There's no place like home for the Valparaiso Vikings, who bounced back after a tough loss on the road last Thursday. They came out on top against South Bend Washington by a score of 66-57 on Saturday. Given Valparaiso's advantage in MaxPreps' Indiana basketball rankings (they are ranked 28th, while South Bend Washington is ranked 115th), the result wasn't entirely unexpected.
Valparaiso was led to victory by Alec Platipodis and Jack Smiley. Platipodis scored 18 points along with eight rebounds, while Smiley scored 16 points along with nine assists. As a matter of fact, that's the most points Platipodis has scored all season. The team also got some help courtesy of Julian Stokes, who scored eight points along with ten rebounds.
South Bend Washington lost despite a true team effort on the offense, the best among them being Steven Reynolds 3, who scored 21 points along with eight rebounds and five steals. Reynolds 3 is on a roll when it comes to points, as he's now scored 15 or more in the last five games he's played. Donovan Johnson was another key contributor, scoring 14 points along with two steals and two blocks.
Valparaiso pushed their record up to 12-4 with that win, which was their seventh straight at home. Those good results were due in large part to their offensive dominance across that stretch, as they averaged 65.6 points per game. As for South Bend Washington, they are on a three-game losing streak that has dropped them down to 7-6.
Valparaiso will head out on the road to challenge Merrillville at 7:00 p.m. on Friday. Merrillville has been dominant on offense recently, as they've racked up an incredible 856 points over their last 13 contests. As for South Bend Washington, they will be playing in front of their home fans against Mishawaka Marian at 7:30 p.m. on Friday.
