The Minden Whippets will venture away from home to take on the Cozad Haymakers at 7:45 p.m. on Friday. Cozad took a loss in their last contest and will be looking to turn the tables on Minden, who comes in off a win.
Minden took a loss when they played away from home on Tuesday, but their home fans gave them all the motivation they needed on Thursday. They came out on top in a nail-biter against Broken Bow, sneaking past 52-49. The victory continues a trend for the Whippets in their matchups with the Indians: they've now won three in a row.
| 01/29/26 vs Broken Bow | 18 |
| 01/27/26 @ McCook | 16 |
| 01/23/26 vs Holdrege | 26 |
Minden's win was the result of several impressive offensive performances. One of the most notable came from Traelin Christensen, who shot 54% from the field to rack up 18 points and five assists. Christensen's evening made it three games in a row in which he has scored at least 16 points. The team also got some help courtesy of Luke Craig, who went 7-for-11 on his way to 15 points and four blocks.
They weren't the only ones working in the assist department: Minden was working as a unit and finished the game with 15 assists. They are 10-4 when they've passed the ball that well.
Meanwhile, Cozad faced Ogallala in a battle between two of the state's top teams on Saturday. The Haymakers took a blow against the Indians, falling 79-48. The matchup marked the Haymakers' lowest-scoring game so far this season.
Minden will have to contain Chayden Hoffmaster as he made an impact in Cozad's last game. He shot 47% from the field en route to 18 points and six boards. Hoffmaster is on a roll when it comes to field goal percentage, as he's posted one of at least 47% in the last five games he's played. Another player making a difference was Julien Davis, who posted six points and six rebounds.
Minden's win bumped their record up to 11-6. As for Cozad, they moved to 18-2 with that loss, which also ended their seven-game winning streak.
Some high-performance offense is likely on the agenda as the two teams are some of the highest-scoring teams around. Minden hasn't had any problem running up the score this season, having averaged 59.8 points per game. However, it's not like Cozad struggles in that department as they've been averaging 68.3 points. With both teams so easily able to put up points, the only question left is who can put up more.
Minden took a serious blow against Cozad when the teams last played back in February of 2025, falling 75-31. That contest was all but decided by halftime, at which point the Whippets were down 36-12.
