Basketball Game Preview: Ogallala Indians vs. Cozad Haymakers

Ogallala has won three straight games at home, while Cozad has won three straight on the road dating back to last season, but those streaks won't matter much on Friday. The Ogallala Indians will host the Cozad Haymakers at 7:00 p.m. One thing working in Ogallala's favor is that they have posted at least 55 points every time they've taken the court this season.

On Tuesday, Ogallala earned a 55-48 victory over Bridgeport. The 55-point effort marked the Indians' lowest-scoring matchup of the season, but in the end it didn't matter.

Meanwhile, Cozad strolled past Ord with points to spare on Tuesday, taking the game 76-57. Given the Haymakers' advantage in MaxPreps' Nebraska basketball rankings (they are ranked 29th, while the Chanticleers are ranked 146th), the result wasn't entirely unexpected.

Cozad's win came from a few key players Ogallala will need to keep an eye on. One of the most notable was Noah Shoemaker, who almost dropped a double-double on 18 points and nine boards. The team also got some help courtesy of Kellen Shoemaker, who went 6 of 13 on his way to 17 points along with five assists and three steals.

Ogallala's win bumped their record up to 10-0. As for Cozad, their victory bumped their record up to 9-1.

Ogallala couldn't quite finish off Cozad in their previous meeting back in February of 2024 and fell 61-59. A big factor in that loss was the dominant performance of Shoemaker, who went 8 for 11 on his way to 21 points. Now that Ogallala knows the damage he can cause, will they be able to stop him this time? Check MaxPreps.com after the match to find out.