Minden and Cozad are an even 5-5 against one another since February of 2020, but not for long. The Minden Whippets will be playing at home against the Cozad Haymakers at 7:30 p.m. on Friday. Minden is strutting in with some offensive muscle as they've averaged 50.7 points per game this season.
Having struggled with four losses in a row, Minden turned things around against Broken Bow last Thursday. They managed a 51-46 victory over the Indians.
| 01/30/25 vs Broken Bow | 11 |
| 01/28/25 @ Holdrege | 12 |
| 01/24/25 @ Holdrege | 10 |
| 01/21/25 @ St. Paul | 10 |
| 01/18/25 @ McCook | 15 |
Minden's success was the result of a balanced attack that saw several players step up, but Brett Eckhardt led the charge by dropping a double-double on 14 points and 11 boards. Eckhardt is on a roll when it comes to rebounds, as he's now pulled down nine or more in the last 15 games he's played. Another player making a difference was William Runions, who posted ten points and four steals.
Minden was working as a unit and finished the game with 18 assists. That's the most assists they've posted since back in February of 2024.
Meanwhile, Cozad faced Holdrege in a battle between two of the state's top teams on Thursday. Cozad took an 82-73 hit to the loss column at the hands of Holdrege. Despite running the score up even higher than they did in their prior game on Saturday (66), the Haymakers still had to take the loss.
Minden will need focus on slowing down Chayden Hoffmaster, one of several Cozad players who made an impact when they last played. He went 8 for 12 en route to 20 points. The dominant performance gave Hoffmaster a new career-high in points. Mason Fales was another key player, going 6 of 11 on his way to 18 points.
Minden's win bumped their record up to 8-9. As for Cozad, their defeat ended a 13-game streak of wins at home dating back to last season and dropped them to 17-3.
Rebounding is likely to be a big factor in this contest: Minden has been crashing the boards this season, having averaged 32.8 rebounds per game. However, it's not like Cozad struggles in that department as they've been averaging 26.2 boards. With both teams battling to corral missed shots, we'll see if one team can grab an edge.
Minden came up short against Cozad in their previous matchup back in February of 2024, falling 50-37. Will Minden have more luck at home instead of on the road? Check back here after the action for a full breakdown and analysis of the contest.
