After back-to-back state quarterfinal appearances over the last two seasons, there was no shying away from lofty goals for the Osborne girls this season. 

Osborne returned the bulk of last year’s 21-2 team, including its top two scorers in Trinity Lutters and Gracie Riner. 

The Bulldogs have done nothing to temper the high expectations, jumping out to a 7-0 start with a pair of quality wins over Thunder Ridge. 

“It just feels like it’s time,” Osborne coach Trina Lutters said. “It feels like we’ve been working and building. … I just know these girls are very focused. They know what they want. I just truly hope that it pays off for them because I don’t know of a group that has put in the amount of work, and handling the outside noise and all of it, as well as they have.”

Osborne enjoyed a breakthrough season in 2020-21, going 17-5 and reaching the Class 1A Division I quarterfinal before falling to Hodgeman County. They took a 21-1 record into state last year but ran into eventual state champion Pretty Prairie in the opening round, dropping a 52-33 decision. 

The Bulldogs have looked sharp so far, outscoring opponents 422-230. 

“I think we’re starting to trust each other,” coach Lutters said. “Every team always has to replace (pieces), but then you’ve got to find that rhythm, and sometimes it takes till after Christmas to find that rhythm. I feel very confident in their abilities and their mental focus. 

“Then, I always joke that it comes down to the basketball gods, because everyone is putting in the work and there’s others that have the same dream. We’re going to do everything we can to accomplish it, and you just have to trust that you’re taking care of what you need to take care of.”

Trinity Lutters has established herself as one of the top players in 1A throughout her career. The senior guard is averaging 23 points, 4.1 assists, 3.7 rebounds and 5.3 steals this season. Her averages in points, assists and steals are currently career bests. 

“She’s one of those players that sees the court well,” Trina Lutters said of her daughter. “She wants to have everyone involved. I think in practice, not just Trinity, but the other seniors, and even our juniors, we are so willing to help the underclassmen. That’s awesome. 

“I know Trinity’s focus was also kind of being mentally tough for that next level.”

Riner, a junior guard, is the team’s second-leading scorer at 11.1 points per game. She’s leads the team in assists with 4.6 per game.

Sophomore Grace William has stepped into a bigger role in the post. She’s averaging 8.1 points and a team-high 7.1 rebounds. 

“I knew (Williams) was going to be an integral part this year, because we were replacing our post,” Trina Lutters said. "She stepped into a leadership role and a hard-working role.” 
 

Senior Brooke Befort is also a key part of an experienced backcourt for the Bulldogs. She’s averaging 6.7 points on the season.

Other key players include junior Hudson Wolters, a returning starter, seniors Kalli Kaiser and Aydan Dill and sophomore Addison Poore. 

The Bulldogs often rely on pressure defense to get out in transition. 

“It is so important. We are definitely a defense-focused team,” coach Lutters said. “We need that defense to create (opportunities) how we like to score. We’re so focused on getting the steals and reading the court.”

The Bulldogs are coming off a 67-29 win over Lincoln on Friday. They took a hard-earned 43-36 victory over Thunder Ridge last Tuesday in their first game back from break, beating the Lonhorns for the second time. 

“It was a solid effort,” Trina Lutters said of the Thunder Ridge win. “We were very strong defensively. We were tough. We got in and rebounded. We were out-heighted, so our focus was to take care of rebounding, and we did. 

“Overall, we were very happy with the win. It was a solid win. It was good for us to feel pressured, to feel like we needed to dig in and be mentally tough.”

Other Western Kansas basketball standouts:

• The Liberal girls held off Hays 59-50 for a key Western Athletic Conference win last Friday. Hailey Contrearas scored 21 points for Liberal while Rylie Hallman and Elle Hatcher added 13 and 11.
• Defending Class 3A champion Goodland moved to 7-0 after picking up a 51-29 win over Cimarron last Friday. The Cowgirls have a big week ahead of them, hosting Colby on Tuesday and Hugoton on Friday. The Hugoton game will be a rematch of last year’s 3A title game. The Eagles are coming off a 45-42 loss to Scott City. 
• The Phillipsburg girls moved to 8-0 with a 74-28 win over Russell.
• The Smith Center girls pulled out a 69-68 double-overtime thriller over Ellis last Friday to move to 6-1 on the season. 
• The Quinter girls moved to 7-0 with a 58-31 win over Quinter on Friday, earning coach Matt Havlas his 100th career win. Senior Anna Briggs averages 18.7 points for the Bulldogs. 
• The Hodgeman County girls moved to 7-1 with a 57-29 win over Ashland. Morgan Ruff is averaging 16.9 points for the Longhorns. 
• The Garden City boys are looking for a breakout year. They improved to 8-0 with a 58-55 win at Great Bend on Friday. Jace Steinmetz is averaging 20.9 points for the Buffaloes. 
• Ellinwood’s Britt Dutton scored 25 points as the Eagles went to 7-0 with a 62-21 win over Central Plains on Tuesday.
• Wichita County is 8-0 after taking a 65-37 win over Southwestern Heights on Friday. Colton Harbin is putting up 15.3 points per game for Wichita County. 
• Macksville remained unbeaten at 8-0 with a 69-26 win over Central Plains on Friday. Diego Esparza led the Mustangs with 17 points. 
• Northern Valley notched a huge win over defending Class 1A Division II champion Greeley County, earning a 56-49 win over the Jackrabbits on Friday in Almena. Drew Schemper led a balanced attack for the Huskies with 16. 
• Pawnee Heights senior Alec Carlson is averaging 24.6 points, 9.5 rebounds, 4.8 assists and 3.3 steals and 2.4 blocks.