It's hard to turn regular season success into postseason wins, a fact Valparaiso can now relate to. They fell just short of the Merrillville Pirates by a score of 45-42 on Tuesday. For those keeping track at home, that's the closest loss the Vikings have suffered since January 24th.
Valparaiso's defeat came despite a true team effort with many players turning in solid performances. Perhaps the best among them was Julian Stokes, who posted seven points in addition to five rebounds and three steals. Another player making a difference was Maddux Wagner, who had eight points along with six boards and three blocks.
Even though they lost, Valparaiso was working as a unit and finished the game with 11 assists. They easily outclassed their opponents in that department as Merrillville only four assists.
Leading Merrillville to victory were Kelvion Brown and Charles Hardiman. Brown almost dropped a double-double with 14 points and nine rebounds, while Hardiman scored 15 points and four steals. That's the most boards Brown has posted since back in December of 2024. The team also got some help courtesy of Rodrick Durant-Hicks, who earned five points and three steals.
Valparaiso has traveled a rocky road recently, having lost three of their last four matchups. That's put a noticeable dent in their 10-15 record this season. Merrillville's win bumped their record up to 6-18.
Valparaiso does not have any more games scheduled as of now. As for Merrillville, they will challenge Hobart at 8:00 p.m. on Friday. Hobart has been dominant on offense recently, having racked up an incredible 211 points over their last three contests.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
