In 1982, Kay Konerza of Lester Prairie set a single game scoring record for girls' basketball in Minnesota in an 81-26 victory over Winsted Holy Trinity. Konerza was in the first wave of high-profile girls' basketball players in Minnesota.

Saturday night, her record of 58 points was broken by McKenna Hofschild, a 5-foot-3 guard from Prior Lake, who scored 63 points in a game her team lost 99-95 to Park Center in the Breakdown Classic at Hopkins High School.

Back in the Day: Konerza was in the first wave of high-profile girls' basketball players in Minnesota. There was one game during her senior season that was attended by coach Andy Landers of Georgia and Rene Portland of Penn State, two of that era's top programs.

I drove up to Lester Prairie with Landers, killing time in the afternoon playing video games at a now boarded-up restaurant in Howard Lake, and back to the Twin Cities with Portland, where I got a quality lesson on the state of women's college basketball at the Green Mill in St. Paul.

Konerza kept a diary of her recruiting, which was published in the Star Tribune, and wrote in the final part that she would attend Louisiana Tech, the highest-profile program of that time along with Southern Cal and Old Dominion.

Former Lester Prairie star Kay Konerza Bachert guarded college basketball Hall of Famer Cheryl Miller of USC in 1983, which was Konerza's first year at Louisiana Tech.
Star Tribune
Former Lester Prairie star Kay Konerza Bachert guarded college basketball Hall of Famer Cheryl Miller of USC in 1983, which was Konerza's first year at Louisiana Tech.

Back to today: Now known as Kay Bachert and a teacher in Texas, Konerza has been an AAU coach and the oldest of her children is planning to play college basketball at Division II Western Colorado.

After being informed that her record was broken, Bachert sent me an email with a message that she wanted to have forwarded to Hofschild. I sent it along to her coach, and Bachert said it was fine to publish it.

Here it is:

McKenna,

Congratulations on breaking the MSHSL single game scoring record and going over 2,000 points for your career. It's nice to see all the hours upon hours you've put into the game you love get recognized. I never thought that record would stand for as long as it did especially with the addition of the 3pt line and smaller ball. There have been many capable players coming out of MN, but it just has to be "right" for something like you experienced to happen.

Your team NEEDED you to score and you responded — Sounded amazing!!! As a competitor, I know you would've rather gotten the "W" and your team came up short, but these tough games are preparing y'all for the big picture of a tournament run later on. McKenna, aka "Dynamite-Comes-In-Small-Packages", keep playing BIG as you continue to go after your goals & dreams. YES, you CAN! God Bless as you carry the mantle/responsibility of being one of Minnesota's examples of what younger players dream of becoming—and don't stop at Seton Hall!

CONGRATULATIONS and all my best to you as a person and a player.

Kay (Konerza) Bachert

Lester Prairie HS Class of 1982

Louisiana Tech University Lady Techster 1982-1986

In an email, Beckett told me: "We see Minnesota teams down here in the Dallas area in the summer time and yes, they do play a good brand of basketball. Love to see it! "

And she's keeping up with the changes at the University of Minnesota too.

"Lindsay Whalen knows what hard work is all about and as a successful player she knows the importance for team," Bachert wrote. "She has the clout to demand it out of today's superstars. It will be interesting to see how it all unfolds. Exciting times for the U."