It can be hard to translate regular season success to the playoffs, but the Valparaiso Vikings had no problem doing just that on Tuesday. They snuck past the Trojans with a 55-49 win. The win was nothing new for Valparaiso as they're now sitting on three straight.
Valparaiso was led to victory by Becca Gerdt and Lillian Barnes. Gerdt scored 15 points along with five rebounds and four steals, while Barnes scored 15 points along with seven assists and seven rebounds. Barnes is on a roll when it comes to points, as she's now scored 15 or more in the last nine games she's played. Kenzie Wassermann was another key contributor, scoring 12 points.
Chesterton's defeat came despite a true team effort from the offense, with many players turning in solid performances. Perhaps the best among them was Ciara Bonner, who scored 20 points along with two steals. As a matter of fact, that's the most points Bonner has scored all season. Another player making a difference was Tenley Davis, who scored eight points along with ten rebounds and two steals.
Valparaiso is on a roll lately: they've won six of their last seven contests, which provided a nice bump to their 16-7 record this season. As for Chesterton, their defeat dropped their record down to 17-8.
Valparaiso will take on the Indians at 5:30 p.m. on Friday. 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 202nd, while the Vikings are ranked 52nd). Chesterton does not have any more games scheduled as of now.
