Hobart is 0-7 against the Vikings since November of 2014 but they'll have a chance to close the gap a little bit on Tuesday. The Hobart Brickies will be staying on the road to face off against the Valparaiso Vikings at 7:00 p.m. on February 6th. Hopefully Hobart focused on turnovers this week since the team gave up 15 on Thursday.
Last Thursday, Hobart was within striking distance but couldn't close the gap as they fell 53-47 to the Kougars.
Despite their loss, Hobart saw several players rise to the challenge and make noteworthy plays. Anthony Hnilo, who scored 20 points along with three steals, was perhaps the best of all. Another player making a difference was Juanta Lewis, who scored ten points along with six rebounds and two blocks.
Meanwhile, Valparaiso waltzed into their match on Thursday with three straight wins but they left with four. They escaped with a win against La Porte by the margin of a single free throw, 62-61. Given Valparaiso's advantage in MaxPreps' Indiana basketball rankings (they are ranked 26th, while the Slicers are ranked 165th), the result wasn't entirely unexpected.
It was another big night for Jack Smiley, who scored 31 points along with eight rebounds. He hasn't dropped below 16 points for eight straight games. The team also got some help courtesy of Alec Platipodis, who scored ten points along with six rebounds.
Hobart's loss was their third straight on the road, which dropped their record down to 7-7. As for Valparaiso, they have been performing incredibly well recently as they've won eight of their last nine matches, which provided a nice bump to their 15-4 record this season.
Tuesday's matchup will pit two of the most dominant guards against one another: Hnilo and Smiley. Hnilo has been dynamite this season: he has averaged 17.4 points, 1.6 steals, and 2.6 assists. For his part, Smiley has averaged 24.1 points, 6.2 assists, and 5.8 rebounds.
Hobart was taken down by the Vikings 64-29 in their previous meeting back in March of 2023. Thankfully for Hobart, Mason Jones (who scored 28 points) won't be suiting up this time. Will that be enough to change the final result? Check MaxPreps.com after the match to find out.
