Basketball Recap: Mullen Comes Up Short

Mullen had lost three straight at home, but on Tuesday they dropped down to 8-7 to make it four. They were beaten by Valentine 78-28. While losing is never fun, the Broncos can't take it too hard given the team's big disadvantage in MaxPreps' Nebraska basketball rankings (they are ranked 195th, while Valentine are ranked 37th).

Mullen lost despite a true team effort on offense. The best among them was Jacob Walker, who posted six points. Another player making a difference was Ben Werner, who put up eight points and three steals.

As for Valentine, the win was the fourth in a row for them, bringing their record up to 15-3. They have made a habit of sweeping their opponents off the court, having now won seven matchups by 22 points or more this season.

Isaac Cronin had another great game (as he tends to do), shooting 92% from the field to rack up 25 points and five steals. Those 92% field goal percentage gave him a new career-high. Dominic Beebout was another key player, going 7-for-11 on his way to 18 points.

Mullen didn't take long to hit the court again: they've already played their next game, a 43-34 loss against Wallace on the 5th. As for Valentine, they also wasted no time getting back out on the court and have already played their next contest, a 94-56 victory against Sandhills/Thedford on the 6th.