Preview: Wawasee Warriors vs. Tippecanoe Valley Vikings
Wawasee is 2-8 against Tippecanoe Valley since January of 2015 but they'll have a chance to close the gap a little bit on Tuesday. The Wawasee Warriors on the road again and play against the Tippecanoe Valley Vikings at 7:30 p.m. on January 23rd. Both teams come into the matchup bolstered by wins in their previous matches.
Wawasee posted their biggest win since November 30, 2023 on Tuesday. They were the clear victor by a 50-27 margin over Mishawaka. Given Wawasee's advantage in MaxPreps' Indiana basketball rankings (they are ranked 89th, while Mishawaka is ranked 239th), the result wasn't entirely unexpected.
Lucy Wilkinson and Mackenzie Hackleman were among the main playmakers for Wawasee as the former scored 13 points along with four steals and the latter scored 18 points along with eight steals. As a matter of fact, that's the most points Wilkinson has scored all season. Ava Couture was another key contributor, scoring 13 points.
Meanwhile, Tippecanoe Valley waltzed into their matchup on Saturday with two straight wins but they left with three. They walked away with a 41-32 victory over Kokomo.
Tippecanoe Valley's success was spearheaded by the efforts of Kelsey Cox, who scored nine points along with five rebounds and four steals, and Ava Egolf, who scored 14 points along with five steals. The team also got some help courtesy of Ava Smith, who scored seven points.
Wawasee's win bumped their record up to 13-6. As for Tippecanoe Valley, they are on a roll lately: they've won 11 of their last 13 games, which provided a nice bump to their 16-3 record this season.
Tuesday's contest will pit two of the most dominant players against one another: Hackleman and Egolf. Hackleman has been dynamite this season: she has averaged 11.6 points, 4.1 steals, and 1.8 blocks. For her part, Egolf has averaged 12.4 points, 2.6 steals, and 5.4 rebounds.
Tuesday's game is shaping up to be a masterclass in shooting: Wawasee have been dynamite from deep this season, having only nailed 36.2% of their threes per game. However, it's not like Tippecanoe Valley struggles in that department as they've only made 35.9% of their threes per game this season. Given these competing strengths, it'll be interesting to see how their clash plays out. Check back here after the action for a full breakdown and analysis of the contest.
