Basketball Game Preview: Hillcrest Trojans vs. Valley View Eagles

The Hillcrest Trojans will head out to take on the Valley View Eagles at 6:30 p.m. on Tuesday. One thing working in Hillcrest's favor is that they have posted at least 55 points in their last five contests.

Hillcrest's tournament run continued when they took on Arrowhead Christian on Monday. Hillcrest walked away with a 66-53 win over Arrowhead Christian.

Meanwhile, Valley View was not able to break out of their rough patch on Thursday as the team picked up their third straight defeat. They were three points away from ending the streak, but they lost a 51-48 heartbreaker at the hands of Xavier Prep. The matchup was a 23-23 toss-up at halftime, but the Eagles couldn't quite close it out.

Hillcrest will need focus on slowing down Kenneth Hutchinson, one of several Valley View players who made an impact when they last played. He went 5 for 12 on his way to 15 points. Elijah McDaniel was another key player, going 5 for 12 on his way to 13 points and five rebounds.

Valley View's loss dropped their record down to 4-14. As for Hillcrest, their victory bumped their record up to 16-3.

Hillcrest was able to grind out a solid win over Valley View in their previous meeting back in February of 2022, winning 63-53. One of the biggest obstacles trying to stand in the way of that victory was Valley View's BJ Knight, who went 9 of 19 on his way to 25 points in addition to seven rebounds and four blocks. Now that he won't be playing on Tuesday, will it be easier for Hillcrest to walk away with another win? There's only one way to find out.