Basketball Game Preview: Vermillion Tanagers vs. Ponca Indians

The Vermillion Tanagers will square off against the Ponca Indians at 7:00 p.m. on Friday. The teams are on pretty different trajectories at the moment (Vermillion has six straight wins, Ponca has three straight defeats), but none of that matters once you're on the court.

Vermillion is coming in fresh off a high-stakes matchup with another one of South Dakota's top teams: Dakota Valley, who was ranked 16th at the time (Vermillion was ranked 15th). Vermillion strolled past Dakota Valley with points to spare on Tuesday, taking the game 77-62.

Meanwhile, Ponca played a tough matchup on Friday in which they were outscored in every quarter. They came up short against Norfolk Catholic, falling 67-44. For those keeping track at home, that's the biggest loss the Indians have suffered since March 6, 2024.

Vermillion pushed their record up to 14-3 with the victory, which was their fourth straight at home. The wins came thanks in part to their offensive performance across that stretch, as they averaged 74.0 points over those games. As for Ponca, their defeat dropped their record down to 14-8.

Vermillion was able to grind out a solid win over Ponca in their previous meeting back in February of 2024, winning 63-53. The rematch might be a little tougher for Vermillion since the squad won't have the home-court advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.