Basketball Game Preview: Halstead Dragons vs. Smoky Valley Vikings

The Halstead Dragons and the Smoky Valley Vikings will compete for holiday cheer at 6:00 p.m. on Friday. The teams are on pretty different trajectories at the moment (Halstead has five straight wins, Smoky Valley has four straight losses), but none of that matters once you're on the court.

Last Tuesday, Halstead earned a 37-28 victory over Hillsboro. The 37-point effort marked the Dragons' lowest-scoring match of the season, but in the end it didn't matter.

Meanwhile, Smoky Valley ended up a good deal behind Hesston on Tuesday and lost 60-42. That's two games in a row now that the Vikings have lost by exactly 18 points.

Smoky Valley's defeat dropped their record down to 0-3. As for Halstead, they pushed their record up to 5-0 with the win, which was their 12th straight at home dating back to last season.

Halstead couldn't quite finish off Smoky Valley when the teams last played back in February and fell 50-47. Will Halstead have more luck at home instead of on the road? Check back here after the action for a full breakdown and analysis of the contest.