Two dominant guards in Jack Smiley and Marcus Browder are getting ready to go toe-to-toe. The Valparaiso Vikings will head out on the road to face off against the Hammond Central Wolves at 7:00 p.m. on Friday. Valparaiso has been dominant on offense recently, as they've racked up an incredible 578 points over their last nine contests.
Even though Chesterton scored an imposing 57 points on Friday, Valparaiso still came out on top. Valparaiso managed a 63-57 victory over Chesterton.
Valparaiso's success was the result of a balanced attack that saw several players step up, but Smiley led the charge by scoring 17 points along with six assists and six rebounds. Smiley is on a roll when it comes to points, as he's now scored 16 or more in the last 12 games he's played. The team also got some help courtesy of Caden Crowell, who scored 16 points.
Meanwhile, Hammond Central had to endure a four-game losing streak, but that streak is no more. They strolled past Calumet New Tech with points to spare on Friday, taking the game 78-64. Given Hammond Central's advantage in MaxPreps' Indiana basketball rankings (they are ranked 174th, while Calumet New Tech is ranked 356th), the result wasn't entirely unexpected.
Hammond Central's win was a true team effort, with many players turning in solid performances. Perhaps the best among them was Browder, who scored 20 points along with six assists and six rebounds. Browder has been hot recently, having posted 17 or more points the last six times he's played. Gregory Dotson was another key contributor, scoring 15 points along with seven rebounds and six assists.
Valparaiso has been performing incredibly well recently as they've won seven of their last eight matchups, which provided a nice bump to their 18-5 record this season. Hammond Central's record is now 7-11.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
