The Valparaiso Vikings had already won four in a row (a stretch where they outscored their opponents by an average of 8.5 points), and they went ahead and made it five on Tuesday. They strolled past Hobart with points to spare, taking the game 65-50. Given Valparaiso's advantage in MaxPreps' Indiana basketball rankings (they are ranked 29th, while Hobart is ranked 292nd), the result wasn't entirely unexpected.
It was another big night for Jack Smiley, who scored 23 points along with six assists and five rebounds. That makes it three consecutive games in which he has scored at least a third of Valparaiso's points. The team also got some help courtesy of Caden Crowell, who dropped a double-double on 11 points and ten rebounds.
Despite the defeat, Hobart had strong showings from Felix Lopez, who scored 18 points along with six rebounds, and Anthony Hnilo, who scored 22 points. Hnilo is trending in the right direction, as he's improved his point production for three games straight.
Hobart struggled to get the ball back on offense and finished the game with only three offensive rebounds. That's the fewest offensive rebounds they've managed all season.
Valparaiso pushed their record up to 16-4 with that win, which was their tenth straight at home. Those good results were due in large part to their offensive performance across that stretch, as they averaged 64.8 points per game. As for Hobart, they are on a five-game losing streak that has dropped them down to 7-8.
Valparaiso will stay at home for another game and welcome Crown Point at 7:00 p.m. on February 9th. Crown Point knows how to get points on the board -- the team has finished with flashy point totals in its past seven games -- so hopefully Valparaiso likes a good challenge. Hobart is on the road again on Friday and plays Andrean at 7:00 p.m. on February 9th. Hobart has been getting the ball to fall more lately as they've increased their point totals each of their last three games.
