COZAD — It was a spectacle to see as the stands were nearly full on both sides of the court as the undefeated Cozad Haymakers took on the undefeated Ogallala Indians on Friday, Jan. 5 at The Barn in Cozad.
Cozad won the tip-off and quickly tried to get on the board first, but the man-to-man defense of the Indians gave the Makers a hard fought battle the entire game.
It was clear to see, even from the beginning of the night, the Indians prepared their defense to shut down the likes of junior Noah Shoemaker and they succeeded in the first half. The Tigers only allowed Shoemaker to get off five points.
The Makers fought their way to get within two of the Indians in the first quarter before struggling to keep up in the second as Ogallala was hot behind the three-point line.
At the half point mark, the Haymakers were behind by 11.
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It was a physical game on both sides of the ball.
Cozad continued to push through the fouls that weren’t being called and scored eight points in the third quarter. However, the Indians snuck by with nine.
One could see the determination in the eyes of the Haymakers in the fourth quarter. They knew what was on the line and they wanted to prove themselves in a gym full of their supporters.
As the clock ticked down, the Makers immediately got to work and battled for all 21 points scored.
Although, Cozad outscored the Indians 21-17 in the fourth quarter, the Makers couldn’t edge the lead.
Cozad lost 60-52.
The biggest struggle for the Makers was at the free throw line where they made nine of 22 shots.
Senior Monty Brooks-Follmer snagged 15 points to lead the Haymakers, Shoemaker had 11, Chayden Hoffmaster had nine and Olliver Davis put up eight.
Cozad battled the tough North Platte St. Pat’s on Saturday on the road before their Dawson County showdown against the Swedes of Gothenburg on Thursday, Jan. 11 in Gothenburg at 7:30 p.m.
