Preview: Downey Vikings vs. Paramount Pirates
The Downey Vikings will head out on the road to square off against the Paramount Pirates at 5:15 p.m. on Friday. Both squads will be entering this one on the heels of a big victory.
Downey scored the most points they've had all season to find success on Wednesday. They really took it to Warren for the full four quarters, racking up a 67-22 victory at home. That 45 points margin sets a new team best for Downey this season.
Downey's success was spearheaded by the efforts of Genesis Salinas, who scored 17 points along with two steals, and Olivia Vaughn, who scored 14 points along with five steals. Salinas continues to roll, besting her previous point total in each of the last three games she's played. The team also got some help courtesy of Symantha Barnett, who scored five points along with three steals and two blocks.
Paramount posted their biggest win since December 16, 2023 on Wednesday. They breezed by Gahr at home to the tune of 61-32. Given Paramount's advantage in MaxPreps' California basketball rankings (they are ranked 53rd, while Gahr is ranked 294th), the result wasn't entirely unexpected.
The victory (which was Downey's fourth in a row) raised their record to 13-10. Those good results were due in large part to their offensive dominance across that stretch, as they averaged 52.0 points per game. As for Paramount, they are on a roll lately: they've won 13 of their last 17 contests, which provided a nice bump to their 18-6 record this season.
Downey opened the new year with a less-than-successful 55-43 loss to Paramount. Can Downey avenge their loss or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.
