Minden is 9-1 against Valentine since January of 2016, and they'll have a chance to extend that success on Thursday. The Minden Whippets will take on Valentine at 5:30 p.m. Both teams took a loss in their last game, so they'll have plenty of motivation to get the 'W'.
Minden struggled with assists on Tuesday (Cozad had eight more) and sadly the final score reflected it. Minden took a 54-35 bruising from Cozad. The result shouldn't come as a shock considering that's the fewest points Minden has scored all season.
The loss doesn't tell the whole story though, as several players had good games. One of the most active was Luke Grollmes, who scored eight points. The team also got some help courtesy of Brycen Schwenka, who scored ten points.
Meanwhile, Valentine unfortunately witnessed the end of their four-game winning streak on Tuesday. They were outmatched by Ogallala on the road and fell 77-50. While losing is never fun, Valentine can't take it too hard given the team's big disadvantage in MaxPreps' Nebraska basketball rankings (they are ranked 130th, while Ogallala is ranked fourth).
Even though the team lost, they still had their share of impressive performances. One of the most dominant came from Isaac Cronin, who scored 11 points along with seven rebounds and two blocks. He is on a roll when it comes to blocks, as he's now posted two or more in the last three games he's played. Another player making a difference was Andon Olson, who scored 11 points.
Valentine struggled to get the ball back on offense and finished the game with only three offensive rebounds. That's the fewest offensive rebounds they've managed all season.
Minden's defeat dropped their record down to 7-6. As for Valentine, they now have a losing record at 7-8.
This contest is one where the number of possessions is likely to be a big factor: Minden have been smashing the glass this season, having averaged 31.3 rebounds per game. However, it's not like Valentine struggles in that department as they've been averaging 25.3 rebounds per game. Given these competing strengths, it'll be interesting to see how their clash plays out.
Minden lost to Valentine on the road by a decisive 56-40 margin in their previous matchup on January 6th. Can Minden avenge their defeat or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.
