Wichita Heights wins 59th straight to tie state record

For the 59th straight time, the Heights boys gathered in a locker room for coach Joe Auer’s victory speech.

The No. 1-ranked Falcons had just ran Northwest, the City League’s top challenger, into the ground in a 83-61 victory on Friday in front of a sold-out crowd at Northwest. It was the latest impressive win in a streak that is full of them.

As the victories have piled up, Auer has tried to build a mental fortress in the minds of his players.

The only game that matters should be the next one. But here, inside the visiting locker room at Northwest, Auer finally acknowledged “The Streak” with his team.

After all, Heights had just etched itself in the history books by tying the record for consecutive wins in Kansas history with Moundridge at 59 games.

“We had to tell them what the historical significance was of tonight,” Auer said. “This isn’t about this team. This is about three teams, and a lot of kids, a lot of effort and unselfishness and commitment to the team.”

Auer’s lessons however, stood pat. Even though the Falcons

had just accomplished something historically significant, there was no way they could appreciate it, truly, for what it is.

Not yet, anyway.

“And how could they?” Auer said. “101 years of Kansas high school basketball and only one other team has won 59 in a row.

“They don’t care about that at all. All they care about is now we have a two-game lead in the City League.”

No one in the state can match the experience of dealing with the pressure that accompanies big games like Heights. “You’re not just playing against that five, but you’re playing against the whole thing,” Northwest coach Chris Collins said. “You have external factors, so it does become mental, in terms of just the moment itself. I won’t ever say that my kids will back down, but the significance of the moment may have gotten to them a little bit.”

It’s hard to do anything but stare when Heights plays like it did in the second quarter, outscoring Northwest 25-8 for a 40-20 halftime lead.

“We were a little surprised,” said Heights forward and KU signee Perry Ellis, who finished with 37 points and 13 rebounds. “They are a great team and have a lot of great players, but we just played hard and it ended up that way.”

There’s never an answer for the 6-foot-8 Ellis, but he was particularly spectacular against Northwest.

But as Auer always emphasizes after games, this wasn’t about one player.

“I really do hope people have taken the time to watch how unselfish those guys are and how they treat each other and how open to coaching they are,” Auer said. “Egos aren’t a problem with us. It’s just a bunch of unselfish kids and coaches that have each other’s backs on a daily basis.”

Coaches have cooked up a myriad of ways to try to knock off the reigning champs. Collins, like many coaches before him, ended his scouting report with a bolded sentence to emphasize the importance: It’s all about whoever wants it more.

“Maybe I need to make it bigger or put it in a different font type,” Collins said. “As you can see by the result, Heights wanted it more.”

Heights: Lynch 1 4-4 6, Moore 4 1-3 9, Bell 2 0-0 4, Thurman 7 3-4 19, P. Ellis 13 11-13 37, Reed 2 3-4 7, Kolbeck 0 1-2 1, Lattimore 0 0-0 0, Smith 0 0-0 0, B. Ellis 0 0-0 0. Totals 29 (2) 23-30 83.

NORTHWEST: Nicholson 9 7-8 27, Carter 0 5-5 5, Tuggle 1 1-1 3, Miller 7 1-1 15, Gales 2 1-2 5, Jones 1 2-2 4, McIntyre 1 0-0 2, Carson 0 0-0 0, Hughes 0 0-0, Darr 0 0-0 0. Totals 21 (2) 17-19 61.

This story was originally published February 11, 2012 at 5:00 AM with the headline "Wichita Heights wins 59th straight to tie state record."