The Minden Whippets will wrap up 2023 with a road trip to face off against the Grand Island Central Catholic Crusaders at 7:30 p.m. on Friday. Hopefully Minden focused on turnovers this week since the team gave up 22 last Saturday.
Last Saturday, Minden was within striking distance but couldn't close the gap as they fell 53-47 to Elm Creek. Minden has now taken an 'L' in back-to-back games.
Despite the loss, Minden got a solid performance out of Brett Eckhardt, who dropped a double-double on 18 points and 11 rebounds. Those 18 points set a new season-high mark for him. Jake Ryan was another key contributor, scoring seven points along with five rebounds.
Even though they lost, Minden were working as a unit and finished the game with 14 assists. That's the most assists they've managed all season.
Meanwhile, Grand Island Central Catholic's recent rough patch got a bit rougher on Friday after their third straight loss. They were dealt a 60-31 loss at the hands of Seward. The result shouldn't come as a shock considering that's the fewest points Grand Island Central Catholic has scored all season.
Despite the defeat, Grand Island Central Catholic saw an underclassman step up: Thomas Birch scored ten points.
Minden's defeat dropped their record down to 3-3. As for Grand Island Central Catholic, they have been struggling recently, as they've lost four of their last five matches, which put a noticeable dent in their 3-5 record this season.
Friday's contest is shaping up to be a scrappy matchup: Minden have been smashing the glass this season, having only averaged 34.5 rebounds per game. It's a different story for Grand Island Central Catholic, though, as they've been averaging only 16.9 rebounds per game. Given Minden's sizeable advantage in that area, Grand Island Central Catholic will need to find a way to close that gap.
Minden took a serious blow against Grand Island Central Catholic in their previous meeting back in December of 2018, falling 71-38. Can Minden avenge their loss or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.
