Chamois has just eight seniors this year, and three of them have surpassed 1,000 points in their career, two this year and one last season.
Nate Nolte hit the mark during last week’s home game against New Haven, his 20 points in that contest giving him 1,051, while MaKenna Wuelling, who reached the milestone in December, scored 20 points against Bunceton Friday night to reach 1,069 points. Unfortunately, she suffered a broken hand during the game and her season has ended.
Katie Keilholz, who topped 1,000 points last season, is sitting at 1,688.
All three credit their passion for the game to an early introduction to the sport.
Wuelling and Keilholz said their fathers were instrumental as coaches of their elementary team in creating an understanding of the game. Keilholz also looked up to her cousin, Miranda Brandt, who was a huge offensive force for the Lady Pirates.
“Watching the girls play at state was also very motivating,” said Wuelling. “The experience they got to have made me want the same thing.”
Nolte, meanwhile, said he enjoyed watching college basketball but the real driving force was when, as a freshman, the Pirates made it to the Final Four. “That’s when I started working harder,” he said.
Growing up in a small town, with limited numbers, there was a chance to shine, and all three took it, but there wasn’t really a goal to score 1,000 points.
“I never really thought about it,” said Keilholz. “I just wanted to the best I could for the team and win as many games as possible.”
Wuelling felt the same way. "I wouldn’t have guessed in a million years that I’d score 1,000 points in four years but then it just came together and people told me I was in reach of it,” she said. “After that, I didn’t think about it too much. I just kept doing what I was doing, and trying to win games with my team.”
To have two players on the same team attain such a high offensive number is remarkable.
“I roll off Katie,” said Wuelling. “We’ve been playing together since the third grade so you just get a rhythm and flow with each other. It just feels natural.”
“We read each other’s minds,” Keilholz added.
They agree it’s the ultimate sign of teamwork and support for each other and from teammates has been solid.
“We truly are a team,” said Keilholz. “Everyone does their best to help each other and when we play well, the points are going to come.”
Coach John Leach is pleased with the accomplishments Wuelling and Keilholz have achieved.
“I am so happy that MaKenna got to this point her senior year,” he said. “I have seen this young lady grow up from kindergarten and I have seen this young improve in every thing she has done. She had really step up her game this and I am so proud of her in what kind a basketball player she has become. The most proud is that what kind young lady she has become. MaKenna will set the world on fire. As for Katie, last year she will go down one of the best shooters Chamois has seen. Katie is one of these players that doesn't come around in a long time. Katie may not beat Miranda’s scoring record but in a normal year she would have. I will miss both of them very much.”
Nolte said he doesn’t feel much pressure from his teammates to score or to win games.
“I know what I’m expected to do so I just go out and do my best,” said Nolte, who scored very few points his freshman year and blew up over the last three. “I just keep working hard and going to the gym, and the guys are very supportive. They help out a lot and I don’t feel there’s any resentment that I’m scoring a lot of points.”
Perhaps more remarkable is that these players have managed to succeed in the middle of a pandemic when each game was uncertain, and both teams went through quarantine.
Wuelling tested positive for COVID before Christmas and the week after she returned was difficult.
“It has definitely altered my motivation at times,” said Wuelling. “I was weak when I came back and I wasn’t sure how I was going to play. I didn’t think I’d be able to do much but I got back into the gym and did what I could to get back into the swing of things.”
There was also the constant fear of being quarantined due to contact with a person outside of the team.
Nolte was quarantined once by himself before the basketball season started when he tested positive, and the entire boys’ team has been in isolation four times. “There were times when just two or three of us were at the gym so it’s been tough,” said Nolte. “As MaKenna said, it’s hard to stay motivated at times, but our coach is good about telling us we’ll get through it.”
Having players at different stages of readiness has also had an impact. “When half the team is in shape and the other half is trying to get back, it’s tough to play together but everyone is working hard,” said Nolte.
Coach Robbie Bates has been impressed with Nolte.
“Nate is hard-working,” he said. “He puts in the time and reaps the benefits of that hard work. Nate is constantly trying to help his teammates get better and his work ethic will serve him well in the future. He has been a pleasure to coach so far this year.”
Keilholz has not contracted COVID but she nonetheless was quarantined with the rest of her team, though she used that time the best she could. “I was able to work out on my own but it’s not the same,” she said.
When Keilholz hit her 1,000 points, she was unaware of the milestone until she went to the locker room, while Wuelling was aware but as she neared the total, it was nerve-wracking.
“I just needed five points in the game against Tuscumbia, and I missed six free-throws,” said Wuelling. “I tried not to think about it, and I wasn’t nervous but it wasn’t happening. I knew I needed to be scoring because I wanted to help the team win. I was nervous about it.”
With the season potentially being canceled due to COVID, every game became monumental. “I was worried that if a game got canceled, I might not have another chance, and I knew that if I didn’t reach that goal, I would be disappointed for a long time,” said Wuelling. “The possibility of being quarantined was always there.”
Nolte needed just three points to reach 1,000 in last week’s game and he wasn’t worried about it. When he broke the barrier, the crowd went wild, with signs and a standing ovation. “That was pretty cool,” Nolte said.
Now that they’ve hit this milestone, what’s next?
Nolte said he would like the team to win its district, and to earn All-State honors from the Missouri Basketball Coaches Association, while Wuelling and Keilholz want a repeat district championship.
After graduation, Nolte plans to attend Lincoln University and become a personal trainer, while Wuelling intends to pursue a degree in elementary education, and Keilholz will pursue a degree as a physical therapist.