Basketball Game Preview: Downey Vikings vs. Paramount Pirates

The Downey Vikings will challenge the Paramount Pirates at 7:00 p.m. on Wednesday. The teams are on pretty different trajectories at the moment (Downey has four straight wins, Paramount has nine straight defeats), but none of that matters once you're on the court.

Last Friday, Downey was able to grind out a solid victory over Firebaugh, taking the game 64-55. Given the Vikings' advantage in MaxPreps' California basketball rankings (they are ranked 328th, while the Falcons are ranked 958th), the result wasn't entirely unexpected.

Tyler Harris

Points

01/10/25 vs Firebaugh	25
01/07/25 @ Norwalk	15
01/03/25 vs Warren	17
12/30/24 vs Summit	17
12/28/24 vs Capistrano Valley	22

Tyler Harris was his usual excellent self, shooting 4-for-6 from downtown and dropping a double-double on 25 points and 11 boards. His evening made it 16 games in a row in which he has scored at least ten points. The team also got some help courtesy of Emilio Jaimes, who went 5 of 8 on his way to 15 points and five rebounds.

Meanwhile, Paramount played a tough matchup on Friday in which they were outscored in every quarter. They were outmatched by Warren and fell 79-42. The Pirates were in a tough position after the first half, with the score already sitting at 46-21.

Downey's win was their fifth straight at home, which pushed their record up to 14-7. The wins came thanks to their offensive performance across that stretch, as they averaged 66.6 points per game. As for Paramount, their loss dropped their record down to 3-16.

Everything came up roses for Downey against Paramount in their previous meeting back in November of 2023, as the squad secured a 66-30 victory. Will Downey repeat their success, or does Paramount have a new game plan this time around? We'll find out soon enough.