NORTH PLATTE, Neb. (KNOP) – The Coffee Bin has been selected as one of 70 stops on this year’s Nebraska Passport program, an annual challenge that highlights attractions and promotes local businesses across the state.

An incredible Honor

The owner of The Coffee Bin said the selection was meaningful for her team.

“It’s a huge honor. I mean, to be selected, I don’t know how many applications they get every year for this, but it’s like, so, it’s a big honor. It’s just, you know, we’re just really, really excited to be a part of it,” Penny Billingsley, said.

Tourism and local growth

The owner said participation in the Nebraska Passport program plays a role in helping businesses like hers grow.

“Tourism is a big, big part of, I think, for any city, tourism is important. North Platte has a lot of really unique places to go, and we’re also just in the middle of the state. So there’s, you know, you can get to a lot of different, different destinations from here. So I think it’s very important,” she added.

The Coffee Bin is one of two Lincoln County stops on this year’s Nebraska Passport program. Crystal Cave & Falls Adventure Mini Golf is the other Lincoln County location included in the program.

A full list of attractions is available on the KNOP News 2 app and website.

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JAMESTOWN, N.D. — The No. 2 seed Thompson Tommies survived an upset scare by defeating the No. 7 seed Rugby Panthers 39-36 on Thursday, March 5, in the quarterfinals of the North Dakota Division A girls basketball state tournament at the Jamestown Civic Center.

With 16 seconds left in the game and down 39-36, Panthers coach Jen Brossart drew up one final play in an attempt to send the game to overtime. Strong defense from the Tommies formed a cluster of players at the top of the arc, and as time expired, Panthers guard Avery Santjer put up a falling-away 3-point attempt that came up short, giving the quarterfinal victory to Thompson.

Addison Sage had 15 points to lead Thompson with Kya Hurst chipping in 11. Santjer led Rugby with 13.

Valley City junior forward Katie Burchill scored a 23-point double-double with 18 rebounds to lead the Hi-Liners to a 64-44 quarterfinal victory over Devils Lake on Thursday.

Valley City outscored Devils Lake 21-6 in the third quarter to take a commanding lead.

Presley Brown and Tylie Brodina each scored 12 for the Firebirds.

Burchill and sophomore forward Skye Nelson also recorded nine of Valley City’s 12 blocks.

South Prairie-Max scored a 50-point victory over Watford City, winning 75-25 on Thursday in the quarterfinals behind 19 points from Skotti Beck.

Mya Gunville added 12 points and Brianna Rose 11 for South Prairie-Max.

Lohgan Hanna led Watford City with nine points.

Liza Trenbeath’s 27 points paced No. 4 seed Kindred to a 56-54 win over No. 5 Hazen in Thursday’s quarterfinals.

Siera Nipstad chipped in 19 points and six rebounds as the Vikings (20-5) advanced to Friday’s state semifinals against top-seeded South Prairie-Max (24-1). Tipoff is set for 8:15 p.m. at the Jamestown Civic Center.

Kindred shot 22 of 51 (43.1%) from the field to Hazen’s 19 of 41 (46.3%)

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Indiana and Ohio State’s showdown Saturday has the makings of a seismic NCAA men’s tournament bubble clash, but there will also be a slice of individual history on the line.

Buckeyes guard Bruce Thornton is 11 points away from becoming the all-time leading scorer in the history of his program. That may not mean much outside of Columbus, but it is peculiar for three reasons—a) the fact that Thornton played all four years of his career at Ohio State, b) the fact that Thornton played only four years, and c) the fact that the record—held by guard Dennis Hopson, an All-American in 1987—has stood for around four decades.

All this is to say that Thornton may be one of the last of a dying breed: a four-year player at a big-name program who, through a combination of luck and skill, passes up NBA and transfer-portal riches to earn the title of a program’s all-time leading scorer.

How rare is Thornton’s achievement in modern times? Let’s unpack the question.

Here, in tabular form, we’ll list the 25 winningest programs in history (via College Basketball Reference), their all-time leading scorers, the most recent player to crack the top 10 on each school’s all-time list, and whether they were helped by extenuating circumstances (such as the COVID-19 pandemic) that provided an extra year of eligibility to boost their stats.

This table is a revealing one, and not just for its nostalgic value. A close reading reveals that there are only five players who have met the following four criteria: a) a career that took place entirely within the 2020s, b) a career that lasted only four seasons, c) a career spent entirely with one school, and d) a career that ended with the player in the top 10 of his school’s scoring list.

These players are: Edey, Jackson-Davis, Jaquez, Braden Smith and Thornton. Of that group, the only players to play their entire careers after the 2021 legalization of NIL earnings are Braden Smith and Thornton. Braden, far better known for his passing, is currently No. 10 on the Boilermakers’ scoring list. Thornton is about to become No. 1 on the Buckeyes’.

Thornton scored just three points in 24 minutes in his Ohio State debut—a 91–53 victory over Robert Morris back in Nov. 2022. However, his scoring gradually ticked upward, and he finished his freshman year a 10.6-point-per-game scorer. He averaged 15.7 in 2024, 17.7 in 2025, and 19.9 in 2026. His advanced metrics have similarly improved—he’s doubled his win shares per 40 minutes since his freshman season, and his 6.3 win shares lead the Big Ten.

Contrast this approach with Hopson’s—the Buckeye great Thornton is about to pass averaged five points per game his freshman year, only to level up and lead the Big Ten with 29 per game in `87. There’s more than one way to become a scoring champ.

“The biggest thing for me is a guy that was committed and dedicated to the Ohio State University for four years,” Hopson told Jack Berney of Spectrum News Tuesday. “With the way basketball and sports are now, kids don’t stay for four years. For a guy that’s never been to an NCAA tournament to stick it out and show his loyalty, I give him all the praise in the world.”

It’s tempting to view a statement like that cynically—the Buckeyes changed coaches smack in the middle of Thornton’s tenure, making a player exodus understandable.

That, however, makes Thornton a bit of a survivor. Everything Ohio State and the college basketball world have thrown at him have, for whatever reason, bounced off him. He’ll likely be rewarded with a trip to NCAA tournament, a hallowed Buckeye record, and membership in the last generation of college hoopers to aim directly at the “career” section of the school record book. He hasn’t missed.

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