Basketball Game Preview: Minden Whippets vs. Ogallala Indians

Minden and Ogallala are an even 5-5 against one another since December of 2017, but not for long. The Minden Whippets will be taking part in a tournament against the Ogallala Indians at 6:30 p.m. on Friday. Minden is coming into the matchup hot, having won their last six games.

Minden picked up another tournament win on Tuesday. They took their contest with ease, bagging a 63-22 win over Cozad. The Whippets have made a habit of sweeping their opponents off the court, having now won ten games by 20 points or more this season.

Minden can attribute much of their success to Myla Emery, who posted 20 points in addition to five rebounds and four steals, and Mattie Kamery, who went 6 for 13 on her way to 15 points along with five boards and four steals. Kamery's evening made it eight games in a row in which she has scored at least ten points. The team also got some help courtesy of Makenna Starkey, who earned two points and six steals.

Minden smashed the offensive glass and finished the game with 12 offensive boards. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now pulled down at least eight offensive rebounds in four consecutive matches.

Meanwhile, Ogallala was able to grind out a solid victory over Holdrege on Tuesday, taking the game 58-45.

Minden's win was their 18th straight at home dating back to last season, which pushed their record up to 16-1. They've dominated over that stretch too, winning by an average of 25.6 points. As for Ogallala, they have been performing well recently as they've won four of their last five contests, which provided a nice bump to their 12-5 record this season.

Minden took their victory against Ogallala when the teams last played back in December of 2024 by a conclusive 67-46. In that game, Minden amassed a halftime lead of 38-17, an impressive feat they'll look to repeat on Friday.