Cozad and Minden are an even 5-5 against one another since February of 2020, but not for long. Having just played yesterday, the Cozad Haymakers will head out on the road to face off against the Minden Whippets at 7:30 p.m. on Friday. One thing working in Cozad's favor is that they have posted at least 55 points in their last three games.
Cozad is probably headed into the contest with a chip on their shoulder considering Holdrege just ended the team's eight-game winning streak on Thursday. They took an 82-73 hit to the loss column at the hands of the Dusters. Despite running the score up even higher than they did in their prior game on Saturday (66), the Haymakers still had to take the loss.
| 02/06/25 vs Holdrege | 20 |
| 01/31/25 vs Holdrege | 18 |
| 12/28/24 @ Nebraska Christian | 15 |
| 01/16/25 vs Gothenburg | 13 |
| 02/01/25 vs Ogallala | 13 |
Despite their defeat, Cozad saw several players rise to the challenge and make noteworthy plays. Chayden Hoffmaster, who went 8 of 12 en route to 20 points, was perhaps the best of all. The dominant performance gave Hoffmaster a new career-high in points. The team also got some help courtesy of Mason Fales, who went 6 for 11 on his way to 18 points.
Meanwhile, Minden came into Thursday's match having lost four straight, but that streak is now in the rearview. They secured a 51-46 W over Broken Bow last Thursday.
Minden's win came from a few key players Cozad will need to keep an eye on. One of the most notable was Brett Eckhardt, who dropped a double-double on 14 points and 11 rebounds. He has been hot for a while, having posted nine or more boards the last 15 times he's played. Another player making a difference was William Runions, who posted ten points and four steals.
Minden was working as a unit and finished the game with 18 assists. That's the most assists they've managed all season.
Minden's victory bumped their record up to 8-9. As for Cozad, their loss ended a 13-game streak of wins at home dating back to last season and dropped them to 17-3.
Rebounding is likely to be a big factor in this contest: Cozad has been smashing the glass this season, having averaged 26.2 rebounds per game. However, it's not like Minden struggles in that department as they've been averaging 32.8 boards. With both teams battling to corral missed shots, we'll see if one team can grab an edge.
Cozad beat Minden 50-37 in their previous meeting back in February of 2024. The rematch might be a little tougher for Cozad since the team won't have the home-court advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.
