Basketball Game Preview: Hastings Tigers vs. Minden Whippets

The Hastings Tigers will square off against the Minden Whippets at 4:15 p.m. on Saturday. Minden took a loss in their last matchup and will be looking to turn the tables on Hastings, who comes in off a win.

Last Thursday, Hastings didn't have too much trouble with York as they won 67-49. The victory continues a trend for the Tigers in their matchups with the Dukes: they've now won three in a row.

Meanwhile, Minden played a tough contest last Thursday in which they were outscored in every quarter. They were outmatched by Wood River and fell 79-46. The Whippets were down 59-36 at the end of the third quarter, and things only got worse from there.

Hastings will need to focus on slowing down Brett Eckhardt, one of several Minden players who made an impact when they last played. He dropped a double-double with ten points and 15 boards. The dominant performance also gave Eckhardt a new career-high in blocks (three). Tanner Gibb was another key player, putting up 11 points and five rebounds.

Even though they lost, Minden smashed the offensive glass and finished the game with 13 offensive boards. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now pulled down at least eight offensive rebounds in four consecutive games.

Minden dropped their record down to 9-12 with the loss, which was their fifth straight on the road. As for Hastings, they now have a winning record of 11-10.

Hastings was able to grind out a solid win over Minden in their previous matchup back in February of 2024, winning 56-49. The rematch might be a little tougher for Hastings since the squad won't have the home-court advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.