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)

LENEXA — Colin Brown was all about making school history Saturday at the Class 5-1A Kansas State Swim and Dive Championships.

Brown became the first Louisburg swimmer in school history to win a state title and did so by winning the 100-yard butterfly. Some athletes would have been content with just the one, but not Brown.

The Louisburg junior took to the water again in the 100 backstroke and won his second state title in a matter of minutes. It was also his fourth state medal of the day, which included a pair of relays.

“It was a surreal experience and an incredible honor,” Brown said. “It was really cool to see all of the hard work and countless hours pay off. It also gave me a sense of pride knowing that I was representing the school while doing so.”

That was the some of the success the Louisburg swim team had at the Shawnee Mission School District Aquatic Center. The Wildcats medaled in six events and finished seventh in the team standings with just four swimmers. 

Louisburg junior Andrew Jamison also tallied four medals as made his way to the state podium in the 200 individual medley, 100 breaststroke and two relays. Senior Colton Prettyman and sophomore Noah Sharp joined the other Wildcats as state medalists in the relays.

The Wildcats also broke seven school records in the process, whether in the finals or in the prelims on Friday.

For Brown, his best swims came on Saturday as he dominated the field in the 100 butterfly. Brown won the state championship by more than two seconds with a school record time of 51.08.

It was another dominating performance in the 100 backstroke as Brown won in another school record time of 53.26 seconds to find his way atop the state podium once again.

“My expectations going into the season were to win the 100 fly and medal in the 100 back,” Brown said. “If you were to tell me in August that I had the times I had, and placed first in both events, I would’ve laughed at you. But as I got closer to state I started to gain more confidence in myself, and I believe that also a big factor in the success I had this season.”

As for Jamison, he medaled third in the 200 individual medley in 2:02.09 and set the school record the day before in the prelims in 2:01.55.

In the 100 breaststroke, Jamison had another great outing as he took fourth in 1:01.60. He also broke the school record the day before in the prelims in 1:01.49.

“It felt pretty good to move up in the placement and medal again just like last year,” Jamison said “I felt my prelims swims were better than my finals swims, but overall I am pleased.

“This year has been a little tough with my times. I wasn’t able to go any personal bests during the regular season but going best times at state made it all worth it. I am looking forward to next season hopefully placing even higher on the podium and lowering the school records even more.”

The Wildcats nearly had a third state title to their resume as Brown, Jamison, Prettyman and Sharp swam the 200 medley relay and finished as a state runner-up in the event. The broke their school record time of 1:39.17 to take second, just behind Wichita Collegiate who was first in 1:38.82.

The Louisburg quartet were involved in another tight race, this time in the 200 freestyle relay. The Wildcats finished in a tie for third with Kapaun Mt. Carmel in a new school record time of 1:30.36.

“It was pretty exciting medaling in both relays this year, proving our progress,” Jamison said. “Being up there with the best of the best was also very exciting and getting to represent Louisburg at such a high level is also a big honor.”

Prettyman swam in a pair of consolation finals and broke a school record in one of them. The Louisburg senior took in 12th in the 500 freestyle in a new school best of 5:19.20.

He also competed in the 100 butterfly and finished 12th in 56.87 seconds.

Sharp qualified for the consolation finals in the 100 freestyle in 51.96 seconds.

ALTAMONT — In a day full of competition, five Louisburg wrestlers saw their season extended for another week. 

Ashton Moore and Brayden Yoder earned regional titles Saturday at the Class 4A regional tournament Saturday at Labette County High School, while Mika McKitrick, Canaan Clayton and Levi Cotter all punched their tickets as well to the state tournament.

In a day full of ups and downs, Louisburg coach Bobby Bovaird was happy to see those five move on to the final week of the season.

“Regionals is always a tournament where we experience the highest of highs and the lowest of lows,” Bovaird said. “Seeing kids like Mika, Brayden and Levi qualify after having such awesome seasons was awesome to witness. The guys who did make it through to state earned their way, and I’m so excited for how they get to end their season this weekend in Salina.”

Maybe no one had a better day than Yoder, who came in as the No. 5 seed in the 190-pound bracket and upset his way to a regional crown.

Yoder (34-10) opened the tournament with a 4-1 decision over Frontenac’s Alonzo Burke and then squared off with Chanute’s Cade Small, who was also the tournament’s No. 1 seed.

The Louisburg senior jumped out to an early 3-point lead on a takedown in the semifinals and held off Small for a 4-2 decision to earn his first-ever state berth. It was also a big win for Yoder in the rankings as Small was No. 4 in the state.

“Qualifying for state was my main goal going into the regional tournament,” Yoder said. “I had gotten so close in years past so to be able to finally reach that milestone, especially in such a big way, was really special.”

That one win wasn’t enough for Yoder, however. He squared off with Paola’s Maxwell Worden for the regional championship. Worden knocked off Yoder in the Frontier League title match two weeks earlier, but Yoder got the best of him this time in a 13-6 decision to win his first regional title.

It was a special moment, not only for Yoder, but also for his teammates, including Moore.

“Watching Brayden win his own regional title was probably my favorite part of the whole tournament,” Moore said. “We’ve been practice partners since third grade, so me and Brayden have gotten to be really close. Everyday I see the hard work and dedication he put into it. So, to see all that pay off at the perfect time was awesome.”

Last season, both Moore and Yoder were in opposite weight classes. Moore was 190 and Yoder was forced to wrestle at 215, while giving up a good amount of weight. The two have flipped this season and the change has been a perfect fit for the both of them.

“I think wrestling 215 last year really just taught me how to deal with adversity,” Yoder said. “Giving up the amount of weight that I did was definitely a challenge. Still, I prided myself on working hard despite my struggles, so to finally see my efforts pay off is a really gratifying feeling.”

As for Moore, he came into Saturday’s tournament as the No. 1 seed at 215 pounds and the favorite to win it. The Louisburg senior, and No. 2 ranked wrestler in the state handled his business with a 4-0 record and three pins.

Moore (38-2) opened the tournament with a pin of Iola’s Alston Nelson and did the same in the quarterfinals against Chanute’s Karter Naff. He got a test in the semifinals against Columbus’ Kash Smith.

It was a close match into the third period, but Moore was able to get the pin late in the match to move onto the finals. It was there where he met Prairie View’s Parker Schwarz for the third time this season and Moore earned the 4-1 decision for the regional title.

“I was super grateful to win my first regional championship,” Moore said. “Being at different regionals throughout high school, it’s always been a big deal to me watching the guys in the championship compete, so to be the one there winning it this year was a great feeling.  Overall I feel like I wrestled solid on Saturday. I got to wrestle several guys I haven’t seen before and I think that was a great opportunity to feel out some of the other competition.”

McKitrick (32-15), who wrestled at 132 pounds, qualified for his first state tournament and overcame some early adversity to do it. The Louisburg senior was pinned in his first round match after taking an early lead.

He worked his way through the back side of the bracket as he rattled off four consecutive wins, including a pin of Osawatomie’s Dayne Odgen in his blood round match. He then earned a technical fall over Girard’s Gage Short in his third place match to avenge his lone loss of the day.

As for Clayton (24-15), he earned a second straight trip to the state tourney. At 120 pounds, he went 2-2 on the day, but won his consolation semifinals match with a 7-2 decision over Parsons’ Mario Zacarias to punch his ticket.

In the third place match, Clayton battled Osawatomie’s Caden Peterson, but was pinned.

Cotter was the lone underclassman to qualify for state as he took fourth at 106 pounds. Cotter (34-12) advanced to the semifinals, where he lost by pin to Paola’s Sawyer Blue.

In his blood round match, Cotter earned a second period pin of Coffeyville’s Jarvis Hall to qualify for state. In the third place match, he lost a 15-8 decision to Prairie View’s Ryan Nickell.

“Levi has been a strong wrestler for us over the last couple seasons, and I’m so happy that he made it to state,” Bovaird said. “He’s the kind of wrestler who got a later start in the sport, but he’s making huge strides to catch up with the kids who’ve been wrestling a long time. He’s so strong on his feet, and that nearly got him into the finals. Canaan has been such a great addition to the program. I’ve coached him since he started the sport with our club years ago, and to see him earn his way to become a 2-time state qualifier is an awesome thing. 

“Mika had a heartbreaking loss in the quarterfinals to a Girard kid he’d beaten earlier in the season. That made his road to state a little more difficult, but along the way he got a revenge win against an Osawatomie wrestler and then a rematch in the consolation finals against the Girard kid. This time, he put aside all doubt with another revenge win.”

Even with all the good news, several Wildcats saw their seasons come to a close. Senior Jay McCaskill, junior Vance Hahn and freshman Parker Showalter all made it to the blood round, but finished one win short of state.

It was especially for tough for McCaskill, who was trying to qualify for his third straight state tourney, but ended his Wildcat career in a tough 165-pound bracket.

“Jay got hurt with a serious ankle sprain in the league finals,” Bovaird said. “We were worried that it might have been something worse, but thankfully we got good news from his doctor. He worked his way back to as strong a place as he could get over the last two weeks, but that sprain was still something nagging at him. 

“Jay has had a very successful career with the program — a 100-match winner, having two 30-win seasons, and a 2-time state qualifier. The other two years he didn’t qualify, he was in the blood round and so close. He’s been a workhorse for us, and a silent leader. Talk about a heartbreaking end to his career. I feel horrible for him, but I hope he knows that we are so proud and he is going to have a whole lot more success in his life beyond the mat.”

Now those five Wildcats will prepare for the state tournament this week that begins at 9 a.m. Friday morning in Salina. The double elimination tournament runs through Saturday.

“This tournament is always one of the most exciting events of the season, and I’m looking forward to seeing our wrestlers leave it all on the mat,” Bovaird said. “Every year, I remind myself to take in these moments and appreciate the hard work and dedication that goes into getting here. It’s a special experience, and this one, in particular, feels even more meaningful.”

Here is the Louisburg Sports Zone Athlete of the Week for week 10 of the winter sports season, sponsored by Landmark National Bank.

COLTON PRETTYMAN, SENIOR, BOYS SWIM

Louisburg senior Colton Prettyman went out in style in his final meet as a Wildcat swimmer. Prettyman left the Class 5-1A state meet Saturday with a pair of state medals as he helped two relays reach the podium. Prettyman, along with Colin Brown, Andrew Jamison and Noah Sharp, finished as the state runner-up in the 200-yard medley relay in a new school record time of 1:39.17. In the 200 freestyle relay, the same four swimmers finished in a tie for third to earn a state medal in another school record time of 1:30.36.

Individually, Prettyman made the state consolation finals in both the 100 butterfly and 500 freestyle. In the freestyle, Prettyman finished 12th overall but set a new school record time of 5:19.20. He also took 12th in the butterfly in 56.87 seconds.

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

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)

OSAWATOMIE — The Osawatomie-Paola-Louisburg-Spring Hill boys swim team has already had a memorable 2024-25 season with several state qualifications and meet victories.

The Miami County team added to its list of accomplishments Friday as it hosted the Independent League meet. The team took care of business as it earned its third consecutive league championship.

In the 6-team meet, Osawatomie-Paola-Louisburg-Spring Hill cruised to the title with 482 points. Independence was second with 353 points and Fort Scott was third with 319.

It also served as Senior Night for the Miami County team as it honored its four seniors — Louisburg’s Colton Prettyman and Nathaniel Phillis and Osawatomie’s Eric Zhang and Spring Hill’s Hayden Thomason.

On the Louisburg side, the Wildcats earned six individual league championships thanks to Prettyman, Colin Brown and Andrew Jamison. 

Prettyman won the 50-yard freestyle in 23.48 seconds and later took first the 500 freestyle in 5 minutes and 24.85 seconds.

As for Brown, he won the league title in the 100 butterfly in 54.44 seconds and finished first in the 100 backstroke in 56.35 seconds.

Jamison also won a pair of league crowns. His first came in the 200 individual medley where he won in a season-best time of 2:05.87. Jamison later took the gold in the 100 breaststroke in 1:04.66.

Louisburg sophomore Brock Delmez earned a pair of runner-up finishes in the 200 individual medley and 500 freestyle. Sophomore Noah Sharp medaled third in the 100 freestyle and third in the 100 backstroke.

Wildcat freshman Bennett Mendez medaled second in the 200 freestyle and fifth in the 100 butterfly.

In the relays, the Wildcats were a part of winning league titles in all three races. 

Brown, Jamison, Thomason and Paola’s Landen Terflinger won the 200 medley relay going away in 1:48.31. Jamison, Prettyman, Terflinger and Spring Hill’s Tag Solberg took first in the 200 freestyle relay in 1:38.14. 

Prettyman, Delmez, Sharp and Brown ended the meet with a victory in the 400 freestyle relay in 4:01.

Brown, Jamison, Prettyman and Sharp will now prepare for the postseason as they will compete in the Class 5-1A Kansas State Swim and Diving Championships starting Friday in Lenexa.

All four swimmers will compete in multiple individual events, along with two relays. Events begin at 4 p.m. and the meet will continue into Saturday. 

PAOLA — For the first time in school history, the Louisburg girls wrestling program will have a representative at the state tournament — well, make that two.

Freshman Brooklyn DeWeese and sophomore Leola Eslinger punched their tickets to state Saturday at the Class 4A East Regional tournament at Poala High School as the top eight in each weight class earned a spot at the state tournament in Salina on Feb. 28 

It was a moment many in the Wildcat program won’t soon forget.

“It was such an incredible moment — not just for Leola and Brooklyn, but also for the LHS wrestling program,” Louisburg coach Bobby Bovaird said. “Having our first state qualifiers for the girls wrestling program is such a huge milestone, but it’s an even bigger testament to all the hard work they’ve put in to the sport.

“Watching them reach this milestone in our program’s history was very emotional, not just for me, but for all the coaches — Shawn Crossley, Heather Eslinger, and Andy Wright. All three of them have had a hand in these girls’ growth before they ever got to high school. Leola and Brooklyn are raising the bar for our future girls wrestlers, and I have no doubt that they’re not even close to being finished with what they intend to accomplish in their careers. 

DeWeese was the first Wildcat to qualify after going 1-1 on the first day of action on Friday at 115 pounds. In her blood round match Saturday, DeWeese pinned Holton’s Khloe Black in the second period to secure her spot.

In the battle to reach the fifth place match, DeWeese lost by pin to Wellsville’s Brinlee Hartman. In the seventh place match, DeWeese then lost a tough 1-0 decision to Frontenac’s Abby Albright to finish in eighth overall.

As for Eslinger, she battled her way through the 145 pound bracket. After losing her first match of the day Friday, she bounced back to end her day with a pin of Labette County’s Katy Tyler to advance to the blood round Saturday.

In that match, Eslinger upset No. 4 seed Adalize Arevalo from Bishop Ward with a 12-4 major decision. After losing by pin to Paola’s Shaelynn Smail, in the next consolation match, Eslinger ended her tournament with a win in a 11-6 decision over No. 3 seed Brooklyn Collingsworth of Columbus to take seventh overall.

“Both girls wrestled their hearts out,” Bovaird said. “I can’t even begin to describe how much heart and determination they showed. Brooklyn (DeWeese) was aggressive and stayed composed in tough matches, really showcasing her growth this season as a freshman. Leola fought through some challenging moments and never backed down, showing resilience and grit. Both of them stepped up when it mattered most, and they absolutely earned their spots at state.”

The Wildcats nearly had two others qualify for state as well. Freshman Brianna Caraway (130 pounds) and sophomore Maliya Collins (140) both lost their blood round matches.

Caraway went 1-1 on Friday, but in her blood round match Saturday, fell to Holton’s Jacey Willard as she lost by pin. Collins also went 1-1 on Friday, but was pinned in her blood round match by Fort Scott’s Kynlee Hampton.

“Brianna and Maliya had outstanding seasons,” Bovaird said. “When you think about it, they’re both relatively new to the high school level. Brianna is a freshman with a couple years experience at the youth level and Maliya is a sophomore with this being her first year on the mat. They both made huge strides with their technique, confidence, and mat awareness. 

“Coming that close to state — wrestling in the “blood round” — is a tough accomplishment, but it also speaks to how competitive they have been all season long. They put in the work, battled hard every match, and showed that they’re right there with the best. I have no doubt they’ll use this as motivation for next season.”

It also marked the end for Wildcat wrestlers Allison Martin and Nora Smith, who also saw their season come to a close. 

“All of our girls showed an incredible amount of growth over the season,” Bovaird said. “Allison Martin finished her second season with a 15-16 record for us, and Nora Smith showed more courage and toughness than nearly anyone else on the team with her commitment. Our six girls who competed in the regional tournament couldn’t have done any better representing our program, and that’s a huge testament to their character, their dedication, and their parents’ guidance along the way. Girls wrestling in Louisburg has been a long time coming, and I think with these girls’ seasons, you can say it’s finally landed.”

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

LEOLA ESLINGER, SOPHOMORE, WRESTLING

Louisburg sophomore Leola Eslinger made history Saturday at the Class 4A East Regional Tournament at Paola High School. Eslinger joined freshman Brooklyn DeWeese as they became the first Wildcat girls to qualify for the state tournament. At 145 pounds, Eslinger went 3-2 on the day and finished seventh overall as the top eight in each weight class qualify.

Eslinger defeated Bishop Ward’s Adalize Arevalo, the No. 4 seed, in the blood round by major decision. She earned a convincing 11-6 victory in the seventh-place match against No. 3 seed Brooklyn Collingsworth of Columbus. Both Eslinger and DeWeese will represent Louisburg at the state tournament on Feb. 28 in Salina.

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