Basketball Recap: Traelin Christensen's Big Game Can't Quite Lead Minden over Holdrege

Minden suffered their biggest defeat since December 28, 2024 on Tuesday. They came up short against the Holdrege Dusters, falling 78-57. While losing is never fun, the Whippets can't take it too hard given the team's big disadvantage in MaxPreps' Nebraska basketball rankings (they are ranked 144th, while the Dusters are ranked 15th).

Minden's loss came despite a true team effort from the offense, with many players turning in solid performances. Perhaps the best among them was Traelin Christensen, who posted ten points. Another player making a difference was Luke Grollmes, who earned 14 points.

Even though they lost, Minden smashed the offensive glass and finished the game with ten offensive boards. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now pulled down at least eight offensive rebounds in eight consecutive matches.

It was another big night for Baron Medina, who went 6 of 10 from beyond the arc on his way to 33 points along with seven boards and four steals for Holdrege. With that strong performance, Medina is now averaging an impressive 2.1 steals per game. The team also got some help courtesy of Garret Johnson, who went 8 for 15 en route to 19 points in addition to seven assists and six rebounds.

Minden dropped their record down to 7-9 with the defeat, which was their fourth straight on the road. As for Holdrege, the win was the ninth in a row for them, bringing their record for this year to 15-2.

Minden wasted no time getting back out on the court and has already played their next contest, a 51-46 victory against Broken Bow on the 30th. As for Holdrege, they will be taking part in a tournament against Cozad at 5:00 p.m. on Friday. Holdrege is strutting in with some offensive muscle as they've averaged 76.1 points per game this season.