Late in the fourth quarter of last Friday’s game at Ell-Saline, Avery Stindt glanced over at the scoreboard.
 
And she admitted, it was a different feeling the Republic County senior was experiencing with the Buffaloes comfortably ahead of the host Cardinals.
 
“There was like a minute left and I said to one of the girls, ‘Look at that scoreboard! We got this!” Stindt said. “We were all just waiting for it to go down to zero.”
 
The wait for the final buzzer to go off with Republic County on top wasn’t just one the Buffaloes had longed for on Friday night. It was one they’d craved for three years running. Republic County’s 37-26 victory over Ell-Saline in the Tri-County Classic ended a 68-game losing streak for the program – the longest current streak in the state.
 
Stindt, one of five seniors on the roster, had never experienced a victory during her high school career, the last win for the program coming on Feb. 19, 2021 against Sacred Heart. But after three straight 0-21 seasons and an 0-1 start to their final season, the drought is now over.
 
“It was like a relief,” Stindt said. “Right after the buzzer went off, it was just amazing. Everyone was cheering and we all knew we deserved it after all that we’ve been through. For it actually happening, it felt so good. There were some tears, but tears of joy.
 
“There were some nerves. At the start of the fourth quarter, we were up quite a bit and we were like, ‘Are you seeing this?’ Then the fourth quarter, it felt like it lasted forever. But when it was over, it was just an amazing feeling.”
 
That winning feeling may be new to the current Buffalo players, but it’s now something altogether foreign for the program. Even with the last winning season coming in 2019-20, a 12-11 campaign, Republic County isn’t all that far removed from being among the best programs in Class 2A.
 
Republic County made four state tournament appearances in a six-year stretch from 2011-16, placing third in 2012. The season before the consolidation of Belleville and Cuba-Hillcrest in 2006-07, Belleville captured the Class 2A state championship, going 26-0.
 
One of the senior standouts on that team was Ashley Junker, a first-team All-Class 2A selection. Now Ashley Nutsch, she returned this season to become the head coach at her alma mater.
 
“It’s just always kind of been a dream to come back,” Nutsch said. “Basketball was a huge part of my life growing up, that avenue I had to handle life growing up. Being able to come back where it was such a success for me and made me feel included was definitely a dream come true.”
 
A dream job in name, Nutsch also found it to be a dream job in reality when she walked into the program, despite the long losing streak. Instead of finding a program lacking interest and enthusiasm from repeated years of no success to hang its hat on, she instead found quite the opposite.
 
“I kind of expected a defeated attitude, but I did not see that at all,” Nutsch said. “From Day 1, they were, ‘Coach, can we do this? Coach, can we do that?’ I came in and they were ready. I lit a fire under them and they went with me. I never really saw any defeat or any attitude.
 
“They had that ‘Win’ attitude and wanted to take on the mentality that I wanted and have that growth mindset with me. I wanted to take this on because I knew it was time for them and time for their run and I knew that we would get things done.”
 
Nutsch credited her five seniors -- three of whom (Stindt, Frankie Snapp and Katie Kort) are in their fourth year of playing significant roles for the team and a fourth (Zelma Siemsen) who would be in that category if not for an injury that cost her last season – for their leadership in sticking it out through the tough times, but doing everything they can to ensure success beyond their final seasons.
 
“They’re such great role models and work so well with the underclassmen,” Nutsch said. “It was so beneficial to the team. Everybody knows that if there’s not buy-in from your role models and your seniors, it can make it tough. For those seniors to buy in and start the tradition and lay the groundwork, this is a great group to lay that solid, solid foundation. They’re there and they’re going to start it and they enjoy the process and being part of a team that’s going to help the program for years to come.”
 
Stindt said it wasn’t always easy for her and her teammates to keep their heads up throughout the past three years as not only was Republic County losing, but more often than not losing in lop-sided fashion. Only three of the 68 losses leading up to the breakthrough win were by single digits – the closest a five-point loss to Concordia their freshmen season – and last year only four games were closer than 20 points, the closest a 13-point loss.
 
But collectively, the Buffaloes never stopped believing that their hard work would eventually pay off.
 
“It kind of made us feel like we weren’t doing well, even though we were showing up and doing the work. We just got nothing out of it with wins,” Stindt said. “But we knew we were improving and we got more girls out for basketball. … We kept telling ourselves we would get a win that year. When we didn’t we kept saying that the next year and the next year.
 
“We had that mindset, it was just a matter of going out and doing it.”
 
After losing 50-31 to Bennington to start the season, the breakthrough finally occurred. Stindt scored 13 and Kylie Stone led the way with 15 points as the Buffaloes topped Ell-Saline 37-26. Republic County had to turn right around and take on North Central Activities Association rival Minneapolis on Saturday to complete the tournament and through they lost 68-48, Nutsch said she saw plenty of momentum carry over from the win.
 
The 48 points were the most the program had scored in a game since the 2019-20 season.
 
“I’ve been a coach for 15 years now and it was probably one of the most awe-inspiring coaching experiences I’ve had because I know the heart, drive and determination these girls have and how much they cared showed through,” Nutsch said. “To be a coach and part of that was phenomenal. … To see them and to be so supported by the community as well – even though we were away, the fans were phenomenal and it shows Republic County has a strong community behind no matter winning or losing. 
 
“I could already see the shift on Saturday after we won Friday night. Minneapolis is always competitive and for the first time in four years we almost put 50 points on the board. They were looser, things flowed better and they were ready. They were just excited to build and grow on what we’d done and that win really be a turning point and cement what we need to get us going and I think more wins will come.”
 

 
OTHER GIRLS BASKETBALL STANDOUTS

• De Soto took home the title at its Hardwood Classic with wins over KC Center (Mo.), Notre Dame de Sion (Mo.) and Washburn Rural, the latter a 58-56 overtime win in the championship game. Senior Makenzie Farmer was named the tournament MVP, scoring 35 points and grabbing 15 rebounds in the title game, 21 of those points in the fourth quarter and overtime period. Farmer averaged 24 points, 9.3 rebounds, 5 steals and 2.3 assists in the tourney and the Wildcats are 4-0 overall.
• Clifton-Clyde took the title at the Herington Preseason Tournament for the second straight year, beating Chase County 58-40 in the championship game. Junior Sevy Wurtz set a school record in the title game, scoring 42 points. The old record was 41 points by Carly Bloomfield in 2002-03.
• After winning a combined 14 games the past two seasons, Waverly is off to a 4-0 start, capturing the title at the Burlingame Preseason Tournament for the first time since the 201920 season. Josie Romig is averaging 17.5 points, 10.3 rebounds, 4.5 assists and 4.5 steals through four games and the closest game at Burlingame was a 47-45 win over the Northeast Kansas Nighthawks.
• Lebo’s Saige Hadley went over 1,000 career points in the Wolves’ season opener and helped lead Lebo to its fourth straight championship at the Ike Cearfoss Tournament at Central Heights. The smallest team in the tournament, Lebo knocked off Osage City 51-38 in the championship game after winning its first two tourney games by an average of 39 points a game. Hadley averaged 23.3 points per game in the tourney, scoring 25 in the title game against Osage City.
• Oen Deters hit 5 of 10 3-pointers and scored 29 points as Centralia knocked off defending Class 3A state champion Silver Lake 69-58, ending the Eagles’ 28-game winning streak. Deters also hit 10 of 12 free throws in the game and is averaging 18 points, 6 rebounds and 4.7 steals in the Panthers’ 3-0 start, all three wins coming against 3A schools.
• Fresh off hitting a pair of milestones during the volleyball season, Royal Valley’s Samantha Klotz added one to start the basketball season as well, going over 500 career rebounds in the Panthers’ season opener. Teammate Panno Wahwassuck had games of 26 (career high) and 22 against Maur Hill and Valley Falls and freshman KiWe Miller recorded her first double-double with 14 points and 11 rebounds against Maur Hill.
• St. Marys’ Hayden Heim had a monster game in the Bears’ season opener, going for 25 points and 23 rebounds as well as 5 steals. The 23 rebounds were one shy of her school record of 24.
• Topeka High’s Kei Maxwell and Shy Rayton were named all-tournament at the De Soto Hardwood Classic. Rayton hit 7 3-pointers and scored 29 in the third-place game.
• Rossville won the title at the Chapman Irish Classic, beating Bishop Ward (89-9), Sacred Heart (57-50) and Chapmn (65-25). Nora Burdick was named the tourney MVP after scoring 26, 20 and 16 points in the three games while also averaging 11.3 rebounds per game in the tourney with a high of 15 against Sacred Heart. Rylee Dick had games of 26, 25 and 24 points and was an all-tourney pick while Shyanna Haehn also made the all-tournament team, scoring 12 against Chapman.
• Hayden won its second straight title at the Paul Terry Classic in Emporia, going 3-0 with wins over Trinity Academy, Spring Hill and Emporia. Brylee Meier, Amelia Ramsey and Hailey Schmidtlein all averaged double-figure scoring in the tourney.

 

 
BOYS BASKETBALL STANDOUTS

• Olpe won the title at the Yates Center Invitational getting a big tournament from sophomore Brecken McGuire. After a somewhat quiet game of 11 points, 5 rebounds, 3 steals and 4 assists in the tourney opener against Wichita Independent, McGuire torched Neodesha for 35 points in the second game, adding 7 rebounds and 4 steals, and then dropped 24 on Eureka in the final game, also adding 7 steals.
• Highland Park hit the ground running, capturing the title at the Championship Showdown Tournament at Shawnee Mission East last week, going 3-0 with wins over Pembroke Hill (77-44), Blue Valley North (55-49) and Washburn Rural (65-49), JaCorey Robinson averaged 18.3 points, 6 assists and 8 rebounds per game and Mikey Williams average 12 points, 4 assists and 4 rebounds. Damykel Hales hit 8 3-pointers in the tourney.
• Osawatomie won the Linn County Tournament for the second straight season, beating Pleasanton 53-48 in the championship game. Jaspee Sallee came up huge in the title game, scoring 30 points and grabbing 9 rebounds.
• Clifton-Clyde’s Jack Skocny is averaging 28.3 points and 8 rebounds per game in the Eagles’ 2-2 start. The senior guard went for 33 points against Council Grove and 31 against Sacred Heart.
• Dayne Johnson and Brody Deiter have helped Silver Lake to a 3-0 start with wins over Perry-Lecompton (59-52), Holton (67-50) and Centralia (67-44). Johnson is averaging 25 points and 8 rebounds per game while Deiter is right behind with 18 points and 4 assists per game.
• After a quick turnaround from an extended football season, Frankfort is 4-1 and took the title at the Wabaunsee Tournament for the first time since joining the field seven years ago. Wes Anderson has averaged 18 points, 4 rebounds and 3 assists through five games and was a unanimous All-Tournament team pick at Wabaunsee as the Wildcats beat Wabaunsee, Northern Heights and Manhattan CHIEF.
• Nemaha Central’s Colby Frehe came one blocked shot shy of a triple double against Hanover, finishing with 17 points, 13 rebounds and 9 blocked shots in the Thunder’s 64-32 win. Nemaha is 3-0 with a 30-point win over Centralia and 17-point win over Holton as well.
• Iola’s Cortland Carson tied the school record for points in a game by going for 38 points in the Mustangs’ 67-63 win over Osage City last Tuesday. That matched the 38 scored by Todd Stranghoner in 1987.
• Mission Valley's Porter and Ian Deters combined to lead the Vikings to a 68-66 double-overtime win over Blue Valley-Randolph last week. Porter finished with 24 points on 12-of-18 shooting while also getting 6 rebounds, 4 steals and 3 assists. Ian, meanwhile, delivered in a big way late, scoring all 14 of his points in the fourth quarter and overtime periods, hitting a pair of 3-pointers and also making the game-winning shot, while also getting 7 rebounds nd 3 steals.

 
WRESTLING STANDOUTS

• Shawnee Heights girls have started the season with back-to-back tournament titles. The T-Birds won the Olathe West Invitational title to start the season, outscoring the next-closest Kansas team by more than 100 points, and then followed it up with another title at the Clay Center Invitational where it beat Holton by 56.5 points. Izzy Reyes was one of six champions for the T-Birds at Clay Center pinning her way to the 130-pound title after also taking the 130 crown at Olathe West with all of her victories pins. Reyes is 10-0 with 10 pins this season and was the T-Birds’ lone champion at West while she was joined as a champion at Clay Center by Oliver Jones (135), Madison Freeland (140), Olivia Stevens (145), Cianna Graves (155) and Brooklyn Binkley (170).
• Following at fourth-place finish at the Dan Gable Donnybrook in Iowa to start the season, Basehor-Linwood’s Trevor Christenson won the 120-pound title at the Douglass Goodwill Invitational last weekend. Christenson pinned his first three foes before taking a 15-1 major decision in the finals against Spring Hill’s Brock Slimmer.
• Jefferson West’s Sophie Waters was named the outstanding wrestler at the Onaga Invitational, pinning all her opponents at 115 pounds. Payge Vetsch added a title for the Tiger girls at 130 while Karson Kahler (132) and Osiris Unruh (285) were boys champions with Unruh getting three pins and winning 1-0 in his finals match against Hayden’s Hunter Diederich.

 

• Piper’s Ruben Escalante picked up his 100th career win at the Shawnee Mission Northwest Duals last weekend and now is 6-1 at 157 pounds this season.
• Rock Creek’s Wade Rottinghaus has started the season 12-0 at 190 pounds, capturing titles at the Wamego Raider Classic and the Sabetha Duals. Rock Creek’s girls took the title at Sabetha after a runner-up finish at their home tournament to start the season. Liliauna Nold (115), Brooklyn Burenheide (140) and RaeLynne Wilson (190) are all undefeated for the Mustang girls.

 

• Burlington 120-pounder Olivia Lyons recorded her 100th career win at the Santa Fe Trail Dual Tournament.