It was a good run, but the Valparaiso Vikings unfortunately witnessed the end of their four-game winning streak on Thursday. They fell to Lake Central 63-58. Valparaiso was given a dose of their own medicine in this game as Lake Central apparently hadn't forgotten their loss the last time these teams played back in January of 2023.
When it comes to explaining why Valparaiso lost, one person who can't be blamed is Jack Smiley. Despite the final result, he scored 23 points along with seven assists and six rebounds. That was a full 39.7% of Valparaiso's points, marking the third time in a row he's earned more than a third of the team's points. Phillip Amones was another key contributor, scoring nine points.
Valparaiso's defeat dropped their record down to 11-4. As for Lake Central, they pushed their record up to 14-0 with that victory, which was their seventh straight at home.
Valparaiso will take on South Bend Washington at 6:30 p.m. on Saturday. Hopefully South Bend Washington focused on turnovers this week since the team gave up six on Thursday. As for Lake Central, they will head out on the road to challenge Portage at 7:00 p.m. on Tuesday. Portage will have to bring their A-game into this one, as they are staring down a pretty big deficit in the MaxPreps Indiana Rankings (they are ranked 99th, while Lake Central is ranked seventh).
