Basketball Game Preview: Dakota Valley Panthers vs. Vermillion Tanagers

The Dakota Valley Panthers will face off against the Vermillion Tanagers at 7:00 p.m. on Thursday. Both squads will be entering this one on the heels of a big victory.

Dakota Valley is on a roll after a high-stakes playoff matchup on Tuesday. They put the hurt on Beresford with a sharp 92-68 victory. The win was nothing new for the Panthers as they're now sitting on three straight.

Aubree Worden

Points (Career)

02/25/25 vs Beresford	20
02/21/25 @ Madison	18
02/06/25 @ Elk Point-Jefferson	18
02/04/25 vs Sioux Valley	18
01/25/25 vs Bennett County	17

Dakota Valley's win was the result of several impressive offensive performances. One of the most notable came from Aubree Worden, who went 6-for-13 en route to 20 points in addition to six rebounds and three steals. The dominant performance gave Worden a new career-high in points. Another player making a difference was Ella Otten, who went 7-for-14 on her way to 20 points along with five assists and three steals.

Dakota Valley was working as a unit and finished the game with 18 assists. The team's really been improving in that area: they've now improved their assist total in three consecutive matches.

Meanwhile, Vermillion came tearing into Tuesday's contest with eight straight wins (a stretch where they outscored their opponents by an average of 12 points), and they left with even more momentum. They breezed past the C-Hawks to the tune of 71-36.

Vermillion pushed their record up to 18-3 with the victory, which was their 16th straight at home dating back to last season. Those victories came thanks in part to their offensive performance across that stretch, as they averaged 62.8 points over those games. As for Dakota Valley, their win bumped their record up to 19-2.

Dakota Valley came up short against Vermillion when the teams last played on February 11th, falling 71-63. Will Dakota Valley have more luck at home instead of on the road? Check MaxPreps after the action for a full breakdown of the game and more basketball content.