside for Louisburg as she scored a team-high 14 points and seven rebounds. She was also 6-for-9 from the free-throw line.

Senior Sami Lane was all over the floor for the Wildcats as she led the way with a team-high nine rebounds and also paced Louisburg with three assists.

“Sabra and Sami both had a great game for us as well,” coach Lane said. “These two kept the ball alive on several different occasions and gave us second chances to score.”

The Wildcats also put together a strong effort on defense as they held Ottawa to just 29 percent shooting. Senior Shylar Whiting had a team-high four steals on the night and Brown had two.

Louisburg will try to make it four in a row Tuesday as the Wildcats travel to Tonganoxie. Tipoff is set for 6 p.m.

LOU 4 12 16 14 — 46

OTT 12 8 11 9 — 40

LOUISBURG (5-10): Sabra Brueggen 4-11 6-9 14; Ashlyn Kuhlman 2-15 8-9 12; Ally Brown 3-7 0-0 8; Jillian Asher 2-7 1-2 7; Sami Lane 1-3 0-0 3; McKenna Lohse 0-3 2-2 2. Totals: 12-53 17-24 46.  3-point field goals: 5, (Asher 2, Brown 2, Lane)