The Hammond Central Wolves entered their tilt with the Valparaiso Vikings with two consecutive wins but they'll enter their next game with three. Hammond Central skirted past Valparaiso 59-56. The victory was all the more spectacular given Hammond Central's disadvantage in MaxPreps' Indiana basketball rankings (they are ranked 160th, while Valparaiso is ranked 26th).
Leading Hammond Central to victory were Da'shawn Woods and Marcus Browder. Woods scored 17 points along with five steals, while Browder scored 27 points along with four steals and two blocks. Browder has been hot recently, having posted 17 or more points the last eight times he's played. Gregory Dotson was another key contributor, scoring eight points along with six assists and two blocks.
When it comes to explaining why Valparaiso lost on Friday, one person who can't be blamed is Jack Smiley. Despite the final result, he dropped a double-double on 28 points and ten rebounds. Smiley hasn't dropped below 16 points for 13 straight games. Another player making a difference was Kj Avery, who scored 11 points.
Hammond Central pushed their record up to 9-11 with that win, which was their third straight at home. Those victories were due in large part to their offensive performance across that stretch, as they averaged 70.3 points per game. As for Valparaiso, their defeat dropped their record down to 18-6.
Hammond Central will square off against Gary West Side at 7:00 p.m. on Wednesday. Hammond Central knows how to get points on the board -- the team has finished with flashy point totals in its past three games -- so hopefully Gary West Side likes a good challenge. Valparaiso will be staying on the road on Wednesday to face off against Hobart at 7:30 p.m. on February 28th. One thing working in Valparaiso's favor is that they have posted big point totals in their last ten matchups.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
