HARRISBURG, Neb. — Nineteen games. Six wins. Five players. No bench.

It has been a long season for the Sioux County High boys basketball team, a squad always facing the longest road to the state tournament, regardless how many players are on the team — the far northwest Nebraska school is 495 miles from Lincoln.

But when the five warriors on the Sioux County team bus rolled out of Harrisburg one night recently, the season's frustrations faded into the shadows of rugged, snow-covered ranchland during the 93-mile ride home to Harrison.

It was a weekend to savor: The team's only back-to-back victories this season. Sioux County edged Minatare 52-49 on a Friday night in Harrison and then defeated Banner County 52-39 the next night in Harrisburg.

The Warriors did it the only way they know. All five players on the floor. Win or lose as a team. They are the team.

Sioux County's roster is only deep enough to field a starting five, with none to spare, let alone scrimmage or practice five-on-three.

“They depend on each other,'' said Anne Wilson, the mother of the team's tallest player and only senior. “They show up to play.''

The hometown heroes are senior Luke Wilson, juniors Jake Murphy and Zach Windsor and freshmen Jonny Dunn and Garret Gray.

Sioux County is one of Nebraska's smallest schools. There are 22 total students in the four-year high school. The senior class has four members. Athletic teams compete in Class D-2, the smallest of Nebraska's school classifications.

One of the team's victories is the talk of Harrison. The Warriors won the game despite playing only four players the entire second half.

In a Jan. 12 Panhandle Conference game at Edgemont, S.D., the 5-foot-7 Windsor sprained an ankle near the end of the first half. He hobbled around until halftime, when Sioux County led 26-13.

Edgemont chipped away at the Warrior lead during the second half when coach Dash Rohan could put only four players on the court. When Edgemont pulled to within a basket, Rohan called a fourth-quarter timeout. He urged Wilson, his 6-3 center, to take over the game.

The big senior scored nine straight points and 5-11 forward Murphy added five field goals. Sioux County outscored Edgemont 30-29 in the second half and won 56-42.

“When you've seen four kids play a half, you've seen it all,'' said Paul Windsor, the father of Zach and a former team coach.

Rohan tried recruiting around the school for an extra player or two, but told prospects they would need to make up missed running drills.

“I just thought those kids needed to know up front that it wasn't going to be easy,'' Rohan said.

Running was the hurdle. No one joined the team.

There were no other options. Nebraska School Activities Association rules prohibit players from practicing against coaches, student managers, the girls' team or faculty.

Playing short-handed isn't new to Sioux County teams.

The school plays six-man football and had eight players most of the fall. By the end of football season, the players who would make up the basketball team were football starters.

Except for Murphy.

Murphy missed the football season with a broken left leg and thumb suffered when he crashed a four-wheeler into a fence.

When the school year started, Rohan expected to field a seven-member basketball team. Then junior Clint Nunn went down with a knee injury, ending his football season and hobbling him for basketball.

Rohan started the season with six players. Dunn, a 5-8 guard, missed a few early games with a hip injury. Then 5-11 guard Matt Woodrum broke a hand in a mid-December game against Arthur County.

“We thought we were high class and then Matt gets hurt and we were back to five players,'' Rohan said.

Since Christmas, Sioux County's roster has been limited to five players. Rohan said the boys responded to the challenge.

“We know that we're all we've got,'' he said. “They work really hard. They know that other teams are going to come out and try to run us, work us and out-substitute us. We know we have to outwork the other teams.''

It started in practice.

Rohan emphasized fundamental drills. The boys worked on entry passes. They practiced ball toughness in which one player holds a ball while another slaps at the ball and arms in an attempt to knock it lose.

“Now they're tough as nails,'' Rohan said. “It make a big difference in a game if you're not turning the ball over a thousand times.''

Rohan ran offensive plays faster than game speed dozens of times in practice. He ran a “fourth quarter'' drill in which the boys ran eight minutes in two-minute spurts with brief breathers.

Luke Wilson said there are advantages to having a tight-knit team.

“We don't have different groups doing differing things,'' he said. “We're all five practicing our plays and learning our parts.''

Rohan used games as scrimmages to fine-tune the team.

“I never tell the kids not to shoot,'' he said. “If they're open, they've got to take the shot.''

The Warriors hit five 3-pointers to end the first half of the Banner County game. The team shot 40.5 percent from the field during the regular season, which ended Friday with a 52-43 win at Edgemont.

Rohan hoarded the team's five timeouts during games.

“I tell the boys to play a good first half and I hope to have three left for the fourth quarter to give them a breather,'' he said. “They get a little leg weary now and then, but they don't complain about it.''

Sioux County lost a few games this season after leading in the third quarter.

“It's frustrating because you start running out of steam and then the other team puts in a fresh line and they pull ahead,'' Luke Wilson said.

Sioux County begins sub-district competition tonight at Gordon-Rushville against struggling Hyannis. The winner faces Hay Springs on Tuesday.

This season's five-player team doesn't mean the end of basketball at Sioux County. Next year's freshman class is expected to add eight students — twice the size of the graduating Class of 2010.

Rohan anticipates suiting up seven or eight players next year.

“We work hard and earn everything we get,'' he said. “It's been a fun year coaching. At least we don't worry about parents complaining that their kid isn't getting enough playing time.''

Contact the writer:

444-1127, david.hendee@owh.com