The Minden Whippets came into Thursday's matchup having lost five straight, but that streak is now in the rearview. They strolled past Wood River with points to spare on Thursday, taking the game 63-45. That result was just more of the same for these two, as Minden also won the last time the pair played back in February of 2023.
Austin Lutkemeier was a one-man wrecking crew for Minden as he scored 15 points along with six assists and five rebounds. As a matter of fact, that's the most points Lutkemeier has scored all season. Another player making a difference was Jake Ryan, who scored 13 points along with five assists and two steals.
Minden's win was their third straight at home, which pushed their record up to 8-10. Those good results were due in large part to their offensive performance across that stretch, as they averaged 54.0 points per game. As for Wood River, this is the second loss in a row for them and nudges their season record down to 12-8.
Minden will head out on the road to face off against St. Cecilia at 6:00 p.m. on Monday. The matchup should be an exciting one, as these teams are closely ranked in Nebraska (St. Cecilia is ranked 90th, while Minden is ranked 108th). As for Wood River, they won't have much time to rest: their next game is against Doniphan-Trumbull at 6:00 p.m. on February 9th. Doniphan-Trumbull will roll in looking for their 14th straight victory, something Wood River surely won't give up without a fight.
