“Discipline, drive, and dedication. Competitive spirit. A commitment to constant improvement. These qualities make great athletes and coaches. They also make great financial advisors. Northwestern Mutual advisors educate clients to make important decisions to live differently and achieve their goals of financial security. Learn more about joining our team. Karges Financial Group and the Great Plains District are proud supporters of Nebraska high school athletics.

Nate Kelley is sprinting. 

For 32 minutes against Norris in the state semifinals, mostly with the ball in his hands, he’s going baseline to baseline and generally willing Scottsbluff to a 64-60 win.

After the game it’s out to slap Scottsbluff’s name on the bracket, then back for a TV interview, then over to the sideline to talk with long time Scottsbluff radio man Chris Cottrell, then back across the court again to join his teammates in filming a hype video for Saturday’s state final.

The movement never stops for one of the state’s best athletes, no matter where he’s going.

This is the Nate Kelley Experience. And it’s an experience Scottsbluff would like to ride for one more game.

“That’s what he does for us. I don’t know how many games he’s done it,” Scottsbluff coach Scott Gullion said after Kelley finished with 27 points, eight rebounds, seven assists and three steals.

“Really happy for him. His last time down here, and he gets an opportunity to finish the one thing that he hasn’t been able to accomplish in his high school career.”

A state championship is the only thing missing from Kelley’s inarguable resume as one of the state’s best athletes.

A four-year starter at point guard for a Class B powerhouse that’s qualified, not coincidentally, for four consecutive state tournaments.

A mainstay at quarterback for the Scottsbluff football program, running for 1,000 yards three straight years, controlling the game on the other side of the ball as a defensive back, and guiding the Bearcats to four more playoff appearances. 

As universally respected as any athlete from the Wyoming border to the Missouri River.

“I’ve definitely just been taking it in more this year,” Kelley said. “These are my best friends I’ve been playing with since we were little. So just enjoying every practice, every shoot around, every game.”

The raw athletic skill is one thing for the 6-foot guard. But there are a lot of 6-foot guards at the state tournament who are great athletes.

There are far fewer with the bucketful of intangibles Kelley brings to the table.

“Amazing. Amazing career,” Gullion said. “Kind of a coach’s dream, honestly. No problems. 4.0 student, great leader, wants to be great, extreme work ethic. 

“Just wants to win. You don’t have to ask him to do something twice. He just does it. He’s been huge for our program.”

Look at Friday night, when Kelley led Scottsbluff to its 84th win in his four years.

With 7:39 left and Norris slicing deep into what was a 14-point Scottsbluff lead, Kelley is hit with his third foul. The Titans score seconds later to make it a two-possession game.

After a Bearcat miss, here comes Norris again. And here’s Kelley, risking a fourth foul when he absolutely can’t afford it by sliding over to take a charge 30 seconds later.

He gets the call.

Or his final assist, with 31 seconds left, when he kicks to Esai Sabala in the corner. At this point, Sabala is 0-for-7 from the floor. 

Now he’s 1-for-8. And Scottsluff’s two-point lead is up to five.

If he wasn’t so darn good at getting his teammates involved, Kelley would score even more than the 17 points a game he already does.

“The biggest thing I remember about him was, I’d go watch their youth games when he’s in fourth, fifth grade. He’s the best player on the team, but he’s making sure his teammates get involved, and he’s high-fiving everybody,” Gullion said. “You saw the leadership qualities at a very young age, and it was really apparent he was ready right away (as a freshman). Pretty incredible.”

To watch Kelley is to watch a young man in full control. He’s every cliche: hard-nosed, smart, tough, aware of his surroundings, unselfish.

He reminds of so many of the great Nebraska-born guards who played at UNK in the late 1990s and early 2000s, some of the best years storied program’s history.

It makes a lot of sense that one of those guards who is now the team’s coach, Marty Levinson, recruited him and signed him as part of the Lopers’ latest recruiting class.

Kelley smiles when you give this comparison to him. It clearly resonates.

“That’s pretty cool,” Kelley said. “I’ve always just kind of had a natural leadership skill. I think because I play three sports (Kelley runs track in the spring), and I played everything growing up — baseball, soccer, everything — I think all those sports helped me with my leadership.”

He’s led Scottsbluff within 32 more minutes of what would be a sweet state championship. The Bearcats have been unafraid to traverse the state, playing the best Class B has to offer, any time, anywhere. They’ve seen the best. And the best have seen them.

Saturday, they see Elkhorn North. A win would give the program its first championship since 2012, and second since 1955, with three runner-up trophies collected since that last title.

What an experience that would be.

Saturday’s Championship Games

Scottsbluff’s win over Norris had barely ended and the text came.

“Let’s take the emotion out of this in the moment here, but has there ever been a better Friday at PBA?”

It’s a fair question. The evidence as such.

On this Friday the 13th, we saw a little bit of everything. The top seeds in Classes A, B, C-1 and C-2 all fell — three of them at Pinnacle Bank Arena. The last four games in Class A and B were all decided in the last 30 seconds with a capper 3-point shot from Esai Sabala which helped seal Scottsbluff’s 64-60 win over Norris in the nightcap.

No matter. We’ll be ready. Here’s a preview of each state championship game.

CLASS D-2 | 9:00 AM | Elgin Public/Pope John (25-3) vs. Archangels Catholic (27-2): The town of Elgin makes their first state finals appearance since 1995, after the Wolfpack pulled away from Guardian Angels Central Catholic with a 21-point fourth quarter on Friday morning for a 44-33 win. Jarek Erickson had 18 points and grabbed eight rebounds. Elgin High won the 1995 Class D-2 title, while Pope John lost in the 1966 Class D title game to Marquette.

The Wolfpack will get Archangels Catholic to make the Class D-2 final a match between two sub-district final losers. The Defenders dominated on the boards — getting 21 offensive rebounds — in a 57-52 win over defending champion St. Mary’s. Brendan Johannes scored 21 points and grabbed six rebounds for Archangels. Interestingly, EPPJ knocked out GACC which beat Archangels in the sub-district final and Archangels did the same to St. Mary’s which beat EPPJ three times this year including the sub-district final.

CLASS C-1 | 11:00 AM | Douglas County West (23-6) vs. Ashland-Greenwood (27-1): They won’t draw any pretty pictures of DC West’s semifinal shocker of Ogallala, but the Falcons were the better team on Friday. No question. DC West 49, Ogallala 39. The Falcons controlled the first three quarters and took a 35-22 lead to the fourth quarter before the top-ranked Indians stormed back and then ran out of gas. DC West — despite a 3-for-16 effort from the free throw line — hung on by shooting 41% from the field and making eight triples to the Indians one. Lane Smith scored 13 for DC West, now in their first state final in school history.

Ashland-Greenwood will not be in their first state basketball final. The Jays clamped down in the second half against stubborn Auburn for a 67-52 win after they trailed 33-32 at the break. On Saturday morning, the Jays will go for their fourth title in four seasons. Derek Tonjes had 26 points and nine rebounds for the winners who outscored the Bulldogs 35-19 in the second half.

CLASS A | 1:00 PM | Lincoln Southwest (23-4) vs. Papillion-LaVista South (19-6): Buckle up for Lincoln Southwest’s high-flying, up-tempo, no-fear show in the Class A final. The Silverhawks battled and battled — uphill most of the way against top-ranked Omaha Westside — for a 66-63 semifinal win and their second state final appearance in school history. Dakari Wilson scored 24 points for LSW as they battled back from down 56-49 with 5:40 left in the game.

Papio South’s run to a second straight final is as improbable as it gets. The Titans started 4-5 and lost to Millard North 61-30 in the Metro Conference tournament. But, then they figured things out. Friday’s semifinal win over Bellevue West — 65-61 — was their 15th win in 18 tries. Levi Webb had 28 points, seven rebounds and seven assists for the Titans and Bryce Johnson, Jr. had 30 points in a losing effort for the T-Birds. Southwest beat Papio 89-63 on December 12th.

CLASS C-2 | 4:15 PM | Norfolk Catholic (24-4) vs. Archbishop Bergan (27-1): Norfolk Catholic’s journey to the Class C-2 state title game has been, well, something. On Wednesday, the Knights started the tournament missing their first 10 shots from the field and the free throw line. On Friday afternoon they put themselves in the finals with a game ending 13-2 run to edge Yutan, 49-47. Gavin Schutt made two free throws with 12 seconds left and had 19 points and six rebounds for the Knights.

Defending champion Archbishop Bergan had to scratch and claw past Freeman, who they upset in the first round last year on their way to the title. On Friday, it was senior Gavin Baker who willed the Knights to a 58-53 win over the the Falcons. He scored 30 points and grabbed 12 rebounds as Bergan overcame a 34-30 halftime deficit with a 28-19 second half surge.

CLASS B | 6:15 PM | Elkhorn North (19-5) vs. Scottsbluff (23-4): Elkhorn North will make their first Class B state final appearance on Saturday after surviving a wild final minute of overtime to defeat three-time defending champion Omaha Skutt. Down 59-57, the Skyhawks were fouled twice in the last 26 seconds but didn’t make any of the four free throws, the last one intentionally with five seconds left. Kellen Murphy scored 17 points to lead the Wolves.

You read it all already. Nate Kelley scored 27 points and assisted on the most important basket of the game — Esai Sabala’s left corner triple with 31 seconds left, which gave the ‘Cats a 61-56 lead that they rode to a 64-60 revenge win over Norris for a second straight trip to the Class B finals. Scottsbluff will play in their 11th state championship game and go for their fifth title.

CLASS D-1 | 8:15 PM | Howells-Dodge (25-3) vs. McCool Junction (21-6): Howells-Dodge erased a 15-8 first quarter deficit with a 21-5 second quarter and the cruised to a 60-36 win over Elm Creek. The Jaguars return to the state title game for the second year in a row and will look for their first title since 2013 in the Saturday nightcap. Ethan Prusa led four players in double figures with 17 points.

McCool Junction is in their first state championship game since 1985 after they held on for a 50-49 win over Lutheran High Northeast. Buoyed by an 7-0 from the 5:44 mark of the fourth quarter to 2:38 left which turn a 43-41 deficit into a 48-41 lead. Jameson Weiss, who led the Mustangs with 14 points and four rebounds, made two free throws for a 50-46 lead with 13 seconds left.

Semifinals Behind The Lens

OrthoNebraska believes creating the best experience for each patient begins by listening to their healthcare needs, lifestyle and goals to create truly personalized care. At OrthoNebraska, patients are able to see an orthopedic specialist same day across multiple locations, leading to a quick diagnosis and faster return to the things they love. Whether it be sidelining injury or just a desire to perform better, athletes benefit from the comprehensive care and an easier, more confident road to recovery and competing at their best. OrthoNebraska is your team behind the team and a proud supporter of Nebraska high school athletics.