The best, and worst, of times

Written by Andy Brown

Wednesday, 17 December 2008 08:00

Senior Kyle Nauman shoots over a couple of Anderson County defenders during the Wildcats’ 70-62 loss to Anderson County on Friday. Louisburg defeated Baldwin on Saturday to win the Bulldog/Wildcat Classic. Nauman was named to the all-tourney team. (Photos by Andy Brown)

BALDWIN CITY — Jim Dillon saw the worst of his team during Friday’s 70-62 loss to Anderson County.

Not only did the Bulldogs get the best of the Wildcats on the court, some of the Louisburg players showed their frustration in different ways. Whether it was mouthing off to officials or to opposing players, the Wildcats let the loss get the best of them.

What a difference 24 hours makes.

On Saturday, the Wildcats pulled off the shock of the Bulldog/Wildcat classic with a 48-46 upset of Frontier League favorite Baldwin on its home court to win the three-day tournament.

“Within a 24-hour period we saw the worst of our team and the best of our team,” Dillon said. “Our players and staff were embarrassed Friday night and we were determined to change that against Baldwin. It was very satisfying to watch our kids perform at a high level at a tough place to play.”

The Wildcats made a statement early in Saturday’s contest. They outscored the Bulldogs 15-2 in the first quarter, but found themselves in a dogfight the rest of the way. Sophomore David Embers tries to lay up the ball in a crowd of Anderson County defenders during Friday’s Bulldog/Wildcat Classic game in Baldwin City, The Wildcats won the title after defeating host Baldwin on Saturday.

Sophomore David Embers tries to lay up the ball in a crowd of Anderson County defenders during Friday’s Bulldog/Wildcat Classic game in Baldwin City, The Wildcats won the title after defeating host Baldwin on Saturday.

Junior Drew Harding connected on six of seven free throws late in the fourth quarter to seal the win for Louisburg, and it put the team back on the right track at the same time.

“Our players came out with great focus and energy and continued that throughout the game,” Dillon said. “Our players showed great composure as Baldwin never quit and kept inching closer as the game concluded. Many of our players did a great job.”

Dillon leaned on his experience against Baldwin and senior Kyle Nauman and Harding came through in a big way. Harding led the Wildcats with 12 points and Nauman finished with eight points.

The Wildcats also got great play from junior point guard Justin O’Brien who started his first-ever varsity game and ran the offense well. Both Nauman and Harding were named to the all-tournament team following the win.

“Drew and Kyle were very important to the success of our team,” Dillon said. “They are two players with the most varsity experience. At different points of the game they did a nice job of leading our team.”

In that big first quarter, the Wildcat defense came on strong and made things difficult for the Bulldogs. But after that, the Wildcats had to struggle just to hold on.

Baldwin outscored Louisburg 44-33 the rest of the game, but the Wildcats made big plays down the stretch, especially at the free throw line.

“The first quarter was very important,” Dillon said. “Especially with how we performed on Friday. It set the tone for the rest of the game, and fortunately our kids made enough plays at the end of the game to win.”

Friday, however, was a different story.

Anderson County dominated Louisburg (3-1) in the first quarter and held on for the eight-point win. Anderson County held a 16-point lead at one point in the first half.

“I wasn’t surprised with how we started, because that is how we practiced (Thursday),” Dillon said. “We played like we practiced. I was more embarrassed with our behavior on the court after the game. It was embarrassing.”

The Wildcats cut the Bulldog lead to six points in the second half thanks to three 3-pointers from sophomore David Embers, but Anderson County made plays late to put the game away.

“(Anderson County) had that game the whole way and they deserved to win,” Dillon said. “They outcoached us, they outplayed us and they were more prepared.”

Sophomore Kody Cook led the Wildcats with 15 points, while senior Marc Rhodes and Nauman finished with 13 and 10 points, respectively. Nauman finished with double figures despite playing with foul trouble most of the night.

Louisburg 15 12 8 13 — 48
Baldwin 2 16 11 17 — 46
Louisburg (3-1): Drew Harding 3 6-6 12, Kyle Nauman 4 0-3 8, Drew Kershner 2 0-0 6, Marc Rhodes 3 0-0 6, Justin O’Brien 1 3-4 5, David Embers 2 0-0 5, Ryan Dvorak 1 2-2 4, Garrett Griffin 1 0-2 2. Totals: 17 11-17 48. 3-point field goals 3, (Kershner 2, Embers).

Louisburg 9 17 16 20 — 62
Anderson 22 12 22 14 — 70
Louisburg: Kody Cook 5 3-4 15, Marc Rhodes 5-9 13, Kyle Nauman 3 4-6 10, David Embers 3 0-1 9, Garrett Griffin 2 2-2 6, Drew Kershner 1 2-2 5, Drew Harding 1 0-1 2, Justin O’Brien 1 0-0 2. Totals: 20 16-25 62. 3-point field goals: 6, (Embers 3, Cook 2, Kershner).

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