The Valparaiso Vikings came tearing into Friday's matchup with five straight wins (a stretch where they outscored their opponents by an average of 25.8 points) and they left with even more momentum. The stars were shining brightly for them in a 62-46 win over Chesterton. 62 seems to be a good number for Valparaiso as the squad scooped up a victory with the same number of points in their previous game.
Valparaiso was led to victory by Becca Gerdt and Lillian Barnes. Gerdt scored 21 points, while Barnes dropped a double-double on 16 points and ten assists. That makes it three consecutive games in which Barnes has scored at least 25% of Valparaiso's points. Raegan O'halek was another key contributor, scoring eight points.
Chesterton lost despite a true team effort on the offense, the best among them being Isabelle Connors, who scored 13 points along with six rebounds. The team also got some help courtesy of Ciara Bonner, who scored 14 points along with seven rebounds.
Valparaiso pushed their record up to 9-2 with that victory, which was their third straight at home. Those good results were due in large part to their offensive dominance across that stretch, as they averaged 59.3 points per game. As for Chesterton, their loss dropped their record down to 7-4.
Both squads are looking forward to the support of their home crowds in their upcoming games. Valparaiso won't have much time to rest: their next matchup is against Bowman Academy at 12:30 p.m. on December 16th. Bowman Academy has been getting the ball to fall more lately as they've increased their point totals each of their last three games. Chesterton won't have much time to rest: their next game is against Lowell at 7:00 p.m. on December 16th. Lowell is strutting with some offensive muscle, as they've averaged 53.4 points per game.
