Basketball Game Preview: Downey Vikings vs. Paramount Pirates

The Downey Vikings will venture away from home to face off against the Paramount Pirates at 7:00 p.m. on Friday. Downey knows how to get points on the board -- the team has finished with 55 points or more in their past six matchups -- so hopefully Paramount likes a good challenge.

Last Wednesday, it was close, but Downey sidestepped Firebaugh for a 58-55 win. Given the Vikings' advantage in MaxPreps' California basketball rankings (they are ranked 354th, while the Falcons are ranked 909th), the result wasn't entirely unexpected.

Earl Santos

Points (Career)

01/29/25 @ Firebaugh	18
01/17/25 @ Bellflower	17
01/15/25 vs Paramount	15
01/22/25 @ Warren	13
12/06/24 vs Los Amigos	12

Downey's success was the result of a balanced attack that saw several players step up, but Earl Santos led the charge by going 6 for 11 en route to 18 points. The dominant performance gave Santos a new career-high in points. Another player making a difference was Shane Costello, who went 6 of 9 on his way to 12 points.

Meanwhile, Paramount was not able to break out of their rough patch on Wednesday as the team picked up their third straight loss. They were outmatched by Warren and fell 79-42.

Paramount's defeat dropped their record down to 4-22. As for Downey, they have been performing well recently as they've won 11 of their last 14 games, which provided a nice bump to their 17-9 record this season.

Downey took their victory against Paramount in their previous matchup on January 15th by a conclusive 65-40. The rematch might be a little tougher for Downey since the squad won't have the home-court advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.