Basketball Game Preview: Mullen Broncos vs. Hyannis Longhorns

Mullen has gone 8-2 against Hyannis recently and they'll look to pad the win column further on Thursday. The Broncos will head out to challenge the Longhorns at 7:00 p.m. Both come into the matchup bolstered by wins in their previous matches.

Last Thursday, even if it wasn't a dominant performance, Mullen beat Sutherland 36-30. The win continues a trend for the Broncos in their matchups with the Sailors: they've now won six in a row.

Jacob Walker

Rebounds (Career)

12/04/25 @ Sutherland	13
01/03/25 vs Ainsworth	11
02/11/25 @ Sandhills/Thedford	10
01/16/25 @ Arthur County	10
01/21/25 @ Twin Loup	8

Mullen can attribute much of their success to Jacob Walker, who dropped a double-double with 17 points and 13 rebounds, and Nicholas Gonzalez, who posted nine points. Those 13 boards gave Walker a new career-high.

Meanwhile, a well-balanced attack led Hyannis over Banner County in every quarter on their way to victory on Friday. Given that consistent dominance, it should come as no surprise that the Longhorns blew the Wildcats out of the water with a 64-11 final score. The game was pretty much decided by the half, when the score had already reached 37-8.

Hyannis' win came from a few key players Mullen will need to keep an eye on. One of the most notable was Evan Merrihew, who shot 64% from the field to rack up 14 points and seven steals. Another player making a difference was Levi Merrihew, who went 5-for-8 on his way to 11 points in addition to six rebounds and six steals.

Hyannis was working as a unit and finished the game with 16 assists. They easily outclassed their opponents in that department as Banner County only posted one.

Mullen didn't have too much breathing room in their contest against Hyannis when the teams last played back in December of 2024, but they still walked away with a 47-43 victory. The rematch might be a little tougher for the Broncos since the squad won't have the home-court advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.