Basketball Game Preview: Cozad Haymakers vs. Hershey Panthers

The Cozad Haymakers will face off against the Hershey Panthers at 7:00 p.m. on Friday. Expect the scorekeeper to be kept busy: if their previous games are any indication, these teams will really light up the scoreboard.

On Saturday, everything came up roses for Cozad against Maxwell as the team secured a 69-22 win. The squad ran away with 61 points in the first half and mostly just sat on those to pick up the victory.

Olliver Davis

Steals (Career)

12/06/25 @ Maxwell	5
01/21/25 @ Amherst	4
03/03/25 vs Scotus	3
12/14/24 vs Valentine	3
02/27/25 vs Chase County	2

Olliver Davis was a one-man wrecking crew as he posted 11 points and five steals. Those five steals gave him a new career-high. Miles German was another key player, putting up ten points.

Cozad was working as a unit and finished the game with 15 assists. They easily outclassed their opponents in that department as Maxwell only racked up six.

Hershey kicked off their season on the road on Thursday and hit a couple of potholes. They took a 66-59 hit to the loss column at the hands of Perkins County. The Panthers have struggled against the Plainsmen recently, as the game was their fifth consecutive lost matchup.

Cozad will need to focus on slowing down Houston Hill, one of several Hershey players who made an impact when they last played. He dropped a double-double with 18 points and 12 boards. Another player making a difference was Aidan Truesdale, who had 21 points.

Everything came up roses for Cozad against Hershey when the teams last played back in December of 2024, as the team secured a 59-22 win. In that matchup, the Haymakers amassed a halftime lead of 34-11, an impressive feat they'll look to repeat on Friday.