Josh Rowan
C-H sports writer
COZAD – The student section was out in full force once again as the Haymaker basketball teams prepared for war with the Whippets from Minden.
The girls took an early lead from Minden, but let a slow third quarter get the best of them, as the Whippets took down Cozad 49-41.
Cozad jumped out to an early 11-7 lead after the first quarter, but Minden cut the lead down by half time, but the Haymaker clung onto a two-point lead going into the locker room at 21-19.
Minden’s half-time adjustments were key as the Whippets came out of the locker room and immediately took over. Minden outscored the Haymakers 17-7 in the third quarter to pull ahead and lead by eight. The fourth quarter Cozad attempted to rally back, but couldn’t find an answer as Minden coasted the rest of the way for the victory.
Carlie Pinkelman led the Haymakers with 14 points, while Carly Henry contributed also with 10 points. Kendra Harbison also scored seven points for Cozad.
The loss dropped Cozad to 6-12 while Minden improved to 15-3 on the season.
The boys were looking to pull off a big upset, as Minden came into Friday night’s contest with three losses on the year and rated seventh in class C-1. The Haymakers took everything that the Whippets threw at them, but in the end it was too much as Minden left with a 57-42 win.
Cozad jumped on top of Minden early and to the excitement of the crowd that was in attendance, the Haymakers were tied with Minden after the first quarter. The highly potent offense of Minden came out in the second quarter, outscoring the Haymakers 19-11 to take an eight point advantage into the locker room. Minden kept pulling away in the second half, winning the third period 15-11 to pull ahead by double digits. Cozad couldn’t cut into the lead in the end as the Whippets sealed up the victory.
“It was a very nice effort, the boys came out and competed from beginning to end,” head coach Scott Foster said. “Minden is a very good team, I think we showed we could play with them tonight.”
The Haymakers shot 30 percent (16 of 53) from the field during the game, including 9 of 25 (36 percent) from the three-point line. Free throws hurt the Haymakers, hitting only 1 of 6 (17 percent) for the game.
Evan Worrell led the Haymaker attack with 16 points, including 5 of 13 (38 percent) from long range. Jordan Hickenbottom recorded another double-double with 13 points and 11 rebounds for the game.
The loss dropped Cozad to 3-14 overall with one game left over the weekend. Minden improved to 14-3.
The Haymakers were on the road for their weekend game, taking on Perkins County.
The girls’ fought bravely to the bitter end, but the South Platte Valley Champs hung on to squeak by Cozad 38-37.
Cozad immediately sent a message early by going on a 11-2 first quarter run. The Plainswomen cut the lead by halftime, as Cozad held its second-straight halftime lead over a ranked opponent, leading 20-14. Perkins County continued to crawl back into the game, cutting the lead to three as Cozad held a slim 28-25 lead going into the final quarter.
Perkins County sank the buckets necessary in the final quarter, as Cozad could not get a final shot off in time, as Perkins County narrowly escaped.
“I hope that everyone in the stands can see how the team has grown together and that the girls are doing those little things that allow a team to compete for wins,” head coach Will Reutzel said. “I hope that we can take this level of play in to Sub-districts next week and try to create a little magic in the post season.”
The boys look to rebound against the Plainsmen over the weekend, but Haymakers fell flat early, as Perkins County took down Cozad 52-40.
The Plainsmen took it to Cozad early, leading 14-7 by the end of the first quarter, and extending their lead to double digits as Cozad found themselves in a 32-16 hole by halftime. The Haymakers fought well in the second half, outscoring the Plainsmen 24-20, but just couldn’t cut the lead down enough to get themselves back into the ball game.
“I was disappointed with our start,” Foster said. “ We came out a little flat and got out-hustled the first half. I was pleased with how hard we worked the second half. We are getting better and are better than we were at the beginning of the year.”
Hickenbottom led the squad Saturday with 16 points, while Mason Fischer backed him up with nine points. Worrell fought back pains for much of the contest and could only manage three points.
The Makers dropped to 3-15 on the season, with Perkins County improving to 11-7.
Cozad travels to Broken Bow to take on the Indians on Friday, Feb. 12. The girls begin their trip to the state tournament at the sub-district tournament in Lexington. The tournament is set to begin Feb. 15.

• Cozad Basketball
• Cozad Boys Basketball
• Cozad Girls Basketball
• Cozad Haymakers

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