Basketball Game Preview: Western Indians vs. Symmes Valley Vikings

The Western Indians will square off against the Symmes Valley Vikings at 7:30 p.m. on Friday. Western knows how to get points on the board -- the squad has finished with 55 points or more in their past five games -- so hopefully Symmes Valley likes a good challenge.

Two weeks ago, it was close, but Western sidestepped Fairfield for a 68-66 win.

Meanwhile, Symmes Valley entered their tilt with Green on Tuesday with five consecutive wins but they'll enter their next game with six. They put the hurt on the Bobcats with a sharp 85-59 victory. The Vikings have made a habit of sweeping their opponents off the court, having now won three matchups by 26 points or more this season.

Western better keep an eye on Ethan Smith. He was instrumental in Symmes Valley's win, going 9 for 12 from beyond the arc en route to 53 points. The contest was Smith's seventh in a row with at least ten points. Another player making a difference was Bronx Carpenter, who posted eight points and five assists.

Western is on a roll lately: they've won three of their last four games, which provided a nice bump to their 5-3 record this season. Those victories came thanks to their offensive performance across that stretch, as they averaged 64.8 points per game. As for Symmes Valley, their win bumped their record up to 7-3.

Western came up short against Symmes Valley in their previous matchup back in February of 2024, falling 65-57. Can Western avenge their loss or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.