Valentine hasn't had much luck against Minden recently, but that could start to change on Friday. Valentine will look to defend their home court against the Minden Whippets at 5:30 p.m. After the two teams made easy work of their previous opponents, one won't be so lucky on Friday.
Valentine is headed in fresh off scoring the most points they have all season. They blew past Gordon-Rushville 55-27 on Tuesday. The victory was a breath of fresh air for Valentine as it put an end to their three-game losing streak.
Valentine can attribute much of their success to Aiden Hand, who almost dropped a triple-double on nine points, 16 rebounds, and nine steals, and Paige Sprenger, who went 11 of 24 on her way to 25 points and six steals. That makes it seven consecutive games in which Sprenger has scored at least a third of Valentine's points. The team also got some help courtesy of Benson Aubrey, who posted five points and 12 boards.
Valentine smashed the offensive glass and finished the game with 30 offensive rebounds. That's the most offensive boards they've managed all season.
Meanwhile, Minden put another one in the bag on Tuesday to keep their perfect season alive. They put the hurt on Beatrice with a sharp 53-32 win. The Whippets have made a habit of sweeping their opponents off the court, having now won four matchups by 21 points or more this season.
Valentine better keep an eye on Myla Emery. She was instrumental in Minden's win, going 7 of 9 on her way to 19 points along with five assists and five boards. The team also got some help courtesy of Kinsie Land, who dropped a double-double on ten points and 11 rebounds.
Minden pushed their record up to 9-0 with the victory, which was their 15th straight at home dating back to last season. As for Valentine, their win bumped their record up to 4-6.
Rebounding is likely to be a big factor in this contest: Valentine has been smashing the glass this season, having averaged 34.8 boards per game. However, it's not like Minden struggles in that department as they've been averaging 34.1 rebounds. With both teams battling to corral missed shots, we'll see if one team can grab an edge.
Valentine took a serious blow against Minden in their previous meeting back in January of 2024, falling 62-24. A big factor in that loss was the dominant performance of Minden's Mattie Kamery, who went 10 of 14 on her way to 23 points. Now that Valentine knows the damage she can cause, will they be able to stop her this time? Check MaxPreps.com after the match to find out.