Basketball Game Preview: Johansen Vikings vs. Central Valley Hawks

The Johansen Vikings will venture away from home to challenge the Central Valley Hawks at 7:30 p.m. on Friday. Johansen knows how to get points on the board -- the squad has finished with 55 points or more in their past five contests -- so hopefully Central Valley likes a good challenge.

Last Wednesday, Johansen beat Lathrop 61-51. Given the Vikings' advantage in MaxPreps' California basketball rankings (they are ranked 364th, while the Spartans are ranked 878th), the result wasn't entirely unexpected.

Johansen got their win on the backs of several key players, but it was Wilbert Gaxiola out in front who posted 24 points. The matchup was Gaxiola's third in a row with at least ten points. The team also got some help courtesy of Ivan Martinez, who earned 17 points.

Meanwhile, even if it wasn't a dominant performance, Central Valley beat Livingston 65-61 on Wednesday. With that victory, the Hawks brought their scoring average up to 50.6 points per game.

Central Valley's win came from a few key players Johansen will need to keep an eye on. One of the most notable was Emmanuel Carranza, who went 5 of 11 en route to 15 points along with eight boards and three blocks. That's the most blocks he has posted since back in January of 2024. Another player making a difference was Andre Flores, who had 14 points in addition to six rebounds and five steals.

Johansen's win was their sixth straight on the road, which pushed their record up to 13-5. Those victories came thanks to their offensive performance across that stretch, as they averaged 61.7 points per game. As for Central Valley, their record now sits at 8-10.

Johansen strolled past Central Valley in their previous matchup back in December of 2023 by a score of 66-51. The rematch might be a little tougher for Johansen since the team won't have the home-court advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.