Basketball Game Preview: Valparaiso Vikings vs. Lake Central Indians

Valparaiso is 1-9 against Lake Central since January of 2015 but they'll have a chance to close the gap a little bit on Friday. The Valparaiso Vikings will host the Lake Central Indians at 6:00 p.m. Both squads will be entering this one on the heels of a big victory.

Valparaiso is headed into the match after thoroughly thrashing Andrean: they outscored them in every quarter. Given that consistent dominance, it should come as no surprise that Valparaiso blew Andrean out of the water with a 48-19 final score. The win was nothing new for the Vikings as they're now sitting on four straight.

Lillian Barnes was her usual excellent self, going 6 for 11 en route to 15 points in addition to six boards and five steals. Her evening made it three games in a row in which she has scored at least ten points. The team also got some help courtesy of Delilah Kincaid, who posted eight points and six rebounds.

Meanwhile, a well-balanced attack led Lake Central over Hinsdale South in every quarter on their way to victory on Monday. Given that consistent dominance, it should come as no surprise that Lake Central blew Hinsdale South out of the water with a 71-32 final score. Given the Indians' advantage in MaxPreps' basketball rankings in their respective home states (they are ranked 44th in Indiana, while the Hornets are ranked 223rd in Illinois), the result wasn't entirely unexpected.

Lake Central has also been performing well recently as they've won 11 of their last 13 contests, which provided a nice bump to their 15-6 record this season. Those victories came thanks to their offensive performance across that stretch, as they averaged 55.3 points per game. As for Valparaiso, their victory was their third straight at home, which pushed their record up to 13-7.

Valparaiso came up short against Lake Central in their previous matchup back in January of 2024, falling 46-41. Will Valparaiso have more luck at home instead of on the road? Check back here after the action for a full breakdown and analysis of the contest.