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Conference History

That is all the girls finals scores in the years the NVC tourney was held 76-present. I can post the partial boys list if someone wants it.
 
NVC BASKETBALL TOURNAMENT (Past Finals Results)


BOYS


2019: Neligh-Oakdale 47 Clearwater/Orchard 40

2018: West Holt 68 Boyd County 46

2017: Neligh-Oakdale 70 Boyd County 63 2OT

2016: West Holt 50 Niobrara-Verdigre 49

2015: Clearwater/Orchard 69 Stuart 63

2014: St. Mary’s 77 Niobrara-Verdigre 53

2013: St. Mary’s 61 Clearwater/Orchard 55

2012: St. Mary’s 59 CWC 34

2011: CWC 56 St. Mary’s 51

2010: Ewing 84 North Central 47

2009: Ewing 66 St. Mary’s 57

2008: Ewing 43 West Boyd 33

2007: Spencer-Naper 46 Wheeler Central 29

2006: Ewing 46 Spencer-Naper 45

2005: Ewing 54 Spencer-Naper 48

2004: Ewing 75 Lynch 63

2003: Spencer-Naper 61 Elgin Pope John 28

2002: Spencer-Naper 64 Elgin Pope John 62

2001: Spencer-Naper 93 Orchard 51

2000: Spencer-Naper 56 Ewing 49

1999: Ewing 68 Chambers 54

1998: Chambers 83 Verdigre 51

1997: Spencer-Naper 88 Ewing 67

1996: Orchard 54 Butte 41

1995: Clearwater 67 Spencer-Naper 64

1994: Ewing 60 Spencer-Naper 55

1993: Chambers 69 Ewing 61

1992: Stuart 53 Ewing 47

1991: Chambers 69 Ewing 49

1990: Stuart 61 Clearwater 55

1989: Spencer-Naper 70 Clearwater 63

1988: Butte 70 Ewing 61

1987: Clearwater 83 Spencer 56

1986: Spencer 78 Santee 49

1985: Verdigre 49 Butte 42

1984: Spencer 58 Verdigre 52

1983: Ewing 71 Spencer 40

1982: Ewing 84 Spencer 54

1981: Spencer 52 Ewing 47

1980: Orchard 60 Spencer 47

1979: Orchard 48 Stuart 47

1978: Orchard 48 Spencer 46

1977: Ewing 70 Spencer 56

1976: Keya Paha 64 Ewing 57

1975: West Holt 60 Keya Paha 53 2OT

1974: West Holt 60 Verdigre 48

1973: Spencer 67 Butte 57

1972: Niobrara 58 Butte 53

1971: Orchard 60 Spencer 54

1970: Spencer 80 Butte 62

1969: Niobrara Lynch

1968: Verdigre 41 Spencer 33

1963-1967: No NVC Tourney held

1962: Spencer 58 Verdigre 55

1961: Niobrara 51 Specner 46

1960: Niobrara 56 Butte 41

1959: Niobrara 47 Butte 40

1958: Center 53 Spencer 50

1957: Verdigre 52 Spencer 51 OT

1956: Tourney at Niobrara

1955 Spencer vs. ? Tourney at Spencer

1954: Spencer vs. Verdigre Tourney at Center

1953: Tourney at Lynch

1952: Tourney at Niobrara

1951: Tourney at Butte

1950: Butte 32 Verdigre 28

1938-1949: No NVC Tourney

1937: O’Neill 30 Inman 28

1936: Butte 25 O’Neill 20

1935: O’Neill 27 Inman 24

1934: Spencer 34 O’Neill 20

1933: Butte (regular season champion, no tourney held)

1932: Stuart (regular season champion, no tourney held)
 
Found a Dec 1953 season preview for Verdigre's 1954 team that says they were 21-2 in the year before and unbeaten in the NVC. Safe to assume they won the tourney at Lynch in Feb 1953.
 
Thank you. I will add that to the list. My information indicates that the NVC was founded at a meeting held in Atkinson in January, 1931. Schools present were Butte, Inman, O'Neill, Spencer, and Stuart. The first event I could find was a conference track meet at Stuart in the spring of 1931. The 1969 boys basketball final was Niobrara 55 Lynch 45.
 
I went searching to see what happened to that 21-2 1953 Verdigre team. Gregg McBride rated them until early February and then dropped them from the Class C ratings because of schedule strength. That was a bummer because he always put complete schedules of rated teams in each week, so we might have been able to figure out who they beat in that NVC final.

I did find that they lost the district final to Tilden. The NSAA doesn't list Tilden (the Tigers) in the state tourney in 1953, so I figured they lost in the regional round. I found them in Norfolk for the regional playing Emerson. But, I checked Emerson and they didn't play at state according to that NSAA list. Hmmmm. Maybe it was a 4-team regional; they used to have those.

Nope, just two teams and Tilden won. I check then the next week and the Tigers lost to Loup City in the first round of the state tourney.

The NSAA list has that:
1953-Tilden W52-42, Clarkson L56-64

I emailed the NSAA. That list is great but there are a few mistakes like that.
 
The nsaa site is generally really accurate but, like you, I have noticed a few mistakes as well. Not sure how interested you are in Verdigre basketball history, but one thing I found interesting when researching NVC basketball came in the 57 tourney at Butte. A player from Verdigre named Leroy Johnson made last second, game winning shots in each of his team's three tourney wins that year. Thanks for the information on the 1953 team.
 
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Great story. I'm interested in all stories! Added the basketball champs to my conference championship lists. Very cool. Thanks.
 
Great story. I'm interested in all stories! Added the basketball champs to my conference championship lists. Very cool. Thanks.
I also love the stories. I travel around quite a bit for work and have gotten to meet a lot of people. I often recognize names either from discussions like this or from my own playing days. And when you put names together with certain schools, it makes you wonder if "John Smith" who led his team in the '60's is the father of "Joe Smith" who led his team in the 80's, and if he is the father of Jane Smith who led her team to a championship in 2010. It is amazing how many doors can be opened just with a question like "Say I remember playing football against so and so back in the 80's. You wouldn't be related to him would you?"
Just another positive outcome that can come from being involved in high school sports and other activities
 
Three Rivers Conference Basketball Tourney (1962-1967)

The conference was formed in March of 1961 and originally had Atkinson, Butte, Ewing, Spencer, Springview, and Stuart. Lynch joined in 1963 but didn’t play in the conference basketball tourney until 1964.



1962

Championship: Spencer 71 Atkinson 51

Consolation: Ewing 56 Stuart 49


1963

Championship: Atkinson 79 Spencer 64

Consolation: Springview 40 Stuart 34


1964

Championship: Lynch 45 Spencer 35

Consolation: Atkinson 71 Butte 49


1965

Championship: Spencer 61 Lynch 59

Consolation: Butte 48 Springview 44


1966

Championship: Spencer 80 Butte 62

Consolation: Springview 50 Lynch 38


1967

Championship: Butte 63 Lynch 56

Consolation: Springview 46 Atkinson 38
 
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Apparently the Niobrara Valley conference did not exist for a few years in the mid 1960's. Spencer won both the Niobrara Valley Tourney and the Three Rivers Tourney in 1962. They were also the Class C state champs that year. Atkinson's win in the 1963 Three Rivers title game ended Spencer's 32 game winning streak.
 
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Thanks to the Spencer Advocate I was able to find NVC boys finals scores from 52 to 56. Still looking for 1951

1956: Spencer 57 Center 56
1955: Spencer 53 Niobrara 36
1954: Verdigre 36 Spencer 28
1953: Verdigre 67 Niobrara 34
1952: Niobrara 78 Verdigre 60
 
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Logan View is leaving the East Husker Conference and will be joining the Capitol Conference. Not sure when this will take effect.
 
Thanks to the Spencer Advocate I was able to find NVC boys finals scores from 52 to 56. Still looking for 1951

1956: Spencer 57 Center 56
1955: Spencer 53 Niobrara 36
1954: Verdigre 36 Spencer 28
1953: Verdigre 67 Niobrara 34
1952: Niobrara 78 Verdigre 60

Awesome. Did you find these through the Advantage Archive?
 
Haven't seen any news about Logan View leaving EHC. I did notice in their school board minutes they are working actively on a full merger with Scribner-Snyder. The proposal calls for grades 7-12 to be at Logan View and LV and SS each having their own PK-6 facility.

The Logan View board wants the new merged district to be known as "Logan View" with the "Raiders" mascot and the school colors remaining blue and gold. The Scribner-Snyder board will discuss those items at their February board meeting.
 
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Haven't seen any news about Logan View leaving EHC. I did notice in their school board minutes they are working actively on a full merger with Scribner-Snyder. The proposal calls for grades 7-12 to be at Logan View and LV and SS each having their own PK-6 facility.

The Logan View board wants the new merged district to be known as "Logan View" with the "Raiders" mascot and the school colors remaining blue and gold. The Scribner-Snyder board will discuss those items at their February board meeting.
This will be interesting to follow. Also intriguing they will be joining the Capitol Conference. Logan View and Scribner have been East Husker members since the conference was created.
 
Thinking about conferences. Historically, one sees a lot of examples where a small Class C conference champion wouldn't get any ratings-love from a Gregg McBride because of schedule strength. That leads me to a couple of theses I might goof around with testing:

1) did some conferences, which hadn't had much top-5 ratings history, end up performing at a top-5 level (semifinals) in the playoff era?

2) did state scheduling starting in 2004 (?), which basically eliminated conferences in football, lead to success by some schools that had previously been 'held back' by their conference competition level?
 
TC53: I know the guy who runs the Spencer Advocate and he was able to help me with the missing scores from 52 to 56.
 
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Logan View is leaving the East Husker Conference and will be joining the Capitol Conference. Not sure when this will take effect.

Based on some other school movements, I would guess possibly next year when Louisville becomes a member as well.
 
TC53 The missing score from the NVC boys tourney in 1951 was Niobrara 46 Butte 36. I believe that completes the conference championship game results.
 
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It’d be interesting to see if anyone can come up with a team that had better runs than Spencer-Naper and Ewing from 2000-2010. SN formed West Boyd back in 2008 I do believe, and now they’re Boyd County, and with Ewing now consolidating into the Summerland district; that’s some good basketball and tradition that we may never see again. I think during that time frame both teams averaged at or above 20 wins per year. I know Omaha central, Ravenna, and Bellevue West had great teams during that time. But I’d almost bet both Spencer-Naper and Ewing each had more wins than those teams from 2000-2010.
The NVC alone has had some great basketball throughout the years. Clearwater, Ewing, Spencer-Naper, Lynch, and St Mary’s all won at least one state championship. Add in a few other teams that were state runner up and that’s a tough conference. Even with the recent adds like Neligh Oakdale playing in a state championship a few years ago.
Sounds like Ainsworth and Valentine May be joining the conference soon and they bring quite the winter sport traditions each.
Add in the girls side of things with state championships between Chambers, Ewing, and St Mary’s basketball or volleyball they made it a tough game every night.
 
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It’d be interesting to see if anyone can come up with a team that had better runs than Spencer-Naper and Ewing from 2000-2010. SN formed West Boyd back in 2008 I do believe, and now they’re Boyd County, and with Ewing now consolidating into the Summerland district; that’s some good basketball and tradition that we may never see again. I think during that time frame both teams averaged at or above 20 wins per year. I know Omaha central, Ravenna, and Bellevue West had great teams during that time. But I’d almost bet both Spencer-Naper and Ewing each had more wins than those teams from 2000-2010.
The NVC alone has had some great basketball throughout the years. Clearwater, Ewing, Spencer-Naper, Lynch, and St Mary’s all won at least one state championship. Add in a few other teams that were state runner up and that’s a tough conference. Even with the recent adds like Neligh Oakdale playing in a state championship a few years ago.
Sounds like Ainsworth and Valentine May be joining the conference soon and they bring quite the winter sport traditions each.
Add in the girls side of things with state championships between Chambers, Ewing, and St Mary’s basketball or volleyball they made it a tough game every night.
Is there a link to info on Ainsworth and Valentine potentially joining? I could definitely see Ainsworth joining.
 
It’d be interesting to see if anyone can come up with a team that had better runs than Spencer-Naper and Ewing from 2000-2010. SN formed West Boyd back in 2008 I do believe, and now they’re Boyd County, and with Ewing now consolidating into the Summerland district; that’s some good basketball and tradition that we may never see again. I think during that time frame both teams averaged at or above 20 wins per year. I know Omaha central, Ravenna, and Bellevue West had great teams during that time. But I’d almost bet both Spencer-Naper and Ewing each had more wins than those teams from 2000-2010.
The NVC alone has had some great basketball throughout the years. Clearwater, Ewing, Spencer-Naper, Lynch, and St Mary’s all won at least one state championship. Add in a few other teams that were state runner up and that’s a tough conference. Even with the recent adds like Neligh Oakdale playing in a state championship a few years ago.
Sounds like Ainsworth and Valentine May be joining the conference soon and they bring quite the winter sport traditions each.
Add in the girls side of things with state championships between Chambers, Ewing, and St Mary’s basketball or volleyball they made it a tough game every night.
Boys, Wahoo is much more impressive. Numerous girls teams are: GACC, Battle Creek, SSC. Crofton, Sandy Creek, Seward, & Wynot. I'd put Chambers girls into the conversation with them though.
 
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Boys, Wahoo is much more impressive. Numerous girls teams are: GACC, Battle Creek, SSC. Crofton, Sandy Creek, Seward, & Wynot. I'd put Chambers girls into the conversation with them though.
I, and everyone else, know that Wahoo had a better run . They have the 3rd longest winning streak in the country didnt they?
I was wondering about during the specific time of the years 2000-2010. That decade alone.
I agree those girl’s teams are all very impressive. I was just talking about the NVC specifically though.
 
Is there a link to info on Ainsworth and Valentine potentially joining? I could definitely see Ainsworth joining.

Not sure if I’d be able to find the direct link. But heard word of it from an AD in the conference, that it was brought up at one of their AD meetings. I’m guessing Ainsworth really wants to join but I’m not sure about Valentine. Not very familiar with that school.
 
Update on old Husker 8/12/10 conference using info from TC53 and my info.
The size of some schools is a LITTLE different now.

1958 Husker 8
Cedar Bluffs
Ceresco
Elkhorn
Fremont St. Patrick
Mead
Millard
Prague
Valparaiso

1960 Husker 12
Added:
Gretna
Platteview
Waterloo
Yutan
Fremont St. Pats now Bergan

1962 Husker 12
Wahoo Catholic replaces Fremont Bergan

1963 Husker 10
Added:
Weston
Dropped:
Platteview
Elkhorn
Gretna
Millard
 
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The earliest I can find for the existence of the Southwest Conference is the Southwest Conference Track Meet at Gothenburg in April of 1929. Gothenburg, Cozad, Lexington, Curtis, Holdrege, North Platte, Cambridge and McCook.
 
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I have it starting with a track meet in 1928, but it comes from this Custer Co. Chief in 1958.

 
I don't have a football champ in fall 1928, but I assume they didn't get the schedules in place in time. My note on Curtis as 1929 basketball champs also comes from the 1958 article. I do have contemporary sources for Gothenburg as 1929 track champs and for Cozad as 1929 football champs. Maybe the 1958 article is wrong? I have Gothenburg winning the first four titles, but it could just be three and the article could be off a year.
 

I found this from the April 25, 1929 edition of the Lexington Clipper. Thanks. I will check 1928 to see if I can find something there on the Southwest Conference. To be completely honest, I was just looking for anything to post on here that actually pertained to Nebraska High School sports!.
 
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