Basketball Game Preview: Carroll Chargers vs. Valparaiso Vikings

The Carroll Chargers and the Valparaiso Vikings will round out the year against one another at at 11:30 a.m. on Friday.

Last Saturday, Carroll came up short against Warsaw and fell 51-43. The loss continues a trend for the Chargers in their matchups with the Tigers: they've now lost four in a row.

Carroll might have lost, but man, Paxton Crane was a machine: he almost dropped a double-double on 23 points and nine rebounds. With that strong performance, Crane is now averaging an impressive 15.9 points per game. Brody Fisher was another key player, going 5 for 6 on his way to 10 points.

Meanwhile, Valparaiso earned a 53-43 win over Hammond Bishop Noll on Saturday.

Carroll better focus on containing Kj Avery and Trenten Kimes as the pair were huge in Valparaiso's win. Avery posted 13 points, while Kimes went 7 of 12 on his way to 18 points. That's the most points Kimes has posted since back in December of 2023. The team also got some help courtesy of Maddux Wagner, who put up five points.

Valparaiso is on a roll lately: they've won three of their last four matchups, which provided a nice bump to their 3-4 record this season. Those victories came thanks to their offensive performance across that stretch, as they averaged 55.5 points per game. As for Carroll, they now also have a losing record at 3-4.

Rebounding is likely to be a big factor in this contest: Carroll has been smashing the glass this season, having averaged 23.6 boards per game. However, it's not like Valparaiso struggles in that department as they've been averaging 23.1 rebounds. With both teams battling to corral missed shots, we'll see if one team can grab an edge Check back here after the action for a full breakdown and analysis of the contest.