RPAC Rundown Spotlight Series: Dundy County's Lexie Yrkoski-From Set Back to State Champ

March 7th, 2026. That's the day the Dundy County Stratton Girls Basketball Team won the NSAA Girls State Basketball Championship. For the Tigers, their first-ever title after being runner-ups in 2015, 2017, and 2019.

About two weeks prior, a key contributor to the Tigers team, senior Lexie Yrkoski, suffered an injury to her left knee in the subdistrict finals against Cambridge. And the rest of her season was somewhat in question.

"..so I tore my ACL, and then I also tore my lateral and medial meniscus. I was told that I had messed up my MCL, but I was also told that it's stable, so I don't know exactly what went on there," said Lexie.

"I knew something wasn't right. So I had tears more of just like, I don't know, the uncertainty. I hobbled off the court, and normally it takes a lot to get me off the court. So my mom knew something wasn't right as well."

Lexie mentioned that in the days following, her knee would give out on her. So she knew it was time to get it evaluated.

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At a doctor's appointment shortly after, she had the green light to keep playing. "...if you can play on it, might as well. Like you can't do anything worse to it," is what Lexie said the doctor told her.

There was some getting used to the brace she was to wear while competing and getting comfortable playing despite damage to her knee. And she knew she had to be tough as well while playing on it.

"It gave out on me a couple of times in practice, which was a little like, it was hard to adjust to. And I know the one time, like, one of the girls in practice hit my knee, and it wasn't like she meant to; it just hurt. Cause it was definitely swollen still. And I went to my mom's office, I was in tears and just kind of talking to her about it and whatever. And she's like, Lexie, it's going to hurt."

Lexie wasn't going to be able to get in for surgery for a while, also, so that was part of the decision-making process too. "So it was like, it's still basketball season. I just have a brace to have to play," added Lexie.

So Lexie battled through. And she played her role at a high level. To be part of a State Championship Team meant a lot to Lexie, obviously. But she ran towards the adversity they were facing.

"Yeah, it meant a lot. I remember like freshman year, we won what five games? So that really kind of just shows like the program we built from my freshman year to my senior year. And we had a lot of great girls along the way. Just took time to build that program up and get some other girls out there. That way, we actually had girls to practice against," added Lexie.

And she wanted to compete even while injured because of what her team means to her.

"...I love my team, every single one of them. So to be able to go out there and play with them, play those minutes, and not have to sit on the bench, because that is something I do not want to do. I am very much like, I want to be out there type of person. It meant a lot."

Lexie recently had surgery and says the recovery process is going well.

We asked Lexie what she has learned from this.

"...things aren't always going to go as planned...I've never really had a major injury throughout my whole entire sports season. So...I thought I made it all the way through...So kind of shows you like how unpredictable life can be and like how much control you don't have over it...you kind of just have to trust that things will work out and know that they will, but it's not always going to go how you want."