Basketball Game Preview: Shepaug Valley Spartans vs. Lakeview Warriors

The Shepaug Valley Spartans will square off against the Lakeview Warriors at 7:00 p.m. on Thursday. Both squads will be entering this one on the heels of a big victory.

Lakeview will be up against a hot Shepaug Valley squad: the team just extended their winning streak to 21. Shepaug Valley blew past Gilbert 114-35 on Tuesday. Given the Spartans' advantage in MaxPreps' Connecticut basketball rankings (they are ranked 29th, while the Yellowjackets are ranked 166th), the result wasn't entirely unexpected.

Reed Woerner

Points

02/18/25 vs Gilbert	24
02/14/25 vs Thomaston	18
02/11/25 @ Terryville	23
02/07/25 @ Nonnewaug	40
02/03/25 vs Bullard-Havens	23
+ 15 more games

Shepaug Valley can attribute much of their success to Reed Woerner, who posted 24 points in addition to six boards and five assists, and James Kersten, who scored 23 points and four steals. The game was Woerner's 20th in a row with at least 18 points. Another player making a difference was Drew Konik, who almost dropped a double-double with ten points and nine assists.

Shepaug Valley smashed the offensive glass and finished the game with ten offensive rebounds. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now pulled down at least eight offensive boards in 12 consecutive matchups.

Meanwhile, a well-balanced attack led Lakeview over Northwestern Regional in every quarter on their way to victory on Tuesday. Given that consistent dominance, it should come as no surprise that Lakeview blew Northwestern Regional out of the water with a 71-43 final score. The Warriors have beaten the Highlanders the last three times they've met, but they better watch out: this was the closest the Highlanders has come to flipping the script.

Shepaug Valley pushed their record up to 21-0 with the win, which was their 16th straight at home dating back to last season. As for Lakeview, their victory bumped their record up to 14-6.

Shepaug Valley came out on top in a nail-biter against Lakeview in their previous matchup back in January, sneaking past 75-72. Does Shepaug Valley have another victory up their sleeve, or will Lakeview turn the tables on them? We'll have the answer soon enough.