Basketball Game Preview: Cozad Haymakers vs. Valentine

Cozad has gone 10-0 against Valentine recently and they'll look to pad the win column further on Tuesday. The Cozad Haymakers will be taking part in a tournament against Valentine at 6:00 p.m. Cozad knows how to get points on the board -- the squad has finished with 55 points or more in their past ten matchups -- so hopefully Valentine likes a good challenge.

Cozad is headed into the game after thoroughly thrashing Lexington: they outscored them in every quarter. Given that consistent dominance, it should come as no surprise that Cozad blew Lexington out of the water with a 77-42 final score. The Haymakers have made a habit of sweeping their opponents off the court, having now won seven contests by 27 points or more this season.

Cozad's success was spearheaded by the efforts of Noah Shoemaker, who went 7 of 15 on his way to 20 points in addition to five assists and five boards, and Olliver Davis, who went 6 for 7 en route to 15 points and six rebounds. Shoemaker's evening made it four games in a row in which he has scored at least ten points. Another player making a difference was Mason Fales, who posted nine points and five rebounds.

Meanwhile, Valentine earned a 57-48 win over Broken Bow on Friday. The victory made it back-to-back wins for Valentine.

The victory got Valentine back to even at 8-8. As for Cozad, their win was their 12th straight at home dating back to last season, which pushed their record up to 14-2.

Cozad was able to grind out a solid victory over Valentine in their previous meeting back in December of 2024, winning 53-43. One of the biggest obstacles the team faced in that game was Valentine's Dominic Beebout, who scored 17 points and three steals. Now that he's got a second chance to win this matchup, will Cozad still be able to contain Beebout? Check MaxPreps.com after the match to find out.