Kearney, Neb. – The Holdrege boys basketball team saw their season come to an end on Tuesday at the hands of their biggest rival, Minden. The Whippets shook off a 13-point halftime deficit to win 48-43. They will advance to the subdistrict final on Thursday where they’ll face hosting school Kearney Catholic.
The matchup began as fast as any game has this season for the Dusters. They were aggressive and sharp early on and took a 7-0 lead. Fouls began to add up in the first quarter, however. By the end of the opening period, Holdrege still had a 15-12 lead but were forced to bench leading scorer Garret Johnson who amassed three fouls. Senior Jaren Moore had also found his way to the bench with foul trouble early on.
The already shorthanded Dusters found themselves stretched even thinner when senior Coy Swanson went down with an apparent knee injury. Swanson was forced to sit out midway through the first but was back out on the floor at the start of the second quarter. It only took a few seconds to realize he would not be able to continue, and head coach Brandt Runge took a time out to replace Swanson.
Despite all of that, the Dusters were able to head into the locker room with a 33-20 halftime lead. Johnson had not committed another foul and was able to score 10 points in the first half. Meanwhile, the top three Whippets scorers were held to just 10 combined points through the first two quarters.
Things changed in the second half of the contest.
The Duster offense ground to halt and was only able to put up two points in the third quarter. Holdrege’s defense was still up to the task and held Minden at bay for as long as possible. Heading into the fourth quarter, the Dusters maintained a 35-27 lead. The offensive woes continued for Holdrege, while Minden’s picked up steam.
The Whippets used Ryan’s 13 and sophomore Luke Grollmes seven second-half points to finally take the lead inside the final minute of the game. The Dusters were unable to regain the lead they had held since the beginning and ultimately fell. Minden was led by Jake Ryan with 15 points followed by Grollmes’ 11. They improved to 9-12.
The Dusters were led offensively by Garret Johnson with 12 points with junior Landon Hartzog’s eight points coming in at second on the team. Holdrege finished their season with an 11-13 record.
It was a year full of challenges and discoveries for both the players and the coaches. There were times when it looked like very few teams could keep up with the sharpshooting Duster offense, and there were times when fans were left wondering what went wrong. Through it all, Holdrege left with a deserved sense of pride. It was an exciting 2023-2024 season filled with special moments and valuable life lessons.
The Duster boys basketball team will say “goodbye” to five outstanding seniors. Some of those players didn’t see much of the court, but their hard work and good attitudes never faltered. Zane Veal, Beau Jensen, and Zac Sundquist had their moments throughout the year. Their legacy will be one of selflessness and leadership. Jaren Moore came on late in the season and earned a spot in the starting lineup for some of the latter games. Coy Swanson wasn’t able to finish out his final game, but his impact was felt all season long. Swanson finished second on the team in scoring and became a deadly weapon behind the arc.
It wasn’t the ending these boys wanted, and almost no one would’ve predicted this game to end the way it did. Regardless, Holdrege can continue to hold their heads up high knowing they’re still represented by a group of kids who know how to work hard and not give up.
